Johnson wins Texas Open for second time in 7 months

Golf Betting Lines

05/17/2009 - San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zach Johnson rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday to beat James Driscoll and win the Texas Open for the second time in seven months.

Johnson closed with an even-par 70 in the final round to join Driscoll in the playoff.

Driscoll, a relative unknown seeking his first career win on the PGA Tour, fired an eight-under 62 in the final round to surge into his share of the lead at 15-under-par 265.

Paul Goydos held the lead through 70 holes, but finished the final round bogey-bogey to shoot a 69 and end one shot out of the playoff. Goydos shared third place with Bill Haas (65) at 14-under 266.

Three-time Texas Open winner Justin Leonard (69) led a four-way tie for fifth place at 13-under 267.

In the playoff -- held at the 18th hole -- both Johnson and Driscoll found the fairway with their tee shots. Johnson knocked his second shot to 10 feet, while Driscoll came up much shorter, hitting his to 27 feet.

After Driscoll missed his birdie try, Johnson rolled his into the cup for the win.

Johnson's sixth career title, worth just over $1 million, vaulted the 33-year- old Iowan to the top of the FedEx Cup points list.

He won the Texas Open for the first time last October, then titled at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

Johnson took the lead with a course record-tying 60 on a rainy Saturday, one of the lucky players to finish his third round before play was suspended because of darkness.

The third round was completed early Sunday.

"I know it's hard to back up a round like that, and I certainly didn't play my best today, but there was times there when I could have gone further south," said Johnson. "Whether it was a one- or two-putt or a difficult shot or taking my medicine when I got myself in trouble, I kind of just remained patient and persevered."

In the middle of the afternoon, when it looked like anyone's tournament, Johnson was only one of seven or eight players with a legitimate shot to win.

Driscoll, who eagled No. 14, posted the number to beat when he rolled in a 15- foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to get into the clubhouse with the lead.

But there were 24 players -- and a soap opera of mistakes -- still left on the course.

Leonard and Haas were among those who squandered good opportunities.

But no one fared worse than Goydos, who took a one-shot lead over Johnson and Driscoll with a 13-foot birdie putt at the 16th hole -- then dynamited his chances for career win No. 3 with back-to-back bogeys.

Goydos three-putted for a bogey from 55 feet at the par-three 17th, falling back into a tie for the lead.

At the 18th, he knocked his approach into the rough and then duffed his second shot from 36 feet, not reaching the green.

Despite holding the lead through 70 holes, Goydos found himself giving a losing interview.

"Unfortunately we play 72," said Goydos, whose season began tragically in January with the sudden death of his ex-wife. "I didn't hit a good putt on 17, I didn't hit a good chip on 18, and guys who win...do."

Johnson tied Driscoll for the lead with a 15-foot birdie putt at the 13th hole. But he three-putted from 24 feet at the next hole, a par-five, to make a disappointing par.

Amid Goydos' collapse, however, Johnson was able to make four consecutive pars to end his round and slip into the playoff with Driscoll.

"I feel very lucky," he said.

When Johnson won at La Cantera last October, the Texas Open was part of the PGA Tour's middling Fall Series.

Despite a better spot as the opener to a three-event swing in the Lonestar State, this year's tournament still didn't manage to attract many big names.

Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, was among the biggest.

Driscoll, who hadn't made a cut in three months, was not.

The 31-year-old from Brookline, Mass., was upbeat after his loss, even when he was given the chance to make his long rest -- he finished more than an hour before Johnson -- an excuse.

"I don't think it had much of an effect," said Driscoll, who played the final round without a bogey. "I stayed pretty loose, went to the range and hit some balls, and I felt fine out there."

He said he mis-read his birdie putt in the playoff.

"When you're that close, it's hard not to feel a little disappointed," said Driscoll. "But he birdied the first playoff hole. He deserves it."

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Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.