Steve Palmer's WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Saturday tips and best bets

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 12.30pm Saturday

Best bets

Max Homa (4-7), Scottie Scheffler (4-9), Xander Schauffele (4-7), Rory McIlroy (1-2), Kurt Kitayama (4-5), Cameron Young (8-13)
0.5pt each 15 fourfolds, six fivefolds and one sixfold bet365

Betting offers

Paddy Power are giving away free bets to new and existing customers and all you need is an account. Sign up here
Sky Bet are offering new customers multiple free bets when they sign up. Click here for free bets, money-back specials and BuildABet free bets
Betfair have lots of offers and money back offers. Sign up for a new account here
To get free bets from Ladbrokes today, simply sign up to a new account here
Don't have a Coral account? They have an offer for new customers here
New William Hill customers can claim free bets and benefit from their daily offers including Scratch Of The Day by clicking here

Story so far

Only two members of the 'big three' remain in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play – world number two Jon Rahm was eliminated at the group stage to leave Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dominating the betting.

Rahm, destroyed 5&4 by Billy Horschel on Friday, was the biggest casualty as the 64-man field was reduced to 16. Others to perish were Tom Kim, Will Zalatoris, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood.

Scheffler, the defending champion, is seeking to make the final for the third consecutive year. He won all three of his group matches to comfortably progress. McIlroy also enjoyed a 100 percent record in his group. Scheffler and McIlroy will meet in the final if they continue to win matches in the knockout stages.

Scheffler has halved in price – from 8-1 to 4-1 – on the strength of his group-stage success. McIlroy, who produced one of the shots of the season on his way to beating Denny McCarthy on Thursday, is 5-1 from 14-1.

The last-16 matches start at 12.35pm UK and Ireland time, with the quarter-finals following soon afterwards. The semi-finals and final will be on Sunday.

Last-16 matches
Max Homa v Mackenzie Hughes (12.35pm)
Patrick Cantlay v Sam Burns (12.46)
Jason Day v Matt Kuchar (12.57)
Scottie Scheffler v JT Poston (1.08)
Xander Schauffele v JJ Spaun (1.19)
Rory McIlroy v Lucas Herbert (1.30)
Kurt Kitayama v Andrew Putnam (1.41)
Cameron Young v Billy Horschel (1.52)

Draw
S Scheffler v JT Poston
J Day v M Kuchar
M Homa v M Hughes
S Burns v P Cantlay
B Horschel v C Young
K Kitayama v A Putnam
X Schauffele v JJ Spaun
L Herbert v R McIlroy

Best outright prices
4 S Scheffler, 5 R McIlroy, 17-2 P Cantlay, 9 C Young, 10 M Homa, X Schauffele, J Day, 20 S Burns, B Horschel, K Kitayama, 28 A Putnam, 33 L Herbert, M Kuchar, JJ Spaun, 40 JT Poston, 50 M Hughes

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play knockout stages preview

Scottie Scheffler has missed a few short putts this week and not been right at the top of his game, but his opponents have failed to provide much resistance, seemingly overawed in the company of the world number one.

It is difficult to imagine JT Poston being good enough from tee to green to topple the favourite, so Scheffler should progress to the quarter-finals. From there, life seems likely to get tougher for Scheffler. One of two veterans who love the WGC-Match Play – Jason Day and Matt Kuchar – will be waiting in the quarters for whoever wins Scheffler versus Poston.

And if Scheffler makes the semis, then Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa or Sam Burns are the likely opposition. The 4-1 Scheffler seems a short price given the tasks ahead.

One of the two Racing Post Sport pre-tournament recommendations has made it through to the knockout stages, playing some excellent golf along the way, but Patrick Cantlay's reward for a 100 percent group record is a devil of the draw from here.

Cantlay, 17-2 from 18-1, has to beat Burns to progress to the quarters, with Homa probably waiting in the quarters. Punters should note that Homa enjoyed Friday off, with scheduled opponent Hideki Matsuyama withdrawing, so that was a dreamy pre-knockouts breather for the Californian.

Rory McIlroy, growing in confidence every day having made equipment changes with driver and putter, is looking a huge runner from the bottom of the draw.

Punters looking to go through the card in the last-16 matches are pointed towards Scheffler, Day, Homa, Cantlay, Young, Kitayama, Schauffele, McIlroy.

Outright punters should consider Cantlay, McIlroy and Cameron Young, who has been producing some sensational golf in his first week with new caddie Paul Tesori.

A Young versus McIlroy semi-final could be on the cards, while Cantlay or Homa may face Scheffler in the other semi-final.

With enough eggs already in the Cantlay basket through the outright investment – and with an acceptance that Day versus Kuchar should be a tight match which could go either way – a six-pronged Saturday attack is recommended. Homa, Scheffler, Young, Kitayama, Schauffele and McIlroy. The sixfold pays more than 14-1. Perhaps fourfolds and upwards is the most sensible tactic.

Today's top sports betting stories