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Avenel was a huge success as soon as it opened, well at least for Arnold Palmer. The "King" made back-to-back aces on the par-three third hole prior to the start of the 1986 Chrysler Cup. During a practice round on Tuesday, Palmer, the captain of the U.S. team, made a hole-in-one with a five-iron on the then 182-yard hole. The next day was the pro-amateur event and Palmer, again using a five-iron, made a one -- the first time that back-to-back aces were recorded on any professional tour. Just an FYI: Palmer missed the green during the opening round of the event as he tried for three straight.
Gil Morgan shot four sub-par rounds in 1990 to edge a hard-charging Ian Baker- Finch by one shot. Morgan, who started the final round three shots back, shot 69 for the win, while Baker-Finch, who trailed by seven, closed with 66. Billy Andrade became a first-time winner in 1991, as he birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Jeff Sluman. Andrade shot four rounds in the 60s to tie Sluman at a tournament-record total of 263, a mark that still stands today.
Two shots behind Bobby Wadkins with one round to play, Mark Brooks carded his fourth straight round in the 60s to clip Wadkins and D.A. Weibring by three shots in 1994. Lee Janzen defeated Corey Pavin with a 12-foot birdie on the first extra hole to capture the 1995 tournament. Janzen, who shot four rounds in the 60s, won the last playoff in the event's storied history.
One shot off the pace with one round remaining, Steve Stricker carded his fourth straight round in the 60s to post a three-shot victory over four players in 1996 with his wife Nicki on the bag. Justin Leonard won for the second time in his career when he captured the 1997 Kemper Open. Leonard, who opened with three straight 69s, closed with 67 to defeat Mark Wiebe by one. Nick Faldo, Nick Price and Greg Norman finished three behind.
Tied for the lead after three rounds with Bob Burns, Bob Estes carded a Sunday 71 to edge 1999 champion Rich Beem by one shot for his fourth career title in 2002. Burns, who aced the 11th hole during the final round, finished tied for third after a one-over 72. Estes carded 17 pars and one birdie, but trailed by one with three holes remaining. Burns, who held the lead, would relinquish the advantage with a costly double-bogey on 16 while Estes parred the final two holes for victory. Beem carded four rounds in the 60s, including back-to-back 69s over the weekend.
Rory Sabbatini returned to the winner's circle for the first time in three years, as he closed with back-to-back 68s for a four-shot win. With his victory, Sabbatini became the fourth player in the last five years to either hold or share the 54-hole lead and go on to victory. The 2003 event changed names to the FBR Capital Open.
The PGA Tour stepped in to do some redesign work in 2005 and the tournament was moved to nearby Congressional Country Club.
REVIEW: The opening hole at the TPC at Avenel is a sharp, dogleg-right par four of just 393 yards. However, don't be misled, as the tee shot plays uphill to a fairway that is protected on either side by long bunkers. A medium to short iron will remain after a successful tee ball to one of the smallest greens on the course, just 32 paces deep. Any shot offline and to the right will be gobbled up by a difficult bunker. An opening par is not a bad way to start.
Aesthetically, the fourth is one beautiful hole, with a lake left and tall trees right. Scoring-wise, you better be on your toes. Although the fairway is very wide, it slopes from right to left and any ball hit towards the left will most certainly end up wet. A play down the right will set up a medium iron to a well-guarded green. The putting surface slopes from back to front, with sand left and deep and a grass hollow to the right. Talk about pinpoint accuracy.
A love-hate relationship will certainly develop with the par-five sixth. Just 520 yards in length, the sixth is a severe dogleg-right hole with tall trees and water all along the right. As a par five, the hole is quite simple, as evident by the 2006 stats from the Booz Allen Classic, where the hole played as the easiest on the course at 4.619 with 23 eagles and 198 birdies. The biggest problem lies with the green. Although quite wide at 35 yards, it's just six paces deep with water and a rock wall fronting the putting surface. Two bunkers deep will snare all long shots. Quite a daunting target.
The dogleg-right, par-four seventh is a gem, stretching 461 yards from the back buttons. A blast of over 220 yards is required just to reach the elevated fairway. The wide fairway is accessible, but beware of the 35-yard long trap to the left of the landing area. A medium iron should be enough to get home to the slightly-downhill green. The putting surface is wide and long with sand short and deep. A back-right flag with the wind in your face could be one of the most difficult shots on the course.
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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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