Inclement weather ends Saturday at PGA

Golf Betting Lines

08/09/2008 - Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inclement weather at Oakland Hills forced the suspension of play for the day Saturday during the third round of the PGA Championship.

J.B. Holmes stayed atop the leaderboard, but has not teed off in his third round. He is the only player under par for the championship and is one ahead of Charlie Wi, playing in his first major, 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis and Justin Rose.

Steve Flesch is two-under through five holes and is tied for fifth place at plus-one for the tournament. David Toms, the 2001 champion, and Henrik Stenson have yet to tee off in round three at the same score.

The third round will resume at 7:15 a.m. (et) Sunday. The plan is to complete the third round around 11:50 a.m., then the players will be sent out in threesomes off both the first and 10th tees for the final round.

That is, of course, if there are no weather stoppages on Sunday. There is some rain in the forecast and the possibility of the fourth Monday finish in PGA Championship history since it went to stroke play looms large.

Phil Mickelson won the last Monday finish three years ago at Baltusrol. He knocked his drive at the par-four sixth to seven feet and is in good shape for an eagle.

Mickelson stands at three-over par for the championship, but with an eagle early Sunday morning, he could get within two shots of the lead.

Andres Romero is the leader in the clubhouse after a five-under 65 on Saturday. He finished 54 holes at two-over 212 and headlines a group tied for eighth.

MORE TO FOLLOW.

Intercaisno Golf Betting News

<< French horse captures Arlington Million XXVI
Arlington Heights, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - European invader Spirit One went wire-to-wire to win Saturday's 26th running of the Arlington Million at Arlington Park. The victory in the 1 1/4 mile grass race, part of the "Win and Yo

<< Barrett goal leads TFC to improbable win at Colorado
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids had all the advantages heading into their Major League Soccer fixture vs. Toronto FC on Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids were playing at home, had a w

<< Reds place Votto on bereavement list
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds placed first baseman Joey Votto on the bereavement list on Saturday and selected the contract of infielder Adam Rosales from Triple-A Louisville. The 24-year-old Votto is eligibl

<< Ambrose picks up first Nationwide win at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcos Ambrose became a first-time race winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Saturday with a victory in the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. The No.59 Ford driver crossed the finish line 4.335 secon

<< Azinger has been a different captain
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Azinger was always going to be a different Ryder Cup captain than most. In his Ryder Cup career, which only spanned four Ryder Cups, Azinger got into legendary confrontations with the

Marseille, Rennes battle to dramatic draw in Ligue 1 opener >>
Rennes, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Olympique Marseille and Rennes got the French Ligue 1 schedule off to an exciting start with a 4-4 thriller at Stade Rennes on the opening day of the new campaign on Saturday. After Marseille battle

Dolphins sign Pennington >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins officially signed quarterback Chad Pennington to a multi-year contract on Saturday, The move to bring Pennington into the fold came only two days after his former team, the New Yo

White Sox P Contreras leaves game >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras left Saturday's game in the top of the second inning due to an apparent ankle injury. Contreras was running toward first base to cover on a ground ball hit

Angels pull away from Yankees with huge eighth inning >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero each homered and drove in two runs as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim used a late blitz to steamroll the New York Yankees, 11-4, in the second of a three- game we

Brewers' Braun leaves game >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun left in the third inning of the club's game against Washington on Saturday with lower back tightness. Braun struck out in the bottom of the first, and during the at-b

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.