Steve Palmer's Shriners Children's Open final-round golf betting tips and predictions

Where to watch the Shriners Children's Open

Sky Sports Golf, 10pm Sunday

Best bets

JT Poston top American
2pts 9-2 Hills

Tom Kim and Adam Hadwin dual forecast
1pt 13-2 bet365

Story so far

The Shriners Children's Open has one of the most bunched Sunday leaderboards of the year – 17 players are within three shots of the lead – but defending champion Tom Kim is looking to stamp his class on proceedings from the front.

Kim carded an eagle, nine birdies and two bogeys for a sizzling Saturday 62 which meant a share of the 54-hole lead. From the final Shriners twoball last year, Kim saw off Patrick Cantlay to triumph by three shots, and the cocksure Korean has the same gig for this edition. Joining Kim in the 8.50pm (UK and Ireland) twoball this time will be Adam Hadwin.

Kim was contesting favouritism with Ludvig Aberg ante-post. Aberg is seven under par, sharing 42nd place, eight shots off the pace.A sunny, hot, calm final day is forecast for the Las Vegas event, with temperatures peaking at 30C as the leaders go down the stretch.

Shriners Children's Open leaderboard

-15 Tom Kim, Adam Hadwin, Lanto Griffin
-14 Taylor Pendrith, Vince Whaley, K.H. Lee
-13 Isaiah Salinda, Callum Tarren, Adam Svensson, JT Poston
-12 Joel Dahmen, Ryan Moore, Cam Davis, Chesson Hadley, Beau Hossler, Alex Noren, Nick Taylor

Best odds for the Shriners Children's Open

11-4 T Kim, 9-2 A Hadwin, 8 L Griffin, 11 K.H. Lee, 14 T Pendrith, JT Poston, 16 V Whaley, 18 A Svensson, 25 C Tarren, 28 C Davis, 40 B Hossler, 50 N Taylor, C Hadley, A Noren, 55 I Salinda, 66 J Dahmen, 80 bar

Shriners Children's Open final-round predictions

Tom Kim had to go low to hit the top of the Shriners leaderboard – and following up a 62 with something similar is notoriously challenging – but the 21-year-old's incredible temperament makes him the clear favourite going into Sunday.

Kim was the first player since Tiger Woods to win twice on the PGA Tour before his 21st birthday. The cool Korean was the youngest player in the last 90 years to achieve that feat. He is not cut from the same cloth as the average professional and will be relishing the opportunity to fire another low rounds at TPC Summerlin and retain his Shriners title.

Kim is a total of 39 under par for his seven rounds at Summerlin and he can be expected to pepper pins throughout round four. He is one of the best iron players in the world, so if he can find enough fairways over the closing 18, expect numerous birdie opportunities.

Kim, Racing Post Sport's headline pre-tournament recommendation at 12-1, is rolling his rock with assurance and looks the man to beat. The issue for his ante-post backers, though, is that he has an army of players around him on the leaderboard and little margin for error. Punters with pre-tournament each-way investments may be feeling confident enough to press up at 11-4, but with scoring so low at Summerlin and the weather set fair for Sunday, the scope for somebody delivering a 60 or a 61 is high.

Hopefully Kim can press on and reach the score required – 20-something under par will almost certainly be needed – but his supporters may want to consider the main dangers. It seems that if Kim finishes ahead of all the Canadians, he has a good chance of success.

Adam Hadwin loves desert golf and found his A-game on Saturday. Making his first start since the middle of August, some early rust was understandable, but the Moose Jaw man is motoring heading into the finale.

Hadwin (9-2) and Adam Svensson (18-1) could be the biggest hurdles for Kim to leap in round four. Back-to-back 65s have left Svensson only two shots behind – the 29-year-old Canadian building on his 16th-place finish in the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday.

Expect Hadwin and Svensson to push Kim hard in the final round, but for the Seoul man to find the answers. He hired Chris Como in July, getting some mental coaching, and has become even more formidable between the ears. This is an old head on young shoulders.

The Kim-Hadwin outright dual forecast seems worth a small play at 13-2, while JT Poston can be backed at 9-2 to finish as top American. Lanto Griffin, leader and favourite in this market, is only just coming back from a long struggle for fitness and form.

Poston, who finished fourth in the 2017 Shriners, has been bursting with form and confidence from July onwards. From only two shots behind Griffin, Poston can be expected to get his head in front.

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