Levin grabs lead at delayed Phoenix Open

Golf Betting Lines

02/03/2012 - Scottsdale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spencer Levin was already having a good round before he drove into the bunker at the par-four 17th hole. He was leading by several strokes and still had a good chance for birdie.

But he holed the 37-foot chip shot for eagle and took control of the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. And by the time the second round was suspended Friday, Harrison Frazar had climbed into contention.

Levin fired an eight-under 63 on Friday to move to 14-under-par 128, while Frazar is alone in second at 11-under through 15 holes. Frost delays on both Thursday and Friday morning have set the tournament back.

Play was suspended Friday evening at 8:07 p.m. (et), and the second round will resume Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m.

John Huh shot a 66 on Friday to move to eight-under overall. He is tied for third with Webb Simpson, who completed his round of 69 as darkness fell on the course.

Kyle Stanley -- a runner-up last week at the Farmers Insurance Open after blowing a three-shot lead on the final hole -- shot a 66 on Friday and is seven strokes behind Levin in fifth. Ryan Palmer and Jason Dufner, co-leaders after the first round, are another shot back in a large group tied for sixth.

Levin, who has never won on the PGA Tour, had to finish his first round Friday morning after the frost delay. But the 27-year-old came out strong. He needed to play three holes to complete his first round and birdied the first of them on his way to a 65.

That put him within one stroke of the lead. He was in a similar position last week, when he shot an opening-round 62 to grab a share of the lead at the Farmers Insurance Open. Levin then posted a 76 in the second round and fell out of contention.

But to say he avoided a similar slip-up Friday is a bit of an understatement.

Levin posted consecutive birdies on the first two holes and the fifth -- all par-fours. After making six consecutive pars around the turn, he birdied the 12th and 13th to move to 11-under overall.

Another birdie at No. 16 led him to the 17th, where he aggressively drove his tee shot 345 yards into the bunker at the rear side of the green. He then lined up the chip shot, which bounced and skidded to a roll before curling into the cup around the left side of the flag.

The 92nd-ranked player in the world, Levin is in good position to grab his first PGA win. He came close to winning the Mayakoba Golf Classic last February, but lost in a playoff to Johnson Wagner.

Frazar shot 66 in his first round, and was in the afternoon wave Friday. He got off to a good start, with birdies on two of his first four holes, beginning from the 10th tee.

Then, three consecutive short birdie putts from No. 15 -- all around six feet -- moved him to 10-under going around the turn to the first hole, which he also birdied to get within three strokes of the lead.

Palmer was alone in front after Thursday, when he shot a 64, while Dufner grabbed a share of the lead after completing his first round on Friday.

Palmer was still in the mix after a birdie at the fifth on Friday, but he bogeyed the ninth to start a tumultuous stretch. Including No. 9, he had five bogeys and three birdies during a nine-hole run, and ended with a one-over 72 to tumble down the leaderboard.

Dufner started off poorly -- recording a bogey and double-bogey within in first seven holes -- and never recovered. He also ended with a 72.

NOTES: Levin has never held the lead at a PGA Tour event after 36 holes...Ben Crane (67), Bubba Watson (70), Bo Van Pelt (71) and Derek Lamely (70) are also tied for sixth with Palmer and Dufner...Jeff Overton withdrew from the tournament because of a left wrist injury...The cut will likely fall at even- par 142. Among those who missed it were Davis Love III and Anthony Kim (143), Angel Cabrera (145), Y.E. Yang (146), Vijay Singh and Mark Calcavecchia (151).

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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.