French Open: Steve Palmer's final-round preview, best bets, free golf tips

When to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 11.30am Sunday

Best bets

Martin Kaymer to win the French Open
1pt each-way 33-1 bet365, Betfred

Victor Perez to win threeball
1pt 9-5 Betfred

Story so far

Nicolas Colsaerts was a 100-1 chance ante-post for the French Open, but the Belgian has forged a three-shot lead through 54 holes and is odds-on for victory going into the final round.

Colsaerts, 114th in the Race to Dubai and battling to retain his playing rights for next season, has not won on the European Tour since May, 2012, and he has won only one main-tour strokeplay event.

Rounds of 67, 66 and 67 have put him in charge at Le Golf National, though, and the former Ryder Cup star is no bigger than 5-6 for victory.

George Coetzee, who has never won a European Tour event outside of Africa, is alone in second place, with Kurt Kitayama and Jamie Donaldson a further shot behind in third.

Ante-post favourite, Alex Noren, is tied for 54th place, 15 shots behind, while Erik van Rooyen missed the cut.

Leaderboard
-13 Nicolas Colsaerts
-10 George Coetzee
-9 Kurt Kitayama, Jamie Donaldson
-8 Richie Ramsay, JB Hansen, Gavin Moynihan
-7 Benjamin Hebert, Martin Kaymer, Brandon Stone
-6 Sam Horsfield, Victor Perez

Best prices
5-6 N Colsaerts, 9-2 G Coetzee, 9 K Kitayama, 14 J Donaldson, 20 R Ramsay, 25 JB Hansen, 33 M Kaymer, 40 G Moynihan, 50 B Hebert, 66 V Perez, S Horsfield, B Stone, 200 bar

Final-round preview

Heavy rain is forecast for the final round of the French Open and it could turn into a war of attrition. Nicolas Colsaerts has made Le Golf National look easier than usual over the first three days, but the unpleasant Sunday conditions could make it a real slog for the title hopefuls.

The power of Colsaerts will be helpful on soggy terrain and 5-6 is arguably a fair price, but he has not won for more than seven years and a more ambitious wager on Martin Kaymer at 33-1 if recommended.

Kaymer is on a drought of his own – the 2014 US Open his latest taste of glory – but from six shots behind going into the final round there will not be much tension in his shoulders. The German, a dual Major champion who has also triumphed at Sawgrass in poor weather, will relish the difficulty of this Paris Sunday and could grind his way to a competitive clubhouse target.

If Colsaerts wobbles, the likes of Kaymer, Jamie Donaldson and Victor Perez could be waiting to take advantage. George Coetzee and Kurt Kitayama may prove too loose off the tee to justify bookmakers' faith that they will be the duo to lay down the most serious challenge to Colsaerts.

Kaymer was French Open champion in 2009, beating Lee Westwood in a playoff, and the 11-time European Tour champion possesses the mettle to handle the notoriously daunting closing stretch at Le Golf National.

Final-round threeball punters are pointed towards Perez, who has a rock-solid long-game and can overcome Sam Horsfield and Benjamin Hebert in the 10.20am (UK and Ireland time) contest.

The final threeball of Colsaerts, Coetzee and Donaldson is scheduled to tee off at 10.50am.

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