Author Archives: F. Edwin Miller

By F. Edwin Miller

My last post profiled Ernie Els’ epic come-from-behind win in last Sunday’s British Open. This post will take a look at 2012’s Open Championship through the lens of a Las Vegas bettor and the different stages of Els’ and other golfers odds to win it all.

(Andrew Redington, Getty Images Europe)

Put your money on Adam Scott, even if he loses. You might just get it all back, seriously. Officials at SportsBettingOnline have done the unthinkable; they’ve decided to refund money to those who bet on last Sunday’s runner-up.

On Sunday, Scott bogied on the last four holes of Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Course to lose the 2012 Open Championship in stunning fashion. Scott’s destructive final allowed Ernie Els to swoop in and kidnap the Claret Jug. However, Vegas surely didn’t make it look that way. The odds moving into the various rounds of the tournament show some remarkably great disparities several golfers’ chances to win, especially those of Scott’s when contrasted with Els.

“We feel it’s our duty to refund the players for taking such a bad beat,” Dave Johnson, the head odds maker for SportsBettingOnline.ag issued in a statement. “His collapse was historic and we know the bettors who had him must feel as awful as he does.”

Las Vegas odds makers listed Scott’s chance of winning as 45-1 entering the British Open. If Scott would have emerged victorious, every $100 bet would have amounted to a cool $4500. Yet, one particular Els bet reduces that payoff to mere money for chocolate and candy.

After Saturday’s round, Scott had 4-7 odds to win it all as the eclipsing favorite. Tiger Woods, who ultimately tied for third with Brandt Snedeker (who had 15-1 odds), went into the British Open’s last round with 5-1 odds. Though Graeme McDowell ended up tying for fifth, he possessed an even better 4-1 odds after the tournament’s penultimate day. Many golf writers had Els on their odds leaderboard; yet, despite history in his favor (2002 British Open champion), his numbers didn’t impress enough to warrant any legitimate conversation beyond a brief mentioning.

According pregame.com writer, R.J. Bell, Ernie Els came into The Open Championship with a respectable 40-1 odds (only 13 golfers had more favorable percentages). The South African arrived into Sunday’s playing field with an even better 25-1 odds. Yet, the most intriguing part of Bell’s report showed that at Els’ lowest point, the odds played out to 469-1. Some crazy nut actually placed a $70 bet on those odds and escaped with a not-so-crazy, but ridiculously insane $32,830 payoff. On the other end of the spectrum, Scott’s highest point to win topped out at 98.6%. For a one dollar profit, bettors shelled out $70 at this point.

“I’m very disappointed but I played so beautifully for most of the week, I certainly shouldn’t let this bring me down,” a saddened Adam Scott told ESPN reporters about his collapse in The Open Championship. “I know I’ve let a really great chance slip through my fingers today, but somehow I’ll look back and take the positives from it.”

Scott also said he felt good about getting his last shot to roll in to muster a few additional holes but says it just “wasn’t to be.” Hopefully next time Scott can get in touch with the $32,830 prophet so he can spare him the heartbreak in advance.

By F. Edwin Miller

After Sunday’s slim victory over Adam Scott in The Open Championship, Ernie Els secured his spot in history as one of two players (Gary Player) to ever win a major tournament in three different decades.

(Andrew Redington, Getty Images Europe)

Els captured his first U.S. Open title in 1994 and then another in 1997. On July 21, 2002 Els won his first British Open championship. Ten years and a day later, history remarkably repeated itself, crowning Els as The Open Championship king once more.

“The last year I was no where,” Els told ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi about his two year leading up to Sunday’s win. “Absolutely nowhere, and somehow I started believing a little bit more and here we are. It’s unbelievable.”

However, Els triumphed in an “unbelievable” manner. His counterpart, Adam Scott, had a meltdown of epic proportions on the final three holes, watching his lead slowly slip away as Els defeated him by only one stroke.

(Warren Little, Getty Images Europe)

“I feel for him. I’m numb,” said Els about Scott’s downward spiral. “Obviously later on it’ll sit in that I won this golf tournament but right now I really feel for my buddy, hes such a great guy.” Els called Scott a “great talent,” mentioning the Australian’s close proximity to stardom. However, as hard as he tried, he couldn’t shy away from sharing his feelings about Scott. “Obviously that’s not the way he wanted to lose the tournament” said Els somberly. “I feel very fortunate but I feel really bad for Adam today.”

(Ross Kinnaird, Getty Images Europe)

A column in the record book for “choke” ceases to exist and Sunday’s Open Championship surely incited one of sports’ age-old questions. Did Ernie Els win or did Adam Scott hand over the victory to him? Els appears to have stepped in and stole a win; yet, a scorecard could never tell that story. Today’s stat sheet just isn’t truthful enough to convey Scott’s series of mishaps. Adam Scott had the 2012 Open Championship in his palms and he lost grip (with his golf club literally), don’t let the statistics convince you otherwise.

By F. Edwin Miller

After Sunday’s slim victory over Adam Scott in The Open Championship, Ernie Els secured his spot in history as one of two players (Gary Player) to ever win a major tournament in three different decades.

(Andrew Redington, Getty Images Europe)

Els captured his first U.S. Open title in 1994 and then another in 1997. On July 21, 2002 Els won his first British Open championship. Ten years and a day later, history remarkably repeated itself, crowning Els as The Open Championship king once more.

“The last year I was no where,” Els told ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi about his two year leading up to Sunday’s win. “Absolutely nowhere, and somehow I started believing a little bit more and here we are. It’s unbelievable.”

However, Els triumphed in an “unbelievable” manner. His counterpart, Adam Scott, had a meltdown of epic proportions on the final three holes, watching his lead slowly slip away as Els defeated him by only one stroke.

(Warren Little, Getty Images Europe)

“I feel for him. I’m numb,” said Els about Scott’s downward spiral. “Obviously later on it’ll sit in that I won this golf tournament but right now I really feel for my buddy, hes such a great guy.” Els called Scott a “great talent,” mentioning the Australian’s close proximity to stardom. However, as hard as he tried, he couldn’t shy away from sharing his feelings about Scott. “Obviously that’s not the way he wanted to lose the tournament” said Els somberly. “I feel very fortunate but I feel really bad for Adam today.”

(Ross Kinnaird, Getty Images Europe)

A column in the record book for “choke” ceases to exist and Sunday’s Open Championship surely incited one of sports’ age-old questions. Did Ernie Els win or did Adam Scott hand over the victory to him? Els appears to have stepped in and stole a win; yet, a scorecard could never tell that story. Today’s stat sheet just isn’t truthful enough to convey Scott’s series of mishaps. Adam Scott had the 2012 Open Championship in his palms and he lost grip (with his golf club literally), don’t let the statistics convince you otherwise.

By Frank E. Miller

Despite catching glimpses of CBS’s PGA Tour coverage on Sundays for the entirety of my life, golf continues to confuse me.

I couldn’t tell you how many holes Rory McIlroy won by last round, but I could tell you his girlfriend, Caroline Wozniacki, plays better tennis than he does golf. 

I don’t know anything about golf, making the sport a perfect, and courageous, topic for this blog over the next several weeks. However in the meantime, I can tell you what I do know.

(Christ Trotman, Getty Images North America)

I know they call Phil Mickelson, “Lefty.” I’m about 99.9 percent sure he’s not right-handed. Maybe Lefty’s one of those ironic nicknames.

(Sam Greenwood, Getty Images North America)

I know that though he flaunts no washboard abs and plays on the green rather than flashes it, John Daly’s “badassness” could go pound-for-pound (or rather swing-for-swing) with Floyd “Money” Mayweather.

(Andrew Redington, Getty Images Europe)

Did you know Daly contributed to background vocals of Kid Rock’s 2007 album, Rock and Roll Jesus? It’s hard to tell which is more “unreliable,” Wikipedia or Daly.

(Ross Kinnaird, Getty Images Sport)

I know golf raised the most polarizing figure in sports: Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. Not because he won 14 major championships, or because he married a Swedish nanny, or even because he cheated on her with at least two reality show contestants, two waitresses, two pornstars, and two of every other animal in Noah’s ark, but because he did it as a ”Blackanese” man.

Though I know these things, I could never intimate the difference between a bogey, birdie, and eagle. I don’t even know the differences between the clubs and their specific purposes. I’m guessing five irons possess special powers because Larry David willingly took one out of a dead man’s casket in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. By semester’s end, unlike David, I plan to explain just why he might’ve needed it.

(hbo.com)