This Week in Golf -- January 19th through January 22nd

Golf Betting Lines

01/16/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - HUMANA CHALLENGE, La Quinta Country Club, PGA West (Palmer Course), Nicklaus Private at PGA West, La Quinta, California - The PGA Tour bids aloha to Hawaii and heads to the mainland for the Humana Challenge.

This event was formerly known as The Bob Hope Classic, but the PGA Tour, Humana and the William J. Clinton Foundation entered into an eight-year agreement.

Hope's legacy remains with the tournament as the winner will be awarded the Bob Hope Memorial Trophy.

The name wasn't the only change for the 2012 championship. This event used to be five rounds, but it's been trimmed to four. La Quinta Country Club, PGA West Nicklaus Private Course and PGA West Palmer Private remained part of the rotation, but SilverRock Resort was dropped.

The format is the same, with professionals playing with amateurs. They team for three rounds, rotating among the three courses, then the 54-hole cut is made and the guys making money play on Sunday.

Since this is the first mainland America event, bigger names were bound to enter the field. Why travel all the way to Hawaii? But this year, with the Clinton Foundation and the helm and Pres. Clinton making some calls, the star power is pretty impressive.

First, Pres. Clinton called upon his buddy Greg Norman. The Hall of Famer hasn't played a PGA Tour event since the 2009 British Open Championship and only teed it up once when this was the Bob Hope Classic. That came way back in 1986.

Phil Mickelson also committed to the field. He's a two-time champion (2002, 2004) and is making his 2012 PGA Tour debut.

Also beginning his season is Dustin Johnson, who sat out the Hawaii swing after knee surgery.

Last year, an intriguing rookie stepped up for career victory No. 1.

Jhonattan Vegas parred the second playoff hole to defeat 2011 FedExCup champion and 2010 Hope winner Bill Haas and Gary Woodland. Vegas was a fourth- round co-leader with Woodland and both had three-under 69s on Sunday.

Haas was knocked out on the first playoff hole, then Vegas' par on the second extra hole was enough to get the win.

Golf Channel has the telecast.

Next week is the Farmers Insurance Open, which was won by Bubba Watson in a thrilling finish. He bested fellow left-hander Mickelson by a single stroke.

EUROPEAN TOUR

VOLVO GOLF CHAMPIONS, The Links at Fancourt, George, South Africa - This event features an exclusive field of proven winners, although the defending champion is not in South Africa.

Paul Casey won the inaugural tournament one year ago, but he is out of action thanks to a shoulder injury. He dislocated his right shoulder in a snowboarding accident in Colorado. Casey will be on the sidelines for at least two months.

Despite the absence of Casey, several stars lined up for this championship, which is reserved for European Tour players who won an event on last year's European Tour schedule.

The winners of the first two events this year are also invited but Louis Oosthuizen, the Africa Open champion, was already in the field. Branden Grace, who captured the Joburg Open, gained admittance on Sunday.

Current tour Members, under the age of 50, with more than 10 European Tour victories are also invited.

Casey won by a stroke last year over Peter Hanson and Miguel Angel Jimenez. At the The Royal Golf Club's Montgomerie Course in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Casey parred the last hole after Hanson made bogey. The win was the Englishman's 11th European Tour victory.

Golf Channel will carry the action.

Next week is the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and the top-ranked players in the world will be there, including Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, world No. 1 Luke Donald and defending champion Martin Kaymer.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CHAMPIONSHIP AT HUALALAI, Hualalai Golf Course Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii - The Champions Tour begins its 2012 campaign in the 50th state.

John Cook captured last year's season-opener thanks to an amazing back nine. He fired a six-under 30 on the second side and overcame a three-shot deficit to win by two over 2011 Player of the Year, Tom Lehman.

Cook, who recorded just one bogey over the 54-hole tournament, collected his sixth Champions Tour title and his second in a row. He became the first player on the elder circuit to win the last event of one season, then the first event of the next in almost 15 years.

The field is loaded with Champions Tour stars, including Cook and Lehman.

Golf Channel will broadcast the tournament live all three rounds.

The Champions Tour is back Feb. 10 with the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Florida. Lehman won the first of three Champions Tour titles last year and will be back to defend.

Wwwarlingtonpark Golf Betting News

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<< Sens go for fifth straight win in clash with Jets
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Pirates' Hanrahan agrees to one-year deal >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan has agreed to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. Financial terms weren't released, but ESPN has reported the deal to be worth $4.1 million. Hanrahan and

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Aggies and Tigers mix it up in Big 12 action >>
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas A&M Aggies will attempt to be the second team this year to take down the Missouri Tigers as the Big 12 Conference rivals meet in an early evening showdown at Mizzou Arena. This will be just the 2

Baylor and Kansas tangle in pivotal Big 12 bout >>
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baylor Bears put their undefeated record on the line as they head to legendary Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence for a Big 12 Conference showdown with the Kansas Jayhawks. This bout marks the 19th meeting betwe

Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

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