Rhoden vs. Romo at American Century

Golf Betting Lines

06/09/2010 - Stateline, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eight-time American Century Celebrity Championship winner Rick Rhoden looks to become the first golfer to win three straight titles when he hits the links from July 16-18 in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Rhoden, who barely defeated Dan Quinn in '08 by one point, came right back to dominate a field of 90 golfers last year, winning by three as the 9-5 favorite. Tony Romo finished second at 3-1 odds, while Quinn hit the board once again, tying Billy Joe Tolliver for third place. Both Quinn and Tolliver went off at 5-1.

This year, Rhoden remains the 9-5 favorite, but Romo has inched slightly closer at 5-2. The Dallas quarterback, playing for just the fourth time in this tournament, has improved each and every season.

Back in his initial try in '07, Romo finished 11th, 24 points behind Chris Chandler. The following year he ended up in a third-place tie with Grant Fuhr, and then finished second in last year's tournament.

Romo did have the lead after the first day in '09, but Rhoden fired back with a 31 on day two, tying Fuhr for the top spot heading into the final day.

Rhoden was not on his game that Sunday, picking up just 18 points, his worst score since all the way back in 2005. However, Grant Fuhr completed his tourney with an 11 and Rhoden's eighth title in 20 years was in the bag.

The point totals for the 54-hole tournament are based on a modified Stableford format, where the higher the total the better. Players receive 10 points for a double-eagle, eight for a hole-in-one, six for an eagle, three for a birdie, and one for par. Golfers also get zero points for a bogey, minus two for a double-bogey and minus three for anything worse.

Since not being invited to participate in 2006 for having "playing privileges" on the Champions Tour, Rhoden has returned with a second-place finish and then back-to-back victories. He not only is the lone celebrity golfer to win the event more than five times, but he's also the only one to bankroll over one million dollars.

Others to watch this year are a pair of hockey players -- Jeremy Roenick and Jamie Langenbrunner.

Roenick, who is tied with Chandler for sixth choice at 7-1, garnered $11,004 in purse money two years ago when he finished ninth, 11 points behind Rhoden. Last year, he improved to fifth, only five in back of Rhoden. If the former Blackhawk and Flyer can rebound from his 2010 Stanley Cup commentating commitments and concentrate on his golf game, he could be a player to keep an eye on.

Langenbrunner will be making his first appearance at the American Century Celebrity Championships and the current captain of the New Jersey Devils might be overlooked. He's currently listed at 12-1 and is the longshot play of the tournament. The two-time Stanley Cup winner won the Cloquet Invitational at Cloquet Country Club in Minnesota last year and is one of the better active NHL golfers

Other newcomers to the field include NBA players Chris Paul and Stephen Curry, football's Matt Cassel, Jared Allen, Todd Haley, Brian Kelly and Rodney Harrison, former Major League pitchers Greg Maddux and Mark Mulder, and professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler.

Another golfer to watch out for this year is the 2006 champion, Jack Wagner. The soap opera actor recently won the Cox Celebrity Championship hosted by Drew Brees. Rhoden finished a shot behind with Quinn and Mickey Tettleton four back. Also of note, Roenick finished five off the pace, Romo eight back and Fuhr 12 shots behind the winner.

Wagner, the only non-professional athlete to have ever won the American Century Championship, is listed at 8-1 in the wagering.

Who will win the 2010 title? Certainly not Ray Romano or Charles Barkley. Despite their instruction from Hank Haney, Romano is listed as 300-1 and Barkley 500-1.

It's tough to go against Rhoden, even at 9-5 odds. He's clearly the best amateur golfer in the game today, with eight wins and five second-place finishes in the tournament's 20-year history.

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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.

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