This Week in Golf - November 18th through November 23rd

Golf Betting Lines

11/17/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LPGA TOUR - ADT CHAMPIONSHIP, Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, Florida - This week's ADT Championship marks the end of a season -- and, more importantly perhaps, the possible end of an era.

Although she has left the door open for a comeback, Annika Sorenstam is still set to retire at the end of the year and this week's event could mark her last appearance on the LPGA Tour.

Sorenstam has won 72 titles on the LPGA Tour, including three this season. The Hall of Fame Swede, who turned 38 last month, has won this tournament four times (1997, 2002, '04, '05).

The LPGA Tour will spend the week looking back at her 15-year career on the circuit while following her final rounds. The dream scenario, of course, would end with Sorenstam challenging for one final win on Sunday.

But she must run a gauntlet of cuts to get there.

The tournament whittles the field of 32 down to just eight players by the final round based on a progressive cut, with those eight players beginning Sunday with a fresh scorecard. The player among the eight finalists who posts the best score on Sunday will win the $1 million first-place prize.

Lorena Ochoa, the world No. 1 and two-time defending Player of the Year, fired a final-round 68 last year to beat Natalie Gulbis by a shot for her first ADT Championship victory.

Sorenstam and Ochoa lead a field of players who qualified based on the LPGA Tour's playoff system, which splits the season into two parts. Fifteen players qualify from each half, and two wild cards are added before the tournament.

The Golf Channel will have coverage of the first three rounds beginning at 2 p.m. (et) each day. NBC will broadcast three hours of coverage for the final round Sunday.

EUROPEAN TOUR

HONG KONG OPEN, Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling, Hong Kong - This week marks the 50th anniversary of the oldest sporting event in Hong Kong and the second event on the new European Tour season.

The 51st playing of the tournament will take place next November, one week before the 2009 season-ending $10 million Dubai World Championship.

Although the event was first played in 1959, it didn't become part of the European Tour schedule until 2002, the year Jose Maria Olazabal won. Olazabal will be joined in the field this week by fellow major champions Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, John Daly, Michael Campbell and Paul Lawrie. Langer won the tournament in 1991, before it was an official European Tour event.

Miguel Angel Jimenez beat K.J. Choi, Robert Karlsson and Thongchai Jaidee by a shot last year to win the title -- his second at the event since 2005. Jose Manuel Lara and Colin Montgomerie, the 2005 and '06 champions will also be on hand this week.

The Golf Channel will have very early morning coverage (et) for all four rounds, and also a re-broadcast later in the morning. Next week is the Australian Masters, where Aaron Baddeley won last year.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

NATIONAL QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT FINALS, TPC Eagle Trace, Coral Springs, Florida - Champions Tour Q-School ends this week with 78 players vying for playing privileges next season.

Last year, former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden shared medalist honors with Thomas E. Jones, with both players earning about $25,000.

The 2007 co-medalists had different levels of success in 2008: Jones finished 19th on the money list with more than $1 million, while Rhoden played in only one event while battling a neck injury.

This year, the qualifying tournament finals return to the TPC at Eagle Trace for the third year in a row. It is the 18th time the event has been played in Florida.

The top 30 players and ties will have a chance to Monday qualify for nine spots in full-field Champions Tour events next season. The top 30 and ties will also receive a portion of the $200,000 prize money.

The tournament begins on Tuesday and ends with the fourth and final round on Friday.

Casinoxtc Golf Betting News

<< Drogba admits FA charge, faces suspension
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has admitted a charge of violent conduct relating to the coin-throwing incident during last week's Carling Cup defeat by Burnley. The Ivory Coast striker was charged by

<< FCS weekly honors go to Gowins, Barnes, Parent and Warner
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edwin Gowins, Ryan Barnes, Matt Parent and Larry Warner have been named The Sportsbook Betting Lines's FCS national players of the week. OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Edwin Gowins, Stony Brook, 5-10, 220, Freshman

<< Falcons' Dubnyk named AHL Player of the Week
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Springfield Falcons goaltender Devan Dubnyk has been named the American Hockey League Player of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, it was announced on Monday. In three starts this week, Du

<< Pair of Capitals lead list of NHL's Three Stars
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Capitals forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin, along with Nashville Predators goaltender Dan Ellis, were selected as the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending November 16. Backstrom

<< Pujols named NL MVP
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has been named the National League's Most Valuable Player, as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Pujols, who won this award in 2005

Sorenstam back to No. 2 in rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Annika Sorenstam moved back to No. 2 in the world rankings after tying for second place behind Angela Stanford at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational on Sunday. Sorenstam moved up one position this week,

Bucs RB Graham likely done for season >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Earnest Graham is likely done for the season with a right ankle injury suffered in Sunday's 19-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Bucs head coach Jon Gruden addressed

Huskies are unanimous No. 1; LSU unranked >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Connecticut remained the top team in the latest Associated Press women's college basketball poll, but LSU's lengthy streak in the rankings came to an end. The Huskies (1-0) are a unanimous pick this

Runners-up Harrington and Els get bump in rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els got bumps in the world rankings this week after they tied for second place behind Jeev Milkha Singh at the Singapore Masters on Sunday. Tiger Woods remained No. 1, of c

Pro Bowl safety John Lynch retires >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pro Bowl safety John Lynch announced his retirement at a news conference Monday afternoon. Lynch was selected to nine Pro Bowls at the safety position during his 15-year career with Tampa Bay and Denver.


Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.









MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse racing . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.