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05/01/2009 - Girona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France's Thomas Levet shot a five-under 67 to take the second-round lead Friday at the Spanish Open.
Levet, who trailed overnight-leader Soren Hansen by a shot entering the round, collected six birdies against just one bogey to move two strokes in front of the Dane at 13-under-par 131.
Hansen followed his course-record 63 in the first round with a two-under 70 on Friday to slip into second place at 11-under 133. He double-bogeyed his last hole to fall out of a tie for the lead.
Defending champion Peter Lawrie of Ireland remained firmly in the mix with a six-under 66 that moved him into third place at 10-under 134.
Alejandro Canizares (69) and Chris Wood (70) are tied for fourth place at eight-under 136, while Thomas Bjorn (67) and Paul McGinley (67) lead a five- way tie at 137.
Levet was the first player to tee off at No. 1 on Friday. He began his charge with three birdies during a five-hole stretch ending at the seventh, but he bogeyed the ninth to give one of those shots back.
Battling Hansen for the lead for most of the day, Levet made three more birdies on the back nine -- at the 13th, 15th and 16th -- to take the clubhouse lead.
He almost holed his tee shot at the par-three 16th.
"I didn't hit the ball as well as yesterday, obviously. Yesterday was a very good day. But I hit some really, really nice shots," said Levet, who had a 64 on Thursday.
The four-time European Tour winner was especially pleased with one aspect of his game.
"I'm very pleased with my short game. And for me that's the most important part," said Levet. "When my short game is on, I'm always dangerous. My long game doesn't vary very much from day-to-day ... and is never going to be a huge difference."
Hansen, after starting his round on No. 10, struck a five-wood to 12 feet at the 12th to make an eagle. He birdied the 15th, then strung together seven straight pars before making his only bogey of the round at No. 5.
He birdied the sixth and seventh and reached the ninth hole (his last) tied with Levet at 13-under. But he made a double-bogey there to drop two strokes off the pace at PGA Golf Catalunya.
Like Levet, Hansen was eager to compare Friday's round to Thursday's.
"I played all right, but not the same sort of golf as yesterday," said the two-time European Tour winner. "I got it sort of going without hitting great shots, but then it crept back on me and I finished -- as they say -- in an ambulance."
The cut line fell at even-par 144 with 71 players moving on to the weekend.
European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie missed the cut badly after posting a nine-over 81 in the second round. Montgomerie tied for the fourth- worst score in a field of 156 players, finishing at nine-over 153.
<< Milan still believes in title chances
Catania, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When AC Milan travels to Catania on Sunday
they will be doing so with the belief that they can still catch leaders Inter
Milan at the top of the Serie A table.
It appeared that the race for the Scudetto
<< Celtic begins final push
Aberdeen, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Scottish Premier League season
enters its final stretch this weekend as Celtic travels to Pittodrie Stadium
on Saturday to meet Aberdeen with a one-point lead on second-placed Rangers.
Celtic
<< Real ready to reel in Barca in El Clasico
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid is unbeaten in 17 straight, a run
that includes 16 wins, and finally has a chance to reel in once runaway leader
Barcelona on Saturday in the El Clasico.
Real last lost in La Liga in December t
<< City hopes to continue surge to seventh
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City will be aiming to put
together its first three-game win streak of the season when they host
Blackburn at Eastlands on Saturday.
A win over Rovers would not only accomplish
Hawks to be without Horford and Williams for Game 6 >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Hawks forwards Al Horford and Marvin
Williams are expected to miss Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal
series against the Miami Heat.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ho
The Kentucky Derby - A Rainy Proposition >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20-horse field is set for the 135th
running of the Kentucky Derby, but the race will lose a ton of luster when
Mother Nature rears her ugly head on Saturday afternoon.
The track is already muddy from T
Nadal, Federer, Djokovic reach semis in Rome >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-ranked superstar Rafael Nadal, former
world No. 1 Roger Federer and reigning Rome champion Novak Djokovic
were quarterfinal winners Friday at the $3.645 million Italian Masters tennis
event.
Lyon needs a 'miracle' to win Ligue 1 >>
Valenciennes, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon midfielder Mathieu Bodmer admitted
this week the seven-time defending Ligue 1 champions need a "miracle" to repeat
as champions.
Lyon has slipped six points behind first-place Marseille and Bordea
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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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