11/24/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - SKINS GAME - Indian Wells Golf Resort (Celebrity Course), Indian Wells, California - This year's $1 million Skins Game will feature Phil Mickelson, K.J. Choi, Rocco Mediate and two-time defending champion Stephen Ames.
Mickelson, now the world No. 3 behind Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia, will join Choi and Mediate in seeking his first Skins Game title as he plays competitively for the first time since tying for eighth place in his title defense at the HSBC Champions in China three weeks ago.
Ames, meanwhile, will be looking to become just the second player to win three consecutive Skins Games after the late Payne Stewart turned the trick from 1991-1993.
The format is well-know to anyone who has taken in the Thanksgiving weekend staple before: The four players vie for money on a hole-by-hole basis, earning money only by winning a particular hole with the lowest score. If there is no winner, the money carries over to the next hole -- and on and on.
The prize money increases as the round wears on. The initial six holes are worth $25,000 apiece, while the middle six holes are worth $50,000 each. The next five holes are worth $70,000 apiece, with the 18th hole offering a cool $200,000 prize.
They will play nine holes each day.
ABC will have coverage of both days beginning at 1:00 p.m. (et) on Saturday and 3:30 p.m. (et) on Sunday.
WORLD CUP
OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP, Mission Hills Golf Club (Olazabal Course), Shenzhen, China - The World Cup takes place this week in China as Colin Montgomerie returns to help Scotland defend its title at Mission Hills.
Montgomerie, who teamed with Marc Warren for a victory in 2007, will be paired with Alastair Forsyth this year. The duo will be looking to lead their country to the tournament's first back-to-back wins since Tiger Woods led the United States to victories with Mark O'Meara and David Duval in 1999-2000.
Among the 28 countries competing this week on the Olazabal Course at Mission Hills will be the home Chinese team of Zhang Lian-wei and Liang Wen-chong.
Zhang, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour, and Liang, the reigning Order of Merit winner on the circuit, teamed up to place 11th last year. China has never won the event.
In fact, only three Asian teams have ever claimed victory since the tournament's inception in 1953: Japan (1957 and 2002) and Taiwan (1972). The United States has historically dominated, winning it 23 times, although not since Woods and Duval in 2000.
In the seven years since that victory, South Africa has won twice while Japan, England, Wales, Germany and Scotland have claimed on win apiece.
The United States will be represented this year by Ben Curtis and Brandt Snedeker. Curtis owns three PGA Tour wins, including the 2003 British Open championship, while the one-time PGA Tour winner Snedeker is best-known for his surprising third-place finish at this year's Masters.
The Golf Channel will begin its coverage of the event at 10:30 p.m. (et) on Wednesday night.
EUROPEAN TOUR
AUSTRALIAN MASTERS, Huntingdale Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia - This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Australian Masters, an event co-sponsored by the European and Australasian Tours.
It is the third event already in the European Tour's 2009 schedule -- and the third event in the new $10 million Race to Dubai, a year-long money sprint that replaced the tour's Order of Merit this season.
The field will be highlighted by a large Australian contingent that includes Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Peter Lonard, Nick O'Hern, Rod Pampling, Craig Parry, John Senden and Scott Strange, among others.
Two-time major champion John Daly of the U.S. will headline an international field that also includes fellow major-winner Michael Campbell of nearby New Zealand. Daly, who will play again next week in Australia, is fresh off a sparkling final-round 62 at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday that earned him a share of 17th place.
Australian Aaron Baddeley (2007) and England's Justin Rose (2006) have won the tournament the last two years, also the first two years the tournament was co- sanctioned by the European Tour. Baddeley is not scheduled to defend his title.
The Golf Channel will have three hours of coverage for all four rounds this week beginning each morning at 9:30 a.m. (et).
The European Tour will take a week off following the Australian Masters, returning on December 11 for the Alfred Dunhill Championship. John Bickerton won that tournament last year.
LPGA TOUR
LEXUS CUP, Singapore Island Country Club (Bukit Course), Singapore - Annika Sorenstam will again captain the International team this week versus a team of 12 Asian players at the Lexus Cup.
Sorenstam will be a playing captain this week and it will be her penultimate event before stepping away from golf. She will play her last event in Dubai in a Ladies European Tour event.
The International team boasts six of the top 10 players in the world.
Se Ri Pak will lead the Asian team again this year as she was selected as one of two sponsor's picks. Her squad is comprised of five of the top 20 players in the world, including McDonald's LPGA Championship winner Yani Tseng and U.S. Women's Open champ Inbee Park.
The lone remaining LPGA Tour event this year is the LGPA Qualifying Tournament. Q-School will take place December 3-7 at LPGA International.
CANADIAN TOUR
SPORT FRANCES OPEN, Sports Frances Golf Club, Santiago, Chile - The Canadian Tour heads to South America for three events beginning with this week's Sport Frances Open.
This is the first of three events that will be co-sanctioned by the Canadian Tour and the Tour de las Americas. These three events mark the start of the 2009 season for the Canadian Tour.
The field will be split evenly with 50 players from each tour, as well as 20 players from the PGA Chile and 20 others.
Next week is the Argentine Masters.
<< Tseng inches past Sorenstam in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yani Tseng and Annika Sorenstam both
failed to reach the weekend at the season-ending ADT Championship, but Tseng
was able to inch past Sorenstam back into the No. 2 spot in the world
ranking
<< Rivermen winger Conner joins Stars
Peoria, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars recalled left winger Chris
Conner from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, it
was announced on Monday.
The 25-year-old Conner has scored 10 goals and six assi
<< Stars forward Ott to miss a month
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars announced on Monday that
forward Steve Ott will miss at least a month with a broken right hand.
Ott suffered the injury in a fight against Anaheim Ducks defenseman Steve
Montador, an
<< Maypray, Klein and Gathof capture FCS Players of the Week
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Maypray of VMI, Terrence Klein of New
Hampshire and Brandon Gathof of Eastern Kentucky have been named The Sportsbook Betting Lines's FCS national players of the week.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tim Maypray
UCLA's Aboya listed as probable after undergoing MRI >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UCLA forward/center Alfred Aboya injured
his left wrist in Friday's 77-60 win over Southern Illinois at the 2K
Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
Aboya had an MRI on the wrist and
Kings F Zeiler suspended three games >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League handed down a
three-game suspension to Los Angeles Kings forward John Zeiler on Monday for
his actions during Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to Colorado.
Zeiler, 26, was asses
RSL re-signs defender Olave through 2012 >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake agreed to a contract with
Jamison Olave that will keep the Colombian defender a member of the Utah side
through the 2012 Major League Soccer season, it was announced on Monday.
"We are ex
Milwaukee forward Pihlstrom recalled by Nashville >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators recalled forward
Antti Pihlstrom from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee
Admirals, it was announced on Monday.
The 24-year-old Pihlstrom leads Milwaukee
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.
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