Blumenherst downs Munoz for U.S. Women's Amateur title

Golf Betting Lines

08/10/2008 - Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amanda Blumenherst grabbed her first lead on the 31st hole and held off Azahara Munoz for a 2 & 1 win at the 108th U.S. Women's Amateur at Eugene Country Club.

Blumenherst, last year's runner-up, got up and down for par on the 35th hole to seal the match after Munoz missed an eight-foot birdie putt.

The 21-year-old Blumenherst is the first collegian to win this trophy since Virada Nirapathpongporn in 2003.

"I never got frustrated. I just kept with it," Blumenherst said. "Azahara didn't really make any mistakes and I was playing well. My putting kind of started off a little shaky, but I stayed strong and stayed patient with it. My coach told me to stay patient all day and it'll win it for you and it did."

Munoz had a 2-up lead twice on the first 18 holes and they both came on the front nine. Blumenherst rallied to square the match as she rolled in a 14-foot birdie putt on the par-four 15th.

The 20-year-old Munoz made par at the last to take a 1-up lead into the afternoon 18. Blumenherst was unable to get up and down for par on the 19th to fall 2-down for the third time.

Blumenherst kicked in a short birdie putt on the 21st, but Munoz chipped in for birdie on the 23rd to take a 2-up lead for the fourth and final time.

Munoz, the 2008 NCAA Individual champion, missed a four-foot par putt at the next as her lead dropped to 1-up. The duo halved the next three holes, before Blumenherst made her move.

The three-time All-American from Duke sank a seven-foot birdie putt on the 28th hole to square the match. Blumenherst got up and down for par on the par- five 31st and that was enough for the win as Munoz made a mess of the hole, walking off with a bogey.

Blumenherst two-putted for birdie on the par-five 34th to push her advantage to 2-up after Munoz missed a 20-foot birdie try. On the 35th, Blumenherst got up and down for par from a greenside bunker to seal the win.

"Last year I played great the whole tournament, I just rushed the last match. I pushed where I didn't need to," explained Blumenherst. "This year, I was just patient and was able to give it my best. I definitely got nervous late in the match. But I'm really confident in my sand game and I took a deep breath and got it done."

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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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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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