Blumenherst cruises into semis at U.S. Women's Amateur

Golf Betting Lines

08/08/2008 - Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amanda Blumenherst was four-under par through nine holes and that helped her cruise to a 4 & 3 win over Carlota Ciganda in Friday's quarterfinals at the 108th U.S. Women's Amateur at Eugene Country Club.

Blumenherst will face high school sophomore Erynne Lee, who handled Chelsea Stelzmiller, 4 & 3.

The other semifinal match will pair two Spaniards, Azahara Munoz and Belen Mozo. Munoz routed Stephanie Na, who was the co-stroke play medalist with Blumenherst.

Munoz won that match 7 & 6, while Mozo rolled to a 6 & 5 win over Whitney Neuhauser.

Blumenherst won the first with a birdie after Ciganda, the 2007 Ladies' British Open Amateur winner, missed a birdie putt of her own. Blumenherst ran off three straight birdies from the seventh to make the turn with 4-up lead.

"I always expect my competitor to make the putt and I'm going to have to make it to halve. So when she missed it, I thought the door opened and I was able to keep it going from there," said Blumenherst of her win at the first.

Blumenherst, the NCAA Player of the Year, birdied the 13th to push her lead to 5-up, but she bogeyed the next. Ciganda and Blumenherst parred the 15th giving the Duke standout the win.

"I rolled the ball really well," Blumenherst stated. "I was hitting my drives in the middle of the fairway and sticking them close. So it was just solid golf."

Lee made the turn with a 1-up lead as Stelzmiller bogeyed the ninth. Lee won the next three holes to push her lead to 4-up and closed with match with an up-and-down par on the 15th.

Munoz won the first two holes, then took the fifth with a par. She ran off three straight wins from No. 7 to head to the back nine 6-up. Na bogeyed the 11th to fall 7-down and the match was over when both players parred the 12th.

Mozo, the 2006 Ladies British Open Amateur champ, took a 1-up lead with a par on the third. A par on the eighth gave her a 2-up lead and set up a run of five wins in the next six holes as she closed the match with a birdie on the par-five 13th.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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