Woods makes charge, McDowell leads U.S. Open

Golf Betting Lines

06/19/2010 - Pebble Beach, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods made a spectacular back-nine charge Saturday at the U.S. Open, vaulting himself into contention at Pebble Beach with a five-under 66 in the third round.

Meanwhile, Graeme McDowell clung to a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson as the final pairing made the turn.

Woods punctuated his first under-par round this week with an instant-classic shot into the 18th green.

He cut a three-wood around the fairway Cypress tree, running the ball all the way to the green and within 18 feet of the hole.

Woods missed the eagle putt, but tapped in for a closing birdie that got him to one-under 212, the clubhouse leader by five shots.

McDowell, the 36-hole leader, made a five-foot birdie putt at No. 9 to make the turn with a one-shot lead over Johnson, who bogeyed the hole.

Ernie Els was also lurking, sitting at even-par after nine holes, while Phil Mickelson fell seven shots back following a double-bogey at No. 9, where he hit the lip of a bunker and played a shot right-handed.

Woods made eight birdies in his last 15 holes Saturday after collecting just three in his first 39 holes -- including none in the first round.

The finish couldn't have been more different than the start, as Woods made back-to-back bogeys early to fall nine shots back. But he rebounded with three straight birdies and made only one more bogey the rest of the round.

He made five birdies on the back nine, including three in a row to end the round. He drained a 15-foot putt from the fringe at No. 17 that had five feet of break.

McDowell let the lead get away from him as Johnson made an early charge.

Johnson took the lead with an eagle and two birdies during a four-hole span, making a couple virtuoso shots during the run.

He drove the green at the 280-yard fourth hole with an iron, running the ball up to eight feet to set up an eagle. As the longest hitter in the field, it's not surprising he drove the green at a par four.

But Johnson also displayed a crafty touch.

After making a four-foot birdie putt at No. 6 to tie McDowell, Johnson spun his tee shot at the 99-yard seventh hole to tap-in range for a birdie and sole possession of first place.

Several groups earlier, England's Ian Poulter hit over the green at No. 7 and was caught on TV complaining, "I mean how on earth are you supposed to play to that?"

Johnson and McDowell switched places at No. 9, with Johnson falling a shot back after a bogey.

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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.

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