There have been a lot of jokes and controversy at the expense of Tiger Woods since the news leaked out of his extramarital affairs.  I felt it was necessary to offer my two cents into the pot and so here it goes.  Tiger Woods is human too.  I know it is hard to believe.  He is one of the best golfers to ever walk onto a golf course and in many ways he has seemed indestructible over the years.  But like other humans he is vulnerable to the temptations of the world.

Please do not misunderstand me.  I do not make excuses for Tiger Woods or the path he chose to partake.  Unfortunately that path is taken by many human beings everyday but it is magnified and dissected when you are in the limelight.  Once again, Tiger Woods earned over 100 million dollars last year and the limelight and fame is the price to pay for invasion of privacy.

Tiger Woods may seem like a god in the golfing circle but he not a God.  He is a human being who is as open to making mistakes as all of us.  What Tiger did was wrong.  He knows it and his wife knows it and Tiger will have to work as hard at his personal life as he has in his golfing career if he wants to save his marriage.  Perhaps he is on the road to doing so as it has been reported that he is in rehap for sex addiction at Pine Grove Behavior Health and Addiction Clinic in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Regardless of how Tiger’s personal life turns out it will never change what he has accomplished in the world of golf.  It is my sincere hope that Tiger will continue to place his emphasis on saving his marriage, be successful and then return to the golf course to extend his legend.  Tiger made some bad choices.  He will have to live with those choices for the rest of his life.  In the end is but a human and must confront his demons just like the rest of us.  You can bet on the fact that he will be back to take his place as the number one golfer in the world.  Take that too the bank.  Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

Thursday, August 27th, the Pro Golf Playoffs begin in search of the FedEx Cup and the Ten Million Dollar reward that waits at the end of the 4 week tournament. The battle begins at the Barclays. 124 of the best Pro Golfers will begin in the competition. This will include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh. There is much discussion about these playoffs and where they should rank in importance compared to a Major Tournament. Every Pro Golfer has their own opinion.

Many feel like a Major is more important because they have been around for so much longer. Others feel like this 4 week playoffs for the FedEx Cup brings the best field together for the longest period of time. In addition, the ten million dollar reward is nothing to laugh at either.

The 4 week playoffs begin at the Barclays in Jersey City, New Jersey the first week. The second week will have the top 100 moving on to the TPC Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship. Week 3 of the playoffs will be held at Cog Hill, which is located just outside Chicago.

Here the top 70 players to that point will compete in the BMW Championship. The top 30 players will then meet in Atlanta for the final competition for the FedEx Cup and ten million dollars. It is hard enough to play well against a great field in a one week tournament; it is even harder to do so for a month. The excitement is definately building.

There is one thing the Pro Golfers do agree on when it cups to winning the FedEx Cup. They all agree that you will not see just anybody win it. During a one week Major Championship every once in a while a golfer comes out of no where to snatch it away like Y.E. Yang did at the PGA Championship over Tiger Woods. However, this is not likely to happen in these playoffs. The name that you will see on this Championship Cup will be a well known seasoned golfer.

Y.E. Yang deserves all the credit for winning the PGA Championship but it takes pure greatness to play better than anyone else in the field for 4 straight weeks. Perhaps Yang will surprise again but it is not likely. The FedEx Cup was created to allow the best golfers in the world to compete in a playoff system that is as grueling and competitive as any tournament imaginable. This is a tournament that seperates the men from the boys, the flukes from the real deal. One good week will not do it, two great weeks will not help you; even three great weeks can leave you empty handed. You have to play well in all 4 weeks.

Tiger Woods won the first FedEx Cup but even he will have to play his best for all 4 weeks. This tournament is not for the meek at heart. So who do you put your money one? It is going to be tough but lets face it, Tiger Woods is favored whenever he starts a tournament. Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

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Tiger Woods may have missed the cut at the British Open but he has won 2 tournaments since then, the Buick and the Bridgestone, and he now leads the PGA Championship by 1 after his first day.  He shot a 5 under 67 and went bogey free.  He is one stroke ahead of his playing partner.  This would be the same playing partner he dueled with at Bridgestone, Patraig Harrington.  Harrington won the PGA Championship last year and would certainly like to do so again.  Woods, the number one golfer in the world, is favored even though he is yet to win a major this year.  He has won at least one major in each of the last four years.

There has been much discussion about Tiger Woods coming into the PGA Championship.  Tiger has won 5 tournaments this year.  That would be great for the average golfer but once you have taken golf to an entirely different level 5 just is not enough.  Besides, none of those five wins was a major.  Therefore the question posed is if Tiger does not win the PGA and ends the season without a major could he still consider it a successful year?  Most say this year would be a failure for him without a major under his belt.  Perhaps this is true.  Even Tiger judges his success by his ability to win majors.

However, Tiger, although we seldom allow him to be, is still human.  A year without a major would not be the end of his career or a tarnish on his legacy.  He is still the best overall golfer of his generation.  Tiger knows the importance of getting off to a good start.  He also knows that a great day one does not win a tournament.  Tiger is well aware of his field and he knows that to win he will have to be at his very best, which he appears to be after day one.  Tiger has won 2 straight and he knows more than any sports writer how important this major is to him.

At 7,674 yards this course is the longest in PGA Championship history.  That did not stop Tiger today.  Tiger knows that it is not how long the course is but how long you play it.  Tiger has a strong field and although he is favored to win and the odds are normally in his corner the pressure is on.  With players like Harrington, Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera and Stewart Cink on his tail he will have to play the course short.  I know it gets boring betting on Tiger Woods but I find it hard to bet against him.  Until we meet again may your betting be better and remember to always be a good sport.

In Akron, Ohio at the Bridgestone Invitational Tiger Woods trails Padraig Harrington by three strokes.  Harrington was feeling pretty comfortable until he looked up at the scoreboard and realized that Tiger was in second place.  Tiger has been almost unbeatable at Firestone and Harrington is well aware of it.  Harrington wanted to have the best lead possible going into Sunday but he knows there may not be a safe lead over the number one golfer in the world.  Tomorrow should really be interesting.  Tiger has won 6 out of 10 times playing at Firestone and he would like to make it 7 of 11.  Harrington and Woods will be paired up in the same group and it should be a great finish.

UFC 101 is about to begin and there are some pretty good matches tonight.  B.J. Penn is taking on Kenny Florian and is the favorite to win.  Anderson Silva is facing Forrest Griffin and is a huge favorite to win this one.  Johny Hendricks is set to battle Amir Sadollah with Sadollah picked to win.  There are quite a few less known contests but the Penn fight and Silva fight will get all the attention.  Anderson Silva should beat Griffin as long as he does not get to cocky and Penn should have no real problem with Kenny Florian but as with any competition you just don’t know until it is over.

The College Football polls came out today with a list of the top ten NCAA teams in the country.  The list goes as follows:  Florida at number 1, Texas at number 2, Oklahoma at number 3 and USC at number 4.  Alabama rounded out the top 5.  Ohio State came in at number 6 with Virginia Tech at number 7.  Number 8 was Penn State with LSU and Mississippi rounded out the top ten.  It is going to be another great NCAA Football season.

In the NFL the Hall of Fame Game will be played on Sunday between the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans.  This event kicks off the NFL preseason and I can feel the excitement building.  The NFL season is upon us again and it should be a lot of fun.  There are going to be some great match ups and we will keep you posted on them all season long.  There may be some surprises in the NFL this year like Arizona in 2008.  Betters be ready because it is going to be a great season.  Until we meet again may your betting be better and may you always remember to be a good sport.

Tiger Woods won the Buick Open in Michigan by 3 strokes and enhanced the ratings of the tournament by 167%.  Tiger had opened the Buick Open with a less than impressive first round but bounced back to take the victory even thought the field of competition was a little weak to say the least.  The Warwick Hills Golf Course hosted its first Buick Open back in 1958 but by the looks of the ratings it could be their last.  If Tiger Woods had not been there the ratings would have been dismal.  Tiger needed this victory so he could feel good about himself once again.  He needed to rebuild his confidence.  Now he feels ready for the next two tournaments where the road to victory will be a little tougher to drive.

Later this week Tiger will begin play at the Bridgestone Invitational.  From there he ventures on to Hazeline for the PGA Championship.  It will be Tiger’s only opportunity to win a major this year.  The Buick Open win was Tiger’s 3rd victory there and his 69th PGA tour victory.  Tiger knew that the end of an era was taking place as he approached the 17th and 18th holes.  He knew he would not be playing on this course again for a Buick Open.  On both the 17th and 18th holes he threw a ball into the crowd.  He never does that but he felt the irony of the moment.  The Greenbrier in West Virginia will pick up the Buick Open in 2010.

Tiger Woods 69 PGA wins place him 3rd all time behind Jack Nicklaus who had 73 and Sam Snead who had 82.  Tiger has won 4 tournaments this year and that is twice as many as any other pro golfer.  He has won 4 out of 11 since coming back from his knee surgery.  Tiger is still at another level even when he is coming off surgery.  That is why he is still the number one golfer in the world.  At the end of the first round Tiger was 95th.  He ended up taking home the trophy.  It was the biggest jump he has ever made in a tournament.

So how will Tiger fare at the Bridgestone Invitational?  I would be willing to bet that Tiger will be very competitive.  He is finally getting back into his stride.  When Tiger Woods is on his game there is no one in the world who can touch him.  Tiger knows how important these last two tournaments are and he will be up for them.  He cannot afford to start off 95th in the first round of the Bridgestone.  He will have to prove here that he is truly back in stride and back on his game.  Are you willing to bet against him?  Until we meet again may your betting be better and may you remember to always be a good sport.

Hello sports betting fans!  No matter how much good information you have the odds don’t always stack up.  At the British Open today two great players walked off the field after the 18th hole.  One of the golf pros was in and the other was out.  One became the oldest player to ever lead in a major while the other was a golf legend who failed to make the cut.  The British Open has been played for almost 150 years and it just goes to show that anything can happen.  So who were these two men headed in different directions on Friday.  The oldest player to lead in a major championship was Tom Watson and the legend going home was the number one golfer in the world, that’s right Tiger Woods.  It was only the 6th time in his career that he missed the cut.  Now Watson has a chance to win his 6th British Open Title.  The 59 year old won his first back in 1975; 5 months before Tiger was born.

In the NFL Brett Farve has informed the Minnesota Vikings that he will let them know if he can play by July 30, which is the first day of camp.  He had surgery on his throwing arm in May and has been trying to work his arm back into shape.  He has been practicing with a local high school team 3 days a week all summer and has now included Sunday’s as well.  There is a lot of controversy about Farve’s return after retiring once again.  He came out of retirement to play for the Jets last season.  The 39 year old Farve had a fairly good season through the first half but struggled some in the second.  Many are questioning his stamina.  The one thing they cannot question is his record.  Brett Farve is destined for the hall of fame and even at 39 he still has more than many of the Quarterbacks in the league.  Here is something you can bet on.  If Brett Farve goes to the Vikings; barring a major injury, the Vikings will win the NFC Central Division.  He does not have to be the Farve of old; all he has to do is control the game and hand it off to Adrian Peterson.  The defense will take care of the rest.

In September spike will begin airing UFC’s Ultimate Fighter 10.  This is where young mma fighters give it their all in hopes of winning contracts in the UFC.  This year however there will be an unusual contestant.  Dana White the UFC President has brought in Kimbo Slice of the Elite XC and Youtube fame to compete.  Kimbo lost his last match in the Elite XC when he was knocked out after only 14 seconds.  Kimbo Slice is a hugh heavyweight but his mma technique needs a ton of work.  He had drew enough attention that he could have went to Japan and made good money fighting exhibition fights but his passion is still to learn and compete in the UFC; the major leagues of the MMA.  Kimbo knows that his experience is lacking and he also knows that many of the younger contestants have been doing this for most of their lives.  The only thing that keeps him going is his will to learn, compete and accomplish what he set out to do.  Until we meet again may the betting be better and the odds go in your favor and remember always be a good sport.

It is hard to believe but the NFL season is right around the corner.  As usual during the off season Coaches were replaced and some big name players were traded to other teams.  Lets briefly look at what may lay ahead in the upcoming season.  In the AFC East watch out for Miami and Buffalo.  In the AFC North Indy and the Titans will fall out of contention and the Texans will make a surprise run.  In the AFC West San Diego should hold on but Kansas City is the team to watch.  In the AFC South the Steelers did a great job of keeping the nucleous of their Super Bowl winning team.  They should win their division but Baltimore will be a thorn in their side again.  In the NFC East eyes are on the Eagles but Dallas may still have something to say.  In the NFC North a lot will depend upon rather Brent Farve ends up with the Vikings.  Chicago should be a threat now that they have a Quarterback in Jay Cutler.  In the NFC South keep your eyes on the upstart Atlanta Falcons with Matt Ryan moving into his second year and having newly acquired Tony Gonzales. The NFC West is up in the air.  Arizona may still be the team to beat there but the Rams and 49ers have second year coaches that are fired up and hungry.  Both could easily make a run in that division.  We will have our precise picks as the season draws nearer.

In the Tennis world there is a lot of anticipation that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal may still have a chance to meet in the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada next month.  Nadal did not compete at Wimbledon due to a knee injury.  He should be ready to go for the Rogers Cup on August 8th.  Many tennis fans were foaming at the mouth in hopes of seeing the two superstars meet at Wimbledon but it was not too be and Federer ended up winning his 15th Grand Slam and 6th Wimbledon Championship.

In Golf Tiger Woods will visit Australia for the first time in 11 years when he participates in the Australian Masters in November.  Grandstand seats for this event are already selling out.  Woods did not fair well when he played in the 1996 Australian Open where he finished 12 strokes behind winner Greg Norman or in the 1997 Australian Masters where he finished 8th behind winner Peter Lonard.  However, eleven years have made quite a difference in Tiger Woods.  The Melbourne fans know this will be one of the few chances that they will get to see this Golf legend play.

In the UFC they are preparing for their biggest event in history tomorrow night in Las Vegas at UFC 100.  Brock Lesnar is being picked to defeat Frank Mir in their rematch that highlights the event.  Frank Mir won their initial meeting but Lesnar is a little better than he was then.  Georges St. Perrie is picked to beat his opponent Thiago Alves.  There are some exciting matchups on this card and there could be some upsets.  You can check out our lates odds right here at the Sportsbook Gazette.  Somethings in sports never change there will always be the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.  Until we meet again good betting and always remember to be a good sport.

The At&t National Golf Tournament is being played at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.  Someone shot a 4 under 66 for the lowest 36 hole score ever on this course.  That someone was none other than Tiger Woods.  Tiger holds a pretty impressive record when he is leading or sharing a lead at this stage of the game.  He is 31-6 in these situations and has won his last 11 dating clear back to 2004.  Defending Champion Anthony KIm had shot a record 62 in the first round but has fallen back to 2 shots behind Tiger.  Rod Pampling and Jim Furyk rounded out the top 4.

At the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament the final on Sunday will be between the Swiss Roger Federer and the American Andy Roddick.  If Federer can pull it off he will win his record breaking 15th Grand Slam.  Federer defeated Tommy Haas today 7-6, 7-5, 6-3.  Andy Roddick on the other hand knocked off the British darling Andy Murray ending Britains hopes for a Wimbledon Champion for the first time since 1936.  Roddick defeated Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 leaving the British fans a little dazed and saddened but now he must turn his attention to Roger Federer and see if he has enough left to stop history in the making.

In Major League Baseball the Boston Red Sox still lead the New York Yankee’s by 2 games in the American League East.  In the AL Central the Detroit Tigers lead the Chicago White Sox by 2 games as well.  In the AL West the Los Angeles Angels are only holding off the Texas Rangers by a half a game.  In the National League East the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies are ahead of the Florida Marlins by 1 game.  In the NL Central the St. Louis Cardinals lead the Milwaukee Brewers by a game.  The biggest lead in the majors is held by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West where they lead the San Francisco Giants by 7 and a half games.

In October there will be another professional Football League starting in the United States.  It will be called the United Football League and will feature 4 teams from Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York and Orlando.  That league has already said the if former Atlanta Falcon Quarterback Michael Vick can evade anymore legal problems they will welcome him to play in their league.  Vicks future with the NFL is still up in the air.  It looks like Brent Farve will be the Quarterback in Minnesota this year.  Could he win the Super Bowl there and then possible, I don’t know…retire?  Would you like a piece of those odds?  Until we meet again good betting and always remember to be a good sport.

On June 18th at 7am eastern time the 2009 U.S. Open Golf Tournement will tee off in Farmingdale, New York.  The field of players is inspiring to say the least including the last years winner Tiger Woods.  Tiger Woods enters this years open with odds at 3-2.  Tiger Woods has won 14 major titles in his career and he would love to make it number 15. 

Playing the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale will make this a challenge.  Not only is he facing a serious field of hungry contenders but the galleries set up around each and every hole in this tournement will offer some of the most provocative fans anywhere in the world.  It is well known that the sports fans in New York are not afraid to voice their opinions, even at a golf tournament.  Some of the fans in the Adam Sandler movie “Happy Gilmore” might not seem so off base.  New York fans have their own special way of rewarding success and pointing out failure.

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The Bethpage Black Golf Course offers 3 par 4’s that cover over 500 yards each.  This makes this the second longest course in U.S. Open history.  Rocco Mediate who enters the field with 150-1 odds was the runner up to Tiger last year.  He says the fans will not bother him because he is of that nature himself and will fit right in.  Sergio Garcia who played this course in the 2002 U.S. Open felt the wrath of the New York fans.  The fans mocked his continued repititions in spanish until they caused Sergio to blow his cork and show them with a hand gesture that they were number 1.  Sergio enter this years open with 40-1 odds.  For someone playing this course for the first time about the only advice is too wear ear plugs.  These fans will support you when you are doing well and let you know when you are not.

Tiger Woods admits as well that there is no other course quite like Bethpage Black.  This atmosphere is unique and special.  Tiger won the open there in 2002 and is well aware of what to expect.   The crowd favorite on the Bethpage Black Course is Phil Mickelson who comes in as a 19-2 favorite.  Phil Mickelson’s wife Amy was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  The doctors believe they caught it early and our best wishes go out to her for a full recovery.  Amy has made it clear that she would like to see Phil win this Open.  There is no doubt that Phil would like to win it for her.  Phil has brushed up on his knowlege of New York sports teams so that he can win the fans over even more.  He knows it is much better to have them behind you than against you.

Other well known players in the field are Retief Goosen who comes in at 35-1 and Jim Furyk who has 22-1 odds.  Ernie Els arrives at 40-1, Steve Stricker 33-1 and Vijay Singh 35-1.  With so many great players in the field, the atmosphere created as only New York fans can and the simple pressure of being Tiger Woods makes repeating even more of a challenge.  The odds are this is going to be a very exciting U.S. Open Tournement and you can bet on that.  The truth will fly off the tee early tomorrow morning.  Until we meet again remember too always be a good sport.

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