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08/05/2007 - Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Per-Ulrik Johansson cruised to his first victory in a decade on Sunday, closing with a five-under 67 in the final round of the Russian Open Golf Championship to win by six shots.
Johansson posted four consecutive rounds in the 60s at Le Meridien Moscow Country Club to beat by one shot the tournament scoring record set last year by Alejandro Canizares.
The 40-year-old Swede finished at 23-under 265, six shots better that Robert- Jan Derksen of The Netherlands. It was his sixth career European Tour victory, but first since he won twice in 1997.
"It is tough when you haven't won for that long, but the most important thing is that you still have to play when you get into a position," said Johansson. "You can't think about winning because you can't control the other people, so I am very pleased with the way I did that."
Derksen, who began the day four shots behind Johansson, shot a three-under 69 in the final round, but never had a chance. He ended alone in second place at 17-under 271, his best finish in two years.
Alan McLean had a 68 and was third at 16-under 272. Dawie van der Walt (67) and Adam Gee (70) were three shots further back at 275.
Johansson shot a 62 in the second round to take the lead, which he never relinquished. He closed with back-to-back 67s, the second one coming in a flawless effort Sunday that included five birdies and 13 pars.
He made his first four birdies on the front nine, added a fifth at the 11th hole, then coasted to the win with seven consecutive pars.
"I focused on every shot and the only time my mind wandered away a little bit was in the middle of the round when I was thinking about speeches and stuff," said Johansson. "But I kicked myself and said, 'No, no, think only about the present,' and it really worked."
Johansson's only hiccup in the last three rounds was a double-bogey on his ninth hole Saturday. He also made a bogey in the first round, but the rest of his tournament looked like this: one eagle, 24 birdies and 45 pars.
It was a stunning return to form for a player who in 1997 became the first Swede ever to play on two Ryder Cup teams. His last win came that same year: at the Smurfit European Open on August 24, 1997.
"I have played some good golf since then, but I haven't played this well so I am very, very pleased," he said.
Johansson was making just his third start this season. He earned a European Tour exemption until the end of the 2009 season.
<< Varitek, BoSox hold off Mariners
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Varitek's two-run double was the
difference as Boston held off a late rally to edge Seattle, 4-3, in the second
of three at Safeco Field.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-8) allowed two runs on six hit
<< Diamondbacks nearly blow huge lead, hold on to beat Dodgers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Byrnes homered and drove in three
runs, and the Arizona Diamondbacks edged Los Angeles, 8-7, in the second of
three games at Dodger Stadium.
Miguel Montero also homered for the surging Diamo
<< New-look Fire cooled off by Crew
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago had more firepower than it had all
season, but it still wasn't enough to solve Columbus in a 0-0 tie Saturday
night in Major League Soccer.
The Fire debuted Costa Rica international Paulo W
<< Sharapova to face Schnyder in San Diego final
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded and defending champion Maria
Sharapova moved into the final at the $1.34 million Acura Classic with a two-
set victory over fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze on Saturday.
Sharapova, the 2006
Radwanska rolls to Stockholm crown >>
Stockholm, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland became the
latest first-time WTA Tour singles winner with a dominant victory over
Russia's Vera Dushevina in the final at the Nordic Light Open.
The second-seeded
Yankees have brooms ready for Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees will attempt to complete a three-game
weekend sweep of the Kansas City Royals in the Bronx today.
Alex Rodriguez hit career home run No. 500 on Saturday as the Yankees downed
the Royals, 16-8. Rod
Tigers try to avoid being swept by ChiSox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers have lost four straight games and will
attempt to avoid a weekend sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox, who
are aiming for their fourth consecutive victory.
The White Sox will send righty Gav
Bedard leads Orioles against D-Rays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will
conclude their three-game weekend series today as the AL East foes meet at
Tropicana Field.
Orioles' ace Erik Bedard will take the ball this afternoon, hopin
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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