Edoardo Molinari gets first European Tour title

Golf Betting Lines

07/11/2010 - Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edoardo Molinari only managed a three- over 74 on Sunday, but it was still enough to earn his first European Tour title at the Scottish Open.

Molinari finished off his maiden tour victory at 12-under 272 and won by three strokes at Loch Lomond Golf Club.

He teamed with his brother Francesco to win the World Cup last year for his native Italy and he won five times on the European Challenge Tour, but Sunday was his first win and he had his brother there the whole way.

Francesco played in Sunday's final group with Edoardo and now the two are both European Tour winners.

"I think it was very special," said Edoardo. "It was strange, but on Tuesday morning we were talking about the fact we've never together played well in the same week. It was a great day for both of us."

Darren Clarke rounded out the final threesome, but struggled to a five-over 76 on Sunday. He finished second at nine-under 275, but despite not getting his first win in two years, Clarke got something out of Sunday's tough round.

He earned an invitation to St. Andrews next week for the British Open Championship. Clarke finished highest in the top five and wasn't otherwise eligible.

"The Open is a consolation prize, but if somebody had said at the start of the week that I would finish second I think I would have taken it," said Clarke.

Clarke tripped up Raphael Jacquelin, who was going for that St. Andrews spot. Jacquelin carded a three-under 68 in the final round and took third place at minus-eight.

Francesco Molinari shot a one-over 72 on Sunday and tied for fourth place with Stephen Gallacher (68) and Peter Hedblom (72). The trio came in at seven- under-par 277.

But, even with a 74, Sunday belonged to the older Molinari.

Edoardo Molinari began the final round with a one-shot lead and it stayed at that margin after he and Clarke bogeyed No. 2. The third hole proved to be the swing hole for the entire round.

Clarke's third landed in the water in front of the green at the par-five hole. He tried to lash out of the drink, but the ball stayed in the water. Clarke walked off with a double-bogey seven and Edoardo Molinari converted a three- foot birdie putt to take a four-shot lead.

"I was trying to play conservatively," said Edoardo Molinari, who moved past his younger brother in the world rankings with Sunday's victory.

Clarke missed a five-foot par putt at five and was suddenly five behind. Edoardo Molinari bogeyed six and seven to trim his margin, but when Clarke missed the green at 11 and made bogey, the Italian was four in front.

A birdie at 14 gave Edoardo Molinari a five-shot lead, but things got tight thanks to an errant drive at 15. He carded a double-bogey and his cushion was three strokes.

"Disaster struck on 15, but I managed myself pretty well today," said the champion.

At the 17th, Clarke hit his tee ball to six feet, but Edoardo Molinari played his to eight feet. Edoardo Molinari missed his birdie putt, but Clarke didn't and it was a two-shot difference with 18 to go.

Both players found the fairway off the tee and Edoardo Molinari hit his approach almost 40 feet short of the stick. Clarke had a decent look at birdie, but the older Molinari ran his putt less than a foot past the hole.

He tapped in for the win.

"I was very nervous," admitted Edoardo Molinari. "I held on. I'm very, very proud."

Clarke three-putted for bogey after the outcome was decided.

Shane Lowry shot an even-par 71 and took seventh at minus-six, followed by Johan Edfors (68), Rory Sabbatini (71) and Ross Fisher (70), who tied for eighth at five-under 279.

NOTES: Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman had a 70 and took a solo 11th at three-under...U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who played for the first time since his Pebble Beach breakthrough, shot a four-over 75 and tied for 21st at plus-one...Next week is the third major, the British Open Championship, which was won last year by Stewart Cink.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

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FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.