Johansson claims first win in 10 years

Golf Betting Lines

08/05/2007 - Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Per-Ulrik Johansson cruised to his first victory in a decade on Sunday, closing with a five-under 67 in the final round of the Russian Open Golf Championship to win by six shots.

Johansson posted four consecutive rounds in the 60s at Le Meridien Moscow Country Club to beat by one shot the tournament scoring record set last year by Alejandro Canizares.

The 40-year-old Swede finished at 23-under 265, six shots better that Robert- Jan Derksen of The Netherlands. It was his sixth career European Tour victory, but first since he won twice in 1997.

"It is tough when you haven't won for that long, but the most important thing is that you still have to play when you get into a position," said Johansson. "You can't think about winning because you can't control the other people, so I am very pleased with the way I did that."

Derksen, who began the day four shots behind Johansson, shot a three-under 69 in the final round, but never had a chance. He ended alone in second place at 17-under 271, his best finish in two years.

Alan McLean had a 68 and was third at 16-under 272. Dawie van der Walt (67) and Adam Gee (70) were three shots further back at 275.

Johansson shot a 62 in the second round to take the lead, which he never relinquished. He closed with back-to-back 67s, the second one coming in a flawless effort Sunday that included five birdies and 13 pars.

He made his first four birdies on the front nine, added a fifth at the 11th hole, then coasted to the win with seven consecutive pars.

"I focused on every shot and the only time my mind wandered away a little bit was in the middle of the round when I was thinking about speeches and stuff," said Johansson. "But I kicked myself and said, 'No, no, think only about the present,' and it really worked."

Johansson's only hiccup in the last three rounds was a double-bogey on his ninth hole Saturday. He also made a bogey in the first round, but the rest of his tournament looked like this: one eagle, 24 birdies and 45 pars.

It was a stunning return to form for a player who in 1997 became the first Swede ever to play on two Ryder Cup teams. His last win came that same year: at the Smurfit European Open on August 24, 1997.

"I have played some good golf since then, but I haven't played this well so I am very, very pleased," he said.

Johansson was making just his third start this season. He earned a European Tour exemption until the end of the 2009 season.

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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

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