07/03/2009 - Sylvania, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Laura Diaz birdied four of the last six holes Friday to remain tied for the lead after two rounds of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
Diaz carded a four-under 67 to complete two rounds at 11-under-par 131, where she shared the lead with Sarah Kemp, who fired an eight-under 63 Friday.
Morgan Pressel, who shared the first-round lead with Diaz and Song-Hee Kim, shot three-under 68 to complete two rounds at minus-10.
Seon Hwa Lee also fired a 63 to move into a share of fourth at nine-under-par 133. She was joined there by Jiyai Shin (67) and Natalie Gulbis (65).
Michelle Wie remains close to the lead after posting a two-under 69. She shares seventh at minus-eight, while women's world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa (68) is tied for 13th at seven-under-par 135.
Diaz played a steady round starting on No. 10 at Highland Meadows Golf Club. She parred her first 12 holes before making birdie on the par-four fourth for the second day in a row.
After a par on five, Diaz birdied six and seven, from 15 feet and three feet respectively, to get within one of the lead. She closed with a 12-foot birdie putt at the last to join Kemp at 11-under.
"I didn't make any birdies on my front side, but I just tried to stay patient out there," said Diaz, whose last win was at the 2002 Corning Classic. "I haven't been in place to be looking at the scoreboard in the last several months, so I really just was trying to stay in my own world."
Kemp also started on the back nine and birdied the 10th from 12 feet out. She gave that stroke back with a bogey on the par-four 12th. Kemp bounced back with a six-foot birdie putt on the 14th and made the turn at minus-five thanks to a birdie on No. 18.
The Australian, who was in the third group out in the morning wave, dropped in back-to-back birdies from the second. After a par on the third, Kemp poured in four consecutive birdies from the fifth, all from inside 12 feet, to jump to 11-under.
"I just tried to stay in the moment. I knew I was playing good," Kemp admitted. "My putter was amazing. I don't know how many putts I had, but I don't think it was many. I just tried to have fun, and tried not to think about how many birdies I was making."
Wie was joined in seventh at eight-under-par 134 by Eunjung Yi (66), Kyeong Bae (64), Lindsey Wright (68), Kris Tschetter (67) and Suzann Pettersen (69).
Ochoa shares 13th with Hee-Won Han (66), Soo-Yun Kang (66), Jane Park (66), Allison Hanna-Williams (68), Jee Young Lee (69), Jin Joo Hong (67) and Kim (71).
The cut line fell at two-under-par 140 with 83 players moving on to the weekend. Among those who missed the cut were Stacy Lewis (141), Stacy Prammanasudh (142) and In-Kyung Kim (142).
<< Ramirez apologizes on night of return to Dodgers
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Manny
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<< Woods shoots 66 to lead AT&T National
Bethesda, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods nourished his momentum with a
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Woods finished two trips around Con
<< Bases-loaded walk sends Cubs over Brewers in 10 innings
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jake Fox drew a bases loaded walk, scoring
Ryan Theriot in the bottom of the 10th inning, as the Chicago Cubs edged the
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Theriot
<< Daytona qualifying rained out, Stewart awarded pole
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rain washed out Friday's qualifying
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Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash was
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Wizards will try to make move vs. powerful Houston club >>
Kansas City, KA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards face a tough task
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Lopez solid on the mound as Phils handle Mets >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phillies recalled Rodrigo Lopez from
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Leaving a trail: Turkoglu breaks off talks with Blazers >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sharp-shooting forward Hedo Turkoglu appeared
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The Oregonian newspaper originally reported Tu
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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