Vancsik grabs Italian Open lead
Golf Betting Lines
05/08/2009 - Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina's Daniel Vancsik fired a six-under 65 on Friday to take the midway lead at the Italian Open.
Vancsik, the 2007 Madeira Islands Open champion, finished two rounds at Royal Park I Roveri at nine-under 133 for a one-stroke edge over first-round leader Gareth Maybin (70) of Northern Ireland.
Finland's Roope Kakko (64), Iceland's Birgir Hafthorsson (65) and England's Anthony Wall (67) share third place at seven-under 135, while local favorite and 2006 Italian Open champion Francesco Molinari (69) leads a large group at five-under 137.
John Daly, continuing his nomadic trek of the international tours, shot a second-consecutive 69 to share 16th place at four-under 138.
"Yesterday could have been really low," said Daly, "but today could have been really high."
Maybin, who held a three-shot lead overnight, managed only two birdies and one bogey in the second round, opening the door to the field. He labored throughout the round.
"I had to work really hard -- too hard -- and I'll do a bit of work on the range to sort my driving out," said Maybin, a rookie. "Usually anybody who finishes well is going to have one of those days, so hopefully that's mine out of the way."
Vancsik, meanwhile, built on his nearly-flawless tournament so far with a steady 65 that included six birdies and 12 pars. He has only bogeyed one of his 36 holes thus far.
"I hit my driver very well," said Vancsik. "On this golf course, it is very important to hit fairways."
Vancsik got off to a good start with a birdie at No. 1, but didn't begin to make his run until the middle holes. He collected five birdies in a six-hole stretch from No. 6 -- then finished the round with seven consecutive pars.
He nearly holed a chip-shot for eagle on 11.
Vancsik, 32, could use a good finish this week to wash away the bad taste of a thus-far disappointing season.
A 10th-place finish in his home country at the Argentine Masters -- not a European Tour stop -- has been overshadowed by a slew of middling performances. He hasn't finished better than a tie for 42nd place in any of his other nine worldwide starts.
Vancsik agreed that Friday marked his best round of the season.
"I think so. Every tee shot I just tried to put it in the fairway," he said.
Vancsik has struggled with a shoulder injury, but insisted that it was no longer an issue.
"It's not an excuse," he said. "I feel perfect."
The cut line fell at even-par 142 with 70 players making it to the weekend. European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie (144) and 2008 Italian Open champion Hennie Otto (72) were among the players who missed the cut.
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Rams have released linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, the team's leading tackler last season. Tinoisamoa made 135 tackles, including 88 solo, last season. He also notched three sacks. "This was
<< Runs-a-plenty in the American League
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There has been a large discrepancy this
year between the National and American Leagues in terms of runs scored. As of
Monday, May 4, only four of the 16 Senior Circuit clubs were averaging over
five runs pe
<< Orlando's Lee to return for Game 3 versus Celtics
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Magic shooting guard Courtney Lee will return
to the lineup for Game 3 of the team's Eastern Conference semifinal series
versus the Boston Celtics on Friday in Orlando.
Lee has missed the first two game
<< Hawks' Johnson misses practice; game-time decision for Saturday
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson missed practice
Friday because of a sprained right ankle he sustained in Game 2 of the Eastern
Conference semifinals against Cleveland and will be a game-time decision for
Game 3
<< Old Firm derby could be title decider
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday's Old Firm derby between Celtic
and Rangers at the Ibrox Stadium could go a long way in determining which side
lifts the Scottish Premier League trophy.
The Hoops enter the match with a one-po
Bern, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Konstantin Gorovikov scored a power-play goal with just 1:47 remaining in the third period to give Russia a 3-2 win over the United States in the semifinals of the 2009 World Hockey Champio
Cilic, Hewitt fall in BMW quarters >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded rising Croat Marin Cilic
and former world No. 1 star Lleyton Hewitt were among Friday's quarterfinal
losers at the $595,000 clay-court BMW Open.
The world No. 15 Cilic succumbed to
Broncos sign RB Walker >>
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos signed free-agent running
back Darius Walker on Friday.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Walker, who will be entering his third professional season, split last year
between
Davydenko, Blake reach semis; Simon ousted in Estoril >>
Estoril, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time finalist Nikolay
Davydenko and fourth-seeded American James Blake reached the semifinals, while
top-seeded Gilles Simon of France came up a quarterfinal loser Friday at the
$595,00
Safina, Kuznetsova will clash in all-Russian Rome finale >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second time in seven days, world No.
1 Dinara Safina and fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova will battle in a clay-
court final.
On Friday in Rome, Safina came from behind to beat fourth-seeded
Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.