Fans of tennis betting got to catch their breath on Middle Sunday, as Wimbledon had a day of rest. The Grand Slam event continues on Monday, and the week ahead has all four of the top seeds in the men's draw still in contention.
And those top four men – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray – hold down the top spots on the Wimbledon futures list heading into the week.
Federer is the favorite at 15/8, and he goes up against No. 18 Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round this week. Federer is a huge -5000 favorite in that match, with Youzhny at +1200.
Nadal (9/4), Djokovic (3/1), and Murray (11/2), respectively, follow Federer on Bodog's Wimbledon odds list, and those three are all obviously favorites in their fourth-round matches as well this week.
Nadal is at -550 over No. 24 Juan Martin Del Potro (+350), with Djokovic getting -2000 odds to beat No. 19 Michael Llodra (+800), and Murray sitting at -400 against No. 17 Richard Gasquet (+275).
If the brackets play out as planned then No. 1 Nadal will face No. 4 Murray and No. 3 Federer will take on No. 2 Djokovic in the semifinals later in the week.
Over in the women's draw the Williams sisters are still around, with Serena Williams the 3/1 favorite to claim the tournament title and Venus Williams back at 13/2 on that Bodog list. Maria Sharapova (7/2), Petra Kvitova (11/2) and Caroline Wozniacki (7/1) are the other top contenders heading into the week.
No. 1 Wozniacki would face No. 5 Sharapova in the quarterfinals if they both survive their fourth-round matches, with No. 7 Serena lined up for the semifinals on that half of the bracket.
No. 8 Kvitova and No. 23 Venus would meet in the quarterfinals of the event in the other half of the draw.
Justin Rose is the defending champion at the AT&T National, but it's Nick Watney who sits atop the golf betting odds heading into this week's event at Aronimink Golf Club.
Rose edged Ryan Moore by one stroke at this tournament in 2010, with Moore shooting a blazing 65 in the final round to almost claim the trophy for himself. Rose shot a 70 in the final round last year; his second-round 64 was the key to his victory.
For this year, though, Rose is back at 33/1 odds at Bodog to repeat as the winner, with favored Watney at 14/1, and Moore at 18/1. Hunter Mahan, K.J. Choi, and Bo Van Pelt are all at 20/1 odds to win the tournament.
Watney ended up in a tie for seventh place at the AT&T National last year, finishing six strokes back of leader Rose thanks to middling middle rounds of 71 and 70. Van Pelt was 11th, while Mahan and Choi both skipped this event in 2010.
On the props market, Watney is at 18/1 odds at Bodog to be the tournament leader after one round, with Mahan, Moore, and Choi tied as the second-favorites on that list at 25/1. Rose sits at 33/1 odds to post the lowest Round 1 score.
And Watney is also getting the best odds to end up in the Top 10 at the AT&T National this week, as he sits at +150 on that prop bet (compared to -200 for ending up outside of the Top 10).
Mahan is at +180 to end up in the Top 10, with Choi at +200, and Moore at +230. Head over to Bodog's golf betting page for the latest props and futures on the links.
How will history remember Wladimir Klitschko? It should call him one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Klitschko is 55-3 lifetime with 49 knockouts, and he’s won each of his last dozen fights since 2004, claiming nearly every single major heavyweight title along the way. He’ll try to add the WBA title to his collection this Saturday when he faces David Haye; the boxing odds have Klitschko favored at –265 to Haye’s +205.
And yet just about everyone this side of the Ukraine (and Klitschko’s adopted home base in Germany, where this fight will take place) is praying for a Haye victory. If this were pro-wrestling, Klitschko would be called a division killer – simply too good compared to the rest of the heavyweights out there to create any dramatic moments. This is ironic in that Klitschko had a lot of people’s admiration after he won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, but it would be his big brother Vitali Klitschko (still the WBC champion) who took the spotlight, nearly beating the great Lennox Lewis in 2003.
Now that Wladimir has risen to the top, there are no Lewises out there to put together a big-money fight. The two brothers have sworn never to do battle.
Haye is certainly no Lewis. But he’s 25-1 with 23 KOs and, like his opponent on Saturday, hasn’t lost a fight since 2004, going 15-0 in the interim. Haye also has a big mouth, which stands in stark contrast to the champion. The question will be whether Haye can penetrate Klitschko’s frustrating, technically sound, and incredibly boring jabs. Boring if you don’t appreciate the sweet science, that is – or making money.
This fight is coming to you live from Hamburg, so don’t forget about the time difference; HBO Boxing goes on the air at 4:45 p.m. Eastern. This is the first time Klitschko will be on HBO in two years. If he makes Haye look foolish, it might be another two years before HBO touches the heavyweight division again.
It’s an epic Wimbledon final on Sunday morning at the All England Club as top-seeded Rafael Nadal faces No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic. Nadal is the -165 favorite on Bodog’s tennis odds with Djokovic at +125.
Nadal is going for his third Wimbledon in a row – he won in 2008 and 2010 but missed the 2009 tournament with an injury. He has lost just one match in the past five Grand Slam tournaments overall and has won 20 straight matches at Wimbledon. Nadal advanced to the final with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over fourth-seeded Andy Murray. It’s the third consecutive year Murray has lost in the semifinals of this tournament; he lost to Nadal in the semis here last year as well as at the French Open last month, which Nadal won for the sixth time.
Djokovic, meanwhile, improved to 47-1 on the year with a 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (9), 6-3 win over 12th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. This is the first Wimbledon final for Djokovic, who has beaten Nadal in the finals of four tournaments so far this year. The Serb will replace Nadal as the No. 1 player in the world when the new rankings are out Monday no matter what happens in the final. It will be the first time since February 2004 that a man other than Roger Federer or Nadal has been No. 1. Federer is the only guy to beat Djokovic this year, doing so in the French Open semifinals. Djokovic will become the 25th man overall to hold the top spot in the rankings.
Overall Nadal is 16-11 in his career against Djokovic despite the four losses this year (two on hard courts, two on clay). Rafa is 4-0 in majors against Djokovic.
Bet on the Wimbledon final now at Bodog Sportsbook!
Did Trevor Bayne's win in the Daytona 500 back in February burn you on the NASCAR betting lines? You get a second chance to win some money on the track this weekend when the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series take on Daytona again in the Coke Zero 400.
Bayne went from no-name to longshot winner in the season-opening Daytona 500, taking the checkered flag in that crash-filled race. Since then, though, Bayne has not made any impact whatsoever on the Series.
Still, if you think Bayne can catch lightning in a bottle once again this weekend you can get him at 35/1 on the Bodog odds for the Coke Zero 400. Normally, Bayne would be much farther back on the odds list, but a 'Daytona pedigree' gives him a boost.
Last year's Coke Zero 400 was won by Kevin Harvick, and he's at 9/1 to visit Victory Lane on Saturday night at Daytona. The favorite for the race, though, is Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 8/1 odds. That puts them just ahead of Carl Edwards, who sits at 11/1 for the race.
Harvick also won the Daytona 500 back in 2007, while Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag at Daytona in 2004 (Daytona 500) and 2001 (Pepsi 400). Edwards, the Sprint Cup standings leader, is still looking for his first Cup victory at Daytona.
Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart are all at 12/1 odds to win the Coke Zero 400 this week. Johnson won the Daytona 500 in 2006, while Stewart is a three-time winner of the Coke Zero 400/Pepsi 400 (2009, 2006, 2005).
Kyle Busch won the Coke Zero 400 in 2008, while brother Kurt has never visited Victory Lane at the track. Kurt Busch, though, is coming off a win last week in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at the road course at Infineon.
Jeff Gordon, a six-time Daytona champ, sits at 13/1 on the Bodog odds for this race.
Wimbledon is in the books for another year, but tennis betting fans can now look forward to the next major tournament on the schedule, the U.S. Open, in August.
Petra Kvitova will head into the U.S. Open as the Wimbledon champion, having knocked off Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 in the women's championship match in England over the weekend. Kvitova is up to 5/1 on the Bodog U.S. Open odds thanks to that victory, while Sharapova sits at 9/2 odds.
And while Sharapova suffered a disappointment in that final match against Kvitova she did fare much better than the other marquee players in the field, including top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki. Still unable to get that elusive major win, Wozniacki fell in the fourth round at Wimbledon and is at 7/1 odds at Bodog to win the U.S. Open.
The Williams sisters returned from injury at Wimbledon, but they both lost in the fourth round of the event as well. Serena Williams, though, is the 4/1 favorite to shake off the rust and win this year's U.S. Open, with sister Venus Williams back at 14/1 odds.
And Kim Clijsters was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon with a foot injury; she's at 7/1 to win the U.S. Open. Other top women on that futures list for August include Victoria Azarenka at 10/1, Li Na at 14/1, and Vera Zvonareva at 25/1.
As for the men, Novak Djokovic will get plenty of attention on the U.S. Open futures after he knocked off Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in the men's Wimbledon final on Sunday. Nadal had beaten Andy Murray in the semifinals of the event while the other top seed, Roger Federer, fell in the quarterfinals to 12th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Head over to the tennis section of Bodog's sportsbook for all the latest U.S. Open odds, plus lines on upcoming events like this week's Swedish Open in the WTA and Campbell's Hall of Fame Championships in the ATP.
If Tiger Woods is going to win his first major championship since the 2008 U.S. Open, it’s going to have to happen at the PGA Championship later this summer because Woods has withdrawn from next week’s British Open.
Tiger hasn’t played a full round since injuring his Achilles’/knee during the Masters. He tried to play in the Players Championship but withdrew after nine holes. The injury forced him to skip the U.S. Open and the AT&T National. Woods has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 mild medial collateral ligament sprain to his left knee and a mild strain to his left Achilles tendon, both of which he suffered while hitting a second shot from under the Eisenhower tree at hole No. 17 during the third round at the Masters.
"Unfortunately, I've been advised that I should not play in the British Open," Woods said in a written statement on his website. "As I stated at the AT&T National, I am only going to come back when I'm 100 percent ready. I do not want to risk further injury. That's different for me, but I'm being smarter this time. I'm very disappointed and want to express my regrets to the British Open fans."
American Jason Dufner will take Woods' spot at the British Open, which begins July 14 at Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, the winner of the U.S. Open, is the 5/1 favorite on Bodog’s golf odds to win the British Open.
Bet on British Open futures now at Bodog Sportsbook!
Fans of PGA betting might be expecting another Steve Stricker show this week when the Tour hits TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois for the John Deere Classic.
Stricker is the two-time defending champion at the John Deere Classic, a tuneup event for next week's British Open. As a result, Stricker is the big 7/1 favorite on the odds list at Bodog to take the trophy this weekend.
Last year Stricker won the John Deere Classic by two strokes over Paul Goydos and six strokes over Jeff Maggert. In 2009 he won by three strokes over each of Zach Johnson, Brett Quigley, and Brandt Snedeker.
Johnson is third at 18/1 odds to win the John Deere Classic this week, with Jason Day second at 11/1 odds to claim the event. Day ended up tied for 15th place at TPC Deere Run last year, 14 strokes back of Stricker.
Charles Howell III and David Toms are both at 20/1 odds at Bodog to win this week's PGA Tour stop, with Jonathan Byrd sitting at 22/1 odds, and Stewart Cink at 25/1 odds.
If you want to wager on Stricker alone, you can get -120 odds at Bodog on him to finish in 10th place or better at the tournament this week. A finishing position from 11th to 29th (inclusive) would pay off at +250 odds if correctly wagered, while 30th or worse is at +275 odds.
Stricker is also the favorite to be the tourney leader after the first round, at 12/1 odds, with Day at 16/1, Johnson at 22/1, and Toms at 25/1.
And where are all the big names this week? They're either participating in the Scottish Open overseas, resting for the British Open, or nursing an injury (Hi Tiger). Check out Bodog's golf betting page for the latest odds on all of this week's events on the links as well as for futures on the upcoming major tournament.
If Englishman Lee Westwood isn’t the best active player without a Grand Slam tournament win on his resume, then he’s on the short list. Can Westwood win his first title in front of his countrymen at the British Open? The year’s third major begins Thursday at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England. Westwood is the second-favorite on Bodog’s golf odds at 7/1.
Westwood took over the No. 1 ranking in the world earlier this year before losing it to Luke Donald in May. U.S. golf fans haven’t seen Westwood much as he plays full-time on the European Tour. Westwood has played just seven times in the States this year. He finished T11 at the Masters and third, although a mile behind Rory McIlroy, at the U.S. Open. Westwood has Top 10s in four of his last six major starts.
Entering this week’s Scottish Open, Westwood had been playing terrific golf. Starting with his lone win of the season, at the Ballantine’s Championship, Westwood hasn’t finished worse than 11th in five tournaments. He seems very overdue for a major, especially the British Open. Last year he finished second to Louis Oosthuizen. In 2009, Westwood bogeyed his 72nd hole, which cost him a spot in the playoff at Turnberry between Tom Watson and eventual winner Stewart Cink. Westwood also had a Top-5 finish at the 2004 British Open at Royal Troon. The last time this tournament was held at Royal St. George’s, in 2003, Westwood missed the cut after rounds of 76-75.
Overall, Westwood has two PGA Tour wins, with the last the St. Jude Classic in 2010, and 31 international victories, including one in Indonesia on the Asian Tour in 2011 to go along with that Ballantine’s title on the Euro Tour.
Bet on British Open futures now at Bodog Sportsbook!
Carl Edwards is the 7/1 NASCAR betting favorite as he takes on Kentucky Speedway in the inaugural Sprint Cup Series event to be held on the 1.5-mile oval track with the Quaker State 400 on Saturday night.
Edwards fell out of the top spot in the driver standings with his 37th-place finish last week at the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, but will be looking to erase the slender five-point lead now held by leader Kevin Harvick with a strong result at the Kentucky Speedway. Harvick is back at 11/1 odds to win the Quaker State 400.
Jimmie Johnson, gunning for his sixth straight Sprint Cup Series championship title, is at 8/1 odds to grab the checkered flag this weekend, along with Kyle Busch. Johnson currently ranks sixth in the driver standings, while the younger Busch brother is in third place, just 10 points behind Harvick.
Kurt Busch is in fourth place in the driver standings and available at 9/1 odds. Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth round out the top tier of betting options at 11/1 odds, with Jeff Gordon (12/1), Tony Stewart (14/1) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15/1) also expected to contend.
Longshot Joey Logano finished third last week at Daytona and has won the past three races held at Kentucky Speedway, albeit on the Nationwide Series. Logano looks like a tempting play for many auto-racing bettors at 30/1 odds to win the Quaker State 400.
Edwards also has previous victories on this track, winning a Nationwide Series event held there in 2005 and a Truck Series title back in 2003. Edwards also finished second to Logano at last season’s Meijer 300.
Think back to the 2010 Masters. Phil Mickelson won his third green jacket then with a memorial final round at Augusta. With Tiger Woods’ career still highly in doubt coming off his personal demons, it looked like Lefty was set to replace Tiger as the most dominant player in the world. But it hasn’t happened. Can Phil boost an otherwise mostly disappointing 2011 season with his first British Open title? Mickelson is 28/1 to win the tournament that begins at Royal St. George’s on Thursday in Sandwich, England.
Mickelson has won just once since that 2010 Masters victory, coming at the Houston Open before this year’s Masters. His major championship record has been a bit spotty, with his best finish a T4 at the 2010 U.S. Open since putting on that third green jacket. Mickelson wasn’t a factor at this year’s Masters (T27) or U.S. Open (T54). He is playing the Scottish Open this week to prepare for Royal St. George’s, where he already has played a few rounds earlier this week and where the 2003 Open was held.
“After 2003, I went in with very low expectations … I didn't really care for (the course)," he said, referring to the Open, where he fired a final-round 78 and finished 59th (no rounds in the 60s). "But after spending two days (there), I love Royal St. George's … I didn't get to see the subtleties last time. I started to see the beauty and the nuances of the golf course and I thought it was terrific."
Mickelson’s British Open record is very spotty. His best finish was third in 2004 at Royal Troon, but that has been his only Top 10. Last year at St. Andrews he finished 48th and hasn’t finished better than 19th since that career-best third (including one missed cut in that span).
Bet on British Open futures now at Bodog Sportsbook
The British Open gets under way just after midnight Eastern time tonight at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England, and look for scores to be very high in Round 1 as there are gusts expects as high as 30 mph at the course in southern England.
In fact, because of the winds, tournament officials are pondering moving a few tees up because some fairways and the par-3 11th green would be unreachable for most players. Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal and Ancient, says No. 7, a par 5, 564-yard hole, and No. 11, a 243-yard par 3, are among the holes that could be shortened.
"We do have some wind issues out there which may, dependent on direction, make some of the very back tees difficult to reach fairways from," Dawson said. "We have told the players we may move some tees up."
Here are the tee times for the first two rounds (Thursday-Friday; first hole-10th hole):
1:30 a.m.-6:31 a.m. — Jerry Kelly, United States; Nathan Green, Australia; Danny Willett, England.
1:41 a.m.-6:42 a.m. — Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand; Mark Calcavecchia, United States; Graeme Storm, England.
1:52 a.m.-6:53 a.m. — Gregory Havret, France; Charley Hoffman, United States; Markus Brier, Austria.
2:03 a.m.-7:04 a.m. — Todd Hamilton, United States; Simon Khan, England; Prayad Marksaeng, Thailand.
2:14 a.m.-7:15 a.m. — Rhys Davies, Wales; Fredrik Jacobson, Sweden; Mark O’Meara, United States.
2:25 a.m.-7:26 a.m. — Vijay Singh, Fiji; Simon Dyson, England; Gary Woodland, United States.
2:36 a.m.-7:37 a.m. — K.T. Kim, South Korea; Ryan Moore, United States; Alvaro Quiros, Spain.
2:47 a.m.-7:48 a.m. — Bo Van Pelt, United States; K.J. Choi, South Korea; Martin Laird, Scotland.
2:58 a.m.-7:59 a.m. — Stephen Gallacher, Scotland; Bill Haas, United States; Hiroyuki Fujita, Japan.
3:09 a.m.-8:10 a.m. — Geoff Ogilvy, Australia; a-Peter Uihlein, United States; Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spain.
3:20 a.m.-8:21 a.m. — Francesco Molinari, Italy; Tetsuji Hiratsuka, Japan; Stewart Cink, United States.
3:31 a.m.-8:32 a.m. — Nick Watney, United States; Matteo Manassero, Italy; Angel Cabrera, Argentina.
3:42 a.m.-8:43 a.m. — Yuta Ikeda, Japan; Ian Poulter, England; Dustin Johnson, United States.
3:58 a.m.-8:59 a.m. — Ben Curtis, United States; Paul Casey, England; Aaron Baddeley, Australia.
4:09 a.m.-9:10 a.m. — Ernie Els, South Africa; Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Rickie Fowler, United States.
4:20 a.m.-9:21 a.m. — Luke Donald, England; Ryo Ishikawa, Japan; Sergio Garcia, Spain.
4:31 a.m.-9:32 a.m. — Retief Goosen, South Africa; Hunter Mahan, United States; Anders Hansen, Denmark.
4:42 a.m.-9:43 a.m. — Brian Davis, England; Camilo Villegas, Colombia; David Duval, United States.
4:53 a.m.-9:54 a.m. — John Daly, United States; Ross Fisher, England; Peter Hanson, Sweden.
5:04 a.m.-10:05 a.m. — Gregory Bourdy, France; Jason Duffner, United States; a-Craig Hinton, England.
5:15 a.m.-10:16 a.m. — Alexander Noren, Sweden; Paul Lawrie, Scotland; Kevin Na, United States.
5:26 a.m.-10:27 a.m. — Sean O’Hair, United States; Seung-Yul Noh, South Korea; Thorbjorn Olesen, Denmark.
5:37 a.m.-10:38 a.m. — Simon Edwards, Wales; Bob Estes, United States; Richard McEvoy, England.
5:48 a.m.-10:49 a.m. — Francis McGuirk, England; Matthew Millar, Australia; Kevin Streelman, United States.
5:59 a.m.-11 a.m. — Mark Laskey, Wales; Thomas Shadbolt, England; Rick Kulacz, Australia.
6:10 a.m.-11:11 a.m. — Simon Lilly, England; Chris Tidland, United States; Neil Schietekat, South Africa.
6:31 a.m.-1:30 a.m. — Peter Whiteford, Scotland; Spencer Levin, United States; Thomas Aiken, South Africa.
6:42 a.m.-1:41 a.m. — Prom Meesawat, Thailand; Martin Maritz, South Africa; Harrison Frazar, United States.
6:53 a.m.-1:52 a.m. — Chad Campbell, United States; Kenneth Ferrie, England; Scott Jamieson, Scotland.
7:04 a.m.-2:03 a.m. — Raphael Jacquelin, France; Mark Wilson, United States; Kyle Stanley, United States.
7:15 a.m.-2:14 a.m. — Steve Marino, United States; Richard Green, Australia; Pablo Larrazabal, Spain.
7:26 a.m.-2:25 a.m. — Rory Sabbatini, South Africa; Sandy Lyle, Scotland; Anthony Kim, United States.
7:37 a.m.-2:36 a.m. — Edoardo Molinari, Italy; Charles Howell III, United States; Joost Luiten, Netherlands.
7:48 a.m.-2:47 a.m. — Brandt Snedeker, United States; a-Lucas Bjerregaard, Denmark; Trevor Immelman, South Africa.
7:59 a.m.-2:58 a.m. — Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland; Jonathan Byrd, United States; Y.E. Yang, South Korea.
8:10 a.m.-3:09 a.m. — Lucas Glover, United States; Hiroo Kawai, Japan; Robert Karlsson, Sweden.
8:21 a.m.-3:20 a.m. — a-Bryden Macpherson, Australia; Matt Kuchar, United States; Padraig Harrington, Ireland.
8:32 a.m.-3:31 a.m. — Zach Johnson, United States; Adam Scott, Australia; Justin Rose, England.
8:43 a.m.-3:42 a.m. — Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; Jason Day, Australia; Bubba Watson, United States.
8:59 a.m.-3:58 a.m. — Jim Furyk, United States; Bernhard Langer, Germany; Tadahiro Takayama, Japan.
9:10 a.m.-4:09 a.m. — Lee Westwood, England; Steve Stricker, United States; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa.
9:21 a.m.-4:20 a.m. — Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa; Martin Kaymer, Germany; Phil Mickelson, United States.
9:32 a.m.-4:31 a.m. — Henrik Stenson, Sweden; a-Tom Lewis, England; Tom Watson, United States.
9:43 a.m.-4:42 a.m. — Robert Allenby, Australia; Davis Love III, United States; Fredrik Andersson Hed, Sweden.
9:54 a.m.-4:53 a.m. — Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium; J.B. Holmes, United States; S.M. Bae, South Korea.
10:05 a.m.-5:04 a.m. — Webb Simpson, United States; Robert Rock, England; Alejandro Canizares, Spain.
10:16 a.m.-5:15 a.m. — Kurt Barnes, Australia; Justin Leonard, United States; Jeff Overton, United States.
10:27 a.m.-5:26 a.m. — Lee Corfield, England; Ben Crane, United States; Floris De Vries, Netherlands.
10:38 a.m.-5:37 a.m. — Ryan Palmer, United States; Tom Lehman, United States; Adam Wootton, England.
10:49 a.m.-5:48 a.m. — Jung-Gon Hwang, South Korea; Gary Boyd,
All things considered, Phil Mickelson has to be relatively pleased with his first round at the British Open on Thursday at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England.
Lefty shot an even-par 70 that leaves him five shots behind co-leaders Tom Lewis, an amateur, and Thomas Bjorn. Mickelson never fares well at the Open Championship, with only one Top-10 finish in the previous 17 tournaments. Thursday’s round was just his third score of par or better in the first round of an Open Championship since the last time Royal St. George’s hosted the Open in 2003. A five-shot deficit after the first round represents a positive step for Lefty. Since that ’03 Open, he has been closer than five shots heading into Day 2 only once, in 2006. Of the Top 25-ranked players going Thursday, only six broke par.
Mickelson’s odds to win the tournament before it started were at 40/1; the revised odds have him now at 25/1. He is paired again with reigning British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and reigning PGA champion and former world No. 1 Martin Kaymer today, with the trio set to go off at 4:20 a.m. ET. On the 3 Balls prop, Kaymer is the +110 favorite to have the lowest second round of the three. The German shot a 2-under 68 on Thursday. Mickelson is at +175 on the prop and Oosthuizen, who shot a 2-over 72 is at +280.
The weather report actually looks very good for today, with weather.com expecting mid-60s temperatures and mostly sunny skies. Most important, the wind isn’t expected to top 15 mph, but then again the weather can change quickly in England.
Here are today’s tee times (all times Eastern):
1:30 a.m. — Peter Whiteford, Scotland; Spencer Levin, United States; Thomas Aiken, South Africa.
1:41 a.m. — Prom Meesawat, Thailand; Martin Maritz, South Africa; Harrison Frazar, United States.
1:52 a.m. — Chad Campbell, United States; Kenneth Ferrie, England; Scott Jamieson, Scotland.
2:03 a.m. — Raphael Jacquelin, France; Mark Wilson, United States; Kyle Stanley, United States.
2:14 a.m. — Steve Marino, United States; Richard Green, Australia; Pablo Larrazabal, Spain.
2:25 a.m. — Rory Sabbatini, South Africa; Sandy Lyle, Scotland; Anthony Kim, United States.
2:36 a.m. — Edoardo Molinari, Italy; Charles Howell III, United States; Joost Luiten, Netherlands.
2:47 a.m. — Brandt Snedeker, United States; a-Lucas Bjerregaard, Denmark; Trevor Immelman, South Africa.
2:58 a.m. — Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland; Jonathan Byrd, United States; Y.E. Yang, South Korea.
3:09 a.m. — Lucas Glover, United States; Hiroo Kawai, Japan; Robert Karlsson, Sweden.
3:20 a.m. — a-Bryden Macpherson, Australia; Matt Kuchar, United States; Padraig Harrington, Ireland.
3:31 a.m. — Zach Johnson, United States; Adam Scott, Australia; Justin Rose, England.
3:42 a.m. — Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; Jason Day, Australia; Bubba Watson, United States.
3:58 a.m. — Jim Furyk, United States; Bernhard Langer, Germany; Tadahiro Takayama, Japan.
4:09 a.m. — Lee Westwood, England; Steve Stricker, United States; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa.
4:20 a.m. — Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa; Martin Kaymer, Germany; Phil Mickelson, United States.
4:31 a.m. — Henrik Stenson, Sweden; a-Tom Lewis, England; Tom Watson, United States.
4:42 a.m. — Robert Allenby, Australia; Davis Love III, United States; Fredrik Andersson Hed, Sweden.
4:53 a.m. — Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium; J.B. Holmes, United States; S.M. Bae, South Korea.
5:04 a.m. — Webb Simpson, United States; Robert Rock, England; Alejandro Canizares, Spain.
5:15 a.m. — Kurt Barnes, Australia; Justin Leonard, United States; Jeff Overton, United States.
5:26 a.m. — Lee Corfield, England; Ben Crane, United States; Floris De Vries, Netherlands.
5:37 a.m. — Ryan Palmer, United States; Tom Lehman, United States; Adam Wootton, England.
5:48 a.m. — Jung-Gon Hwang, South Korea; Gary Boyd, England, Robert Garrigus, United States.
5:59 a.m. — George Coetzee, South Africa; Andy Smith, England; Brad Kennedy, Australia.
6:10 a.m. — Jason Knutzon, United States; Andrew Johnston, England; Chih-Bing Lam, Singapore.
6:31 a.m. — Jerry Kelly, United States; Nathan Green, Australia; Danny Willett, England.
6:42 a.m. — Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand; Mark Calcavecchia, United States; Graeme Storm, England.
6:53 a.m. — Gregory Havret, France; Charley Hoffman, United States; Markus Brier, Austria.
7:04 a.m. — Todd Hamilton, United States; Simon Khan, England; Prayad Marksaeng, Thailand.
7:15 a.m. — Rhys Davies, Wales; Fredrik Jacobson, Sweden; Mark O'Meara, United States.
7:26 a.m. — Thomas Bjorn, Denmark; Simon Dyson, England; Gary Woodland, United States.
7:37 a.m. — K.T. Kim, South Korea; Ryan Moore, United States; Alvaro Quiros, Spain.
7:48 a.m. — Bo Van Pelt, United States; K.J. Choi, South Korea; Martin Laird, Scotland.
7:59 a.m. — Stephen Gallacher, Scotland; Bill Haas, United States; Hiroyuki Fujita, Japan.
8:10 a.m. — Geoff Ogilvy, Australia; a-Peter Uihlein, United States; Miguel Angel Jimenez, Spain.
8:21 a.m. — Francesco Molinari, Italy; Tetsuji Hiratsuka, Japan; Stewart Cink, United States.
8:32 a.m. — Nick Watney, United States; Matteo Manassero, Italy; Angel Cabrera, Argentina.
8:43 a.m. — Yuta Ikeda, Japan; Ian Poulter, England; Dustin Johnson, United States.
8:59 a.m. — Ben Curtis, United States; Paul Casey, England; Aaron Baddeley, Australia.
9:10 a.m. — Ernie Els, South Africa; Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Rickie Fowler, United States.
9:21 a.m. — Luke Donald, England; Ryo Ishikawa, Japan; Sergio Garcia, Spain.
9:32 a.m. — Retief Goosen, South Africa; Hunter Mahan, United States; Anders Hansen, Denmark.
9:43 a.m. — Brian Davis, England; Camilo Villegas, Colombia; David Duval, United States.
9:54 a.m. — John Daly, United States; Ross Fisher, England; Peter Hanson, Sweden.
10:05 a.m. — Gregory Bourdy, France; Jason Duffner, United States; a-Craig Hinton, England.
10:16 a.m. — Alexander Noren, Sweden; Paul Lawrie, Scotland; Kevin Na, United States.
10:27 a.m. —
Rory McIlroy headed into the British Open as the 7/1 betting favorite, but he has a lot of work to do to pay off for anyone who took him at those odds earlier in the week.
McIlroy shot a 1-over 71 in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday, putting him six strokes back of the leaders in a tie for 51st place.
The co-leaders after the first round are Thomas Bjorn and Tom Lewis, who both shot 5-under 65s on Thursday. Bjorn, ranked 80th in the world heading into the week, has some history at Royal St George's – he shot a 1-over 72 in the fourth round of the British Open on this course back in 2003 to lose the tournament by one stroke to Ben Curtis.
Lewis, meanwhile, is a 20-year-old amateur (and England native) ranked 937th in the world. If you had the incredible foresight to take Lewis on the First Round Leader prop at Bodog prior to Thursday's round he paid off in a dead heat at 125/1 odds.
Lewis was also at 200/1 on the overall winner lines, and more realistically at -188 to be the top amateur player at the event (along with 8/1 to be the top Englishman).
Miguel Angel Jimenez, Lucas Glover, and Webb Simpson are tied for third place heading into Friday's action, with each of them shooting a 4-under 66 on Thursday. Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell are in a large group of golfers tied for sixth place at 2-under.
Steve Stricker shot a 1-under 69 on Thursday, Phil Mickelson turned in an even-par 70, and both Lee Westwood and Luke Donald were sitting with McIlroy at 1-over 71.
For the second round on Friday you can get McIlroy in a three-ball group at Bodog as the -110 favorite against Rickie Fowler (+240) and Ernie Els (+250). Fowler shot a 70 in the first round on Thursday, while Els shot a 2-over 72.
Jeff Gordon can make a bit of history on Sunday in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. A win would be the 85th in Gordon’s Hall of Fame career. That would move him into sole possession of third place on the all-time list. Gordon is among the favorites on Bodog’s NASCAR odds.
Gordon has won three times at New Hampshire, but those wins came in 1995, '97 and '98. Gordon has finished sixth or better in six of the past nine New Hampshire races, taking second in three of those. He also got his lone victory this year at Phoenix International Raceway, a track considered similar to the 1-mile flat oval that is NHMS. However, Gordon won't be able to use the same chassis he won with at Phoenix. That car was wrecked at Richmond International Raceway.
"Hopefully this new one is better," said crew chief Alan Gustafson. "I would say turns 3 and 4 at Phoenix are the closest comparison to what we'll race on this weekend and turns 3 and 4 was where our car was best at Phoenix."
Gordon is up to seventh in points and has had three consecutive top-10 finishes and in five of the past six races this year. By comparison, Gordon had just three top-10s in the first 12 races of the season. Last year, Gordon finished fourth in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at NHMS and was sixth in the Sylvania 300 in the fall at Loudon.
Look for Sunday’s race to be close. Eight times in the past nine races at New Hampshire the margin of victory has been less than 1 second, including the closest race there in July 2007: Denny Hamlin edged Gordon by .068 seconds.
There are plenty of similarities in comparing the careers of Aussie Danny Green and Florida’s Antonio Tarver, who fight Wednesday in Green’s homeland.
Both men have wins over Roy Jones Jr. on their resumes. Both men (Green at 39 and Tarver at 42) have seen better days. Both men have jumped between cruiserweight and light heavyweight in recent years.
But while Green comes in riding a 10-fight win streak and earning prohibitive favorite status at Bodog at -325, Tarver limps in a loser of three of his past seven fights. And that seems to be the biggest difference which has made the Magic Man a predictable +250 moneyline underdog.
OVER/UNDER betting on how long this fight will last favors the OVER 11.5. The Bodog line is -225, meaning oddsmakers expect the fight will go to a decision after 12. The UNDER 11.5 is underdog money at +175.
But if Tarver has ventured to Australia to fight Green in the same apparent casual way Jones did two years ago, then the UNDER could indeed be the play. Jones seemed intent on cashing a $3 million paycheck rather than polishing his Hall of Fame resume or winning the IBO cruiserweight belt.
The result was predictable. A two-minute thrashing by Green that sent Jones back to another retirement.
Tarver has angered Green by alleging he cheated against Jones. Green countered that Tarver, like other Americans, are like septic tanks because ‘nothing but crap comes from their mouths.’
Tarver beat Jones twice, but has fought just three times in three years, losing twice to Chad Dawson before defeating Nagy Aguilera in an unimpressive fashion last November. The Green Machine, meanwhile, has become a fiercer and better machine with age and many boxing pundits are picking Green to win late or with a decision.
The 50-and-over set stages their British Open just a few days after the PGA/European Tour’s British Open finished, with the Champions Tour visiting Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England, starting Thursday. Bet on the Senior Open Championship now with Bodog’s golf odds.
A handful of players who competed last week at Royal St. George’s are in the Senior Open, led by Tom Watson. The 62-year-old played very well last week, hitting a memorable hole in one in the second round and finishing tied for 22nd at 6-over. Watson, who won the Senior PGA Championship in May, certainly knows what it takes to win a Senior Open as well as he won this tournament it in 2003, 2005 and 2007. He is at 14/1 on Bodog’s golf odds.
The favorite this week is Tom Lehman at 7/1. He has split his time between the regular and senior tour this season. He also finished T22 at 6-over with Watson last week. But Lehman has dominated on the Champions Tour. Of the 11 events he has played, he has three wins, one second and one third. For what it’s worth, Lehman’s only major title on the PGA Tour came at the British Open in 1996.
Bernhard Langer is the defending champion and is at 14/1 to win this week. Langer was another senior who played last week but he missed the cut, shooting 75-73, and has been trying to regain his form following thumb surgery. The 53-year-old Langer beat Corey Pavin by a shot to win the British Open at Carnoustie last year and won the U.S. Senior Open the following week.
Nick Price is actually the second favorite this week at 10/1. He has one victory and eight Top-10 finishes this year on the Champions Tour but will be competing in his first Senior Open Championship. Price won the 1994 British Open on the PGA Tour.
Who wins the Senior Open? Bet now at Bodog Sportsbook!
Sebastian Vettel is on his usual perch atop the Formula 1 betting odds as the circuit resumes its schedule with the German Grand Prix on Sunday.
Vettel is the 1/1 favorite on the Bodog F1 odds board for the German Grand Prix this weekend as he guns for his seventh victory in 10 Formula 1 events this season. That stretch of dominance has given Vettel a 204-124 lead on Red Bull teammate Mark Webber in the drivers championship.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who won the British Grand Prix last time out, is next on the Bodog F1 odds list for Germany at 3/1, and with 112 points on the season he's in third place in the drivers championship.
Alonso also took the checkered flag in last year's German Grand Prix, with teammate Felipe Massa ending up in second place at that race, and Vettel rounding out the podium in third place.
McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were fourth and fifth, respectively, in Germany last year, while Webber finished sixth in a race dominated by Formula 1's big three teams.
Webber is third at 11/2 odds at Bodog to get the win in Germany on the weekend, with Hamilton at 13/2, Button at 14/1, and Massa at 28/1. Hamilton (China) and Button (Canada) are the only drivers besides Vettel and Alonso that have picked up victories this season.
On the F1 futures board at Bodog it's Vettel as the huge 1/12 favorite to win the title this year, followed by Alonso at 10/1, Hamilton at 33/1, and both Button and Webber at 50/1. Hamilton and Button are tied at 109 points in fourth place in the drivers championship. Massa is a distant sixth on that list with 52 points.
The Bodog Sportsbook will have fresh F1 lines for this week and through the end of the season.
There is no Sprint Cup Series this weekend in NASCAR with the main circuit taking the weekend off in advance of next weekend’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But two of the full-time Sprint Cup boys will be racing on Saturday night in the Nationwide Series Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Carl Edwards opened as the 8/5 favorite on Bodog’s auto racing odds. When the Nationwide Series visited Nashville back in April for the Nashville 300, Edwards won at the track for the first time since 2007. Edwards had won three Nationwide races in a row in 2006-07 but went six races at Nashville without winning again. His four Nashville victories are tops among all drivers at the 1.33-mile track. In April, Edwards led five times for 148 laps in beating Kyle Busch to the checkered flag by .521 seconds. Edwards surged past Kyle Busch as the two dueled for the lead with 35 laps to go.
Busch, a 2009 winner of this race, finished second but he’s not racing this week. Drew Herring is scheduled to drive the No.18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in Saturday's race in Busch’s spot. Herring started on the pole and finished 12th in the May 22 event at Iowa, driving the No. 20 car for JGR.
Brad Keselowski, the full-time Sprint Cup racer other than Edwards in this event, is the second-favorite on Bodog’s odds at 9/4. He is the defending champion of this race and finished third at the track in April’s race, extending his streak of top-five finishes at Nashville to seven. He has more top-fives at Nashville than any driver, followed by Edwards (who was runner-up in this race last year) and Clint Bowyer. Edwards and Keselowski have combined to win six of the past 10 races at Nashville.
Will Edwards and Keselowski continue their Nashville domination? Bet now at Bodog Sportsbook!
For the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, it was an emotional win for a fallen defensive line coach. For the B.C. Lions it’s the worst start since 1996.
After unexpectedly losing Richard Harris, their d-line and assistant coach to a heart attack just days ago, the Blue Bombers regrouped and beat the Lions 25-20, covering the 2.5 point spread.
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"It was a wave of sorrow we were on top of and we had to dig so deep," said Bombers defensive tackle Doug Brown.
"We were so drained, we were so destitute coming into this game. So many guys, we had nothing more to give. We were spent.”
The Bombers are now 4-1 straight up — leading the East — and an amazing 5-0 against the spread (ATS). That said don’t bet the farm on the Bombers just yet, they have yet to face elite squads like the Montreal Alouettes or Edmonton Eskimos. Also starting quarterback Buck Pierce strained his calf on a scramble and was replaced by Alex Brink.
On the Lions side, things can’t get any worse. Travis Lulay continues to be an inconsistent quarterback, sailing a 3rd down pass that could have led to a Lions comeback. Along with their 0-5 record the Lions have an abysmal 1-4 ATS record. Things might get a little easier, they get the 1-3 SU/ATS Saskatchewan Rough Riders in Week 6.
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And those top four men – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray – hold down the top spots on the Wimbledon futures list heading into the week.
Federer is the favorite at 15/8, and he goes up against No. 18 Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round this week. Federer is a huge -5000 favorite in that match, with Youzhny at +1200.
Nadal (9/4), Djokovic (3/1), and Murray (11/2), respectively, follow Federer on Bodog's Wimbledon odds list, and those three are all obviously favorites in their fourth-round matches as well this week.
Nadal is at -550 over No. 24 Juan Martin Del Potro (+350), with Djokovic getting -2000 odds to beat No. 19 Michael Llodra (+800), and Murray sitting at -400 against No. 17 Richard Gasquet (+275).
If the brackets play out as planned then No. 1 Nadal will face No. 4 Murray and No. 3 Federer will take on No. 2 Djokovic in the semifinals later in the week.
Over in the women's draw the Williams sisters are still around, with Serena Williams the 3/1 favorite to claim the tournament title and Venus Williams back at 13/2 on that Bodog list. Maria Sharapova (7/2), Petra Kvitova (11/2) and Caroline Wozniacki (7/1) are the other top contenders heading into the week.
No. 1 Wozniacki would face No. 5 Sharapova in the quarterfinals if they both survive their fourth-round matches, with No. 7 Serena lined up for the semifinals on that half of the bracket.
No. 8 Kvitova and No. 23 Venus would meet in the quarterfinals of the event in the other half of the draw.
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