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03/07/2010 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seung-yul Noh got up and down for birdie on the final hole Sunday to fend off K.J. Choi and win the Malaysian Open by a single stroke.
The South Korean Noh shot four-under 68 and completed his first European Tour title at 14-under-par 274.
"I first won on the Asian Tour in 2008, but I struggled last year, so to win early in this year I am very happy," Noh stated. "Coincidentally, when I was playing a practice round with K.J. earlier in the week he asked me when my last win was and when I told him it was in 2008 he said, 'Isn't it about time you won?' For it to happen this week, I couldn't think of a better situation."
Choi also birdied the last to post three-under 69, which left him at minus-13.
Rhys Davies and Kiradech Aphibarnrat shared the lead entering the final round at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, but closed with one-under 71s to share third place with Soren Hansen (70) at 12-under-par 276.
With as many as six different players owning a piece of the lead during the final round, Noh made a late move to grab the win.
Noh chipped in for birdie on the first to grab a share of the lead. He fell behind as he parred the next three holes, but again moved into a share of the lead with a birdie on the par-five fifth.
The South Korean parred five in a row from the sixth before a birdie on No. 11 gave him a piece of the lead with Choi and Aphibarnrat.
Noh fell one behind as he faltered to a bogey on the par-four 13th. He showed his mettle though with a birdie on 16 to regain a share of the lead. Choi then bogeyed the 17th to give Noh the lead by himself.
Choi fought back with his first birdie of the week on the par-five closing hole to match Noh at minus-13.
The 18-year-old held off Choi, a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour, with a four-foot birdie putt at the last to claim his first European Tour win.
"I'm not disappointed at all. I played well and tried my best," said Choi. "Hats off to Seung-yul, he played well and had a fantastic round. I'm happy with how my game has improved and I have a lot to look forward to."
Danny Willett closed with back-to-back rounds of four-under 68 to end alone in sixth place at 11-under-par 277. Thongchai Jaidee (72) and Johan Edfors (71) were one stroke further back at minus-10.
NOTES: Anthony Kang, the 2009 champion, finished at even-par 288 after posting a 72 on Sunday...Two-time champion Arjun Atwal carded a three-under 69 Sunday to share 28th place at minus-three...The European Tour heads to the United States next week for the WGC - CA Championship, where Phil Mickelson is the defending champion...The following week the tour is in Morocco for the Hassan II Golf Trophy, where Ernie Els won last year.
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(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
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