Lead On Edition Open Edition

Golf Betting Lines

1.) What are your thoughts on Chris DiMarco?

 

I think he might be my favorite golfer in the world right now. When nobody ever makes a move at Tiger, DiMarco does. He went through his fair share of tragedy leading up to the British with his mom suddenly dying July 4th. It makes me giddy that he will almost certainly make the Ryder Cup team and if he's not one of the top 10, Tom Lehman would single-handedly redefine the word "stupid."

 

First of all, I am not a fashion expert, but two different yellows? That's hideous. Anyway, I am officially doubting whether or not Sergio will win a major. He's only 26, but he is not tough. Garcia's final-round scoring average is horrible and he doesn't step up in big tournaments on Sunday. Basically, I would like to paraphrase my colleague Dan Di Sciullo who wondered aloud if a doctor would need to examine Sergio to find out if he is actually a man.

 

Alliss was talking about why Woods is so good and at one point referenced his "Oriental" background. Oops. I don't think it's too much for a guy with his experience to use the proper word to describe an entire race. I don't think Alliss made the statement to be derogatory, but this is 2006, you can't say anything. Everyone knows that.

 

In the minority here as far as I've heard, but I really liked it. Two par- fives in the last three holes? That's awesome. Sure it was browner than a chocolate Easter bunny, but I thought it was fair and much trickier than the scores indicated. With no wind, any course in the United Kingdom is defenseless.

 

RANKINGS

 

1. Tiger Woods - two odd stats - never won a major coming from behind and hasn't won the PGA since 2000. Better get on that. 2. Phil Mickelson - will never win a British Open. 3. Vijay Singh 4. Retief Goosen 5. Jim Furyk 6. Ernie Els - he's back. Everyone calm down. 7. Geoff Ogilvy 8. Adam Scott 9. Chris DiMarco 10. Luke Donald

 

RANDOM THOUGHTS

 

Ok, here's the change that's coming with regards to the column. Beginning either this week or next, I am going to start doing a blog. This is something that I've carefully thought about and am really excited about doing. Not sure how it will impact this column yet, but look out for the blog either later this week or the middle of next week.

Wwgamble Golf Betting Blog

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<< Sergio Garcia With Woods Title

<< Weekley Birdied Leads Garcia Of U.s.

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Birdie Putt Of Birdie Time >>

Romero Over Course Beginning ON The Back >>

Pavin Beats Armour Into Kelly >>

Birdie Putt Sparks Lead Against Taylor >>

Birdie Putt Adds Hole On Harrington >>

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

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