Grace, Finch atop leaderboard at suspended Joburg Open

Golf Betting Lines

01/14/2012 - Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Branden Grace and Richard Finch were atop the leaderboard Saturday when the third round of the Joburg Open was suspended due to dangerous weather.

Each day of this tournament has been marred with inclement weather, though Saturday proved to be the best of the three days at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club. The event is now almost on track, with the final group having only four holes to play in the third round, which will resume at 12:30 a.m. (et) on Sunday.

After the first two rounds alternated over the East and West Courses, the third and final rounds are played solely on the more difficult par-72 East Course.

Grace and Finch both sit at 15-under, with Grace having three holes and Finch having four to finish on Sunday before the final round.

George Coetzee is third at 14-under with four holes to play, while Andrew Parr (64) and Dawie Van Der Walt (67) share the clubhouse lead at 12-under 203. Parr and Van Der Walt are tied with Jbe Kruger in fourth; Kruger has three holes to finish in his third round.

After the second round was completed and the cut was made at four-under 141, it was guaranteed that a new champion would be crowned on Sunday. Charl Schwartzel, the two-time defending champion, missed by one stroke and will not become the sixth European Tour player to win three straight titles at the same event.

Grace, meanwhile, has a good chance at his first European Tour title, while Finch is gunning for his third.

Finch entered the day with 12 holes to play in his second round, and he added a hole-in-one on the East Course's par-three 12th. He finished two rounds at 11-under and rode the momentum into the third round.

Finch began his third round with a 20-foot birdie putt at the first, but stumbled to a bogey at the fourth. After going birdie-bogey from the sixth, Finch chipped in for an eagle at the par-five eighth to move to 13-under.

He followed the eagle with a birdie at the ninth, and a 15-foot birdie putt at the 13th made sure he led when play was called.

Grace finished his second round on Friday and was flawless on Saturday, including a late surge that was halted by the weather. His front nine included birdies at two of the par-fives, making the turn at 12-under, and he had three consecutive birdies from the 13th to gain a share of the lead.

NOTES: A cash prize is awarded for a hole-in-one in the final round, so Finch's ace will go unrewarded...Both of Finch's victories came in 2008...There are still 27 players left to finish the third round.

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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