Flores likely to get swamped by proven champions

Martin Flores was a general 200-1 for Canadian Open glory at the start of the week, but the US Tour maiden leads by a shot at the halfway stage.

Flores won his first Web.com Tour title last season and the 35-year-old Texan is a best-price 20-1 to convert his narrow advantage in Canada into victory.

The size of the challenge for Flores is underlined by the fact he still has four players ahead of him in the outright betting and another two who are only two points bigger than him. There are a host of proven winners in the chasing pack, including world number one Dustin Johnson.

A misbehaving driver has been causing Johnson concern, but he has managed to go into the weekend in a share of 14th place, four shots behind. Johnson, backed from 8-1 to 7-1 in the lead-up to the event, is a standout 11-2 with BoyleSports to triumph at the Glen Abbey Course on Sunday.

Johnson tops the market, with a surging Gary Woodland coming next. Woodland fired a second-round 63 to move only one shot behind Flores. Open runner-up Matt Kuchar closed with three birdies to make the cut by two shots.

Brandon Hagy and Ryan Ruffels are two extremely bright prospects who have moved into contention in Canada, but it is asking a lot of either to get the job done from a leaderboard filled with US Tour champions. Those wishing to get involved in the outright market at this stage should probably be concentrating on Woodland, Kevin Chappell, Tony Finau and Johnson.

Third-round twoball punters are pointed towards three solid favourites, who should all oblige at odds-on, and can be used in doubles and trebles.

Promising youngster Ollie Schniederjans can be fancied to account for hugely limited journeyman Andres Gonzales (4.45pm UK and Ireland time), Finau is playing excellent golf and can leave Rory Sabbatini behind (5.15pm), and Chappell will surely be too good for 54-year-old Vijay Singh. The Fijian has defied the odds to share fifth place going into the weekend, but is likely to rapidly fade from contention.

Twoball recommendations
O Schniederjans
2pts 4-5 Betfred

T Finau
2pts 8-11 Betway

K Chappell
2pts 8-13 SkyBet