Steve Palmer's Zurich Classic final-round tips and best bets

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 3.30pm Sunday

Best bets

Xander Schauffele & Patrick Cantlay top-five finish
3pts 13-8 BoyleSports

Im-Mitchell and NeSmith-Moore dual forecast
1pt 12-1 bet365

Advised on April 22

Cantlay-Schauffele and Im-Mitchell dual forecast
1pt 17-2 bet365

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Story so far

The up and down week of pre-tournament Zurich Classic favourites Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay continued in round three – a humdrum 66 in the Saturday best-ball leaving the Californian duo six shots behind.

Schauffele and Cantlay, sent off 3-1 market leaders on Thursday, spluttered to an opening 67 and drifted to 16-1, but then roared back to 14-5 favouritism with an incredible Friday foursomes round of 63. The highest-ranked pairing in the field can be backed at 22-1 to overcome their Sunday deficit and retain their Zurich title.

Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler – a pair of PGA Tour maidens – lead the way with 18 holes of foursomes left to play. Clark and Hossler have excelled as a best-ball duo – a Thursday 61 followed by a Saturday 62 – but face the much more demanding alternate-shot format on Sunday.

Clark and Hossler lead Keith Mitchell and Sungjae Im by a shot. That quartet comprise the final group, scheduled to tee off at 6.35pm UK and Ireland time. Sunny, pleasant weather is forecast, with moderate breezes.

Leaderboard
-26 Wyndham Clark & Beau Hossler
-25 Keith Mitchell & Sungjae Im
-23 Vincent Norrman & Matthias Schwab, Matthew NeSmith & Taylor Moore, Nick Hardy & Davis Riley
-22 Sean O'Hair & Brandon Matthews
-21 Matt Fitzpatrick & Alex Fitzpatrick, Harris English & Tom Hoge, Martin Trainer & Chad Ramey
-20 Billy Horschel & Sam Burns, Troy Merritt & Robert Streb, Xander Schauffele & Patrick Cantlay

Best prices
13-8 W Clark & B Hossler, 7-4 K Mitchell & S Im, 10 M NeSmith & T Moore, 12 N Hardy & D Riley, 20 V Norrman & M Schwab, 22 X Schauffele & P Cantlay, 40 bar

Zurich Classic final-round preview

Sungjae Im has performed magnificently this week and has been largely responsible for his team going into the final round with a golden chance of success.

Im and Keith Mitchell, Racing Post Sport's only pre-tournament recommendation, have shortened from 12-1 to 7-4. Im, who has been in rock-solid form in recent weeks, has carried his form to TPC Louisiana, while Mitchell has made a few timely contributions.

The Korean and the Tennessee man, who are both based in Georgia, have enjoyed each other's company and been a formidable partnership. They carded a 67 in Friday's foursomes, despite an annoying weather delay, so can take encouragement from that. Another 67 could easily be enough to get the job done.

Im and Mitchell could head to the clubhouse on Saturday feeling good about the challenge ahead because Mitchell found a groove over the final few holes. Im was carrying his partner for much of Saturday, but Mitchell clicked into gear coming home, which bodes well for the final day.

It is a surprise to see Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler given favouritism. One shot is a slender lead in foursomes golf, especially with some breeze in the forecast, and this pair have never tasted success on the PGA Tour.

Clark and Hossler have made a habit of squandering promising positions as individuals and there is little reason to believe it will be any different as a pairing. Winning has always been an issue for these two – they are both in their late-20s and do not even have any Korn Ferry Tour titles to their name. Clark has been playing well this year, but the lack of Sunday backbone in this alliance means they make no appeal at 13-8. Hossler can be wild from tee to green.

Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay set a new Zurich record for the foursomes on Friday – their 63 was exquisite – and they are still well in the hunt. It would come as no surprise to see pair slowly but surely ease their way up the leaderboard as other pairs make cardbursting errors.

Mitchell and Im can take the trophy, but the battle for second could be interesting, with Schauffele and Cantlay well capable of moving from a share of tenth to second spot. The Mitchell-Im and Schauffele-Cantlay dual forecast has been well covered by Racing Post Sport followers already – at 30-1 pre-tournament and 17-2 after round two – so an alternative dual forecast can be added to the attack. The steady pairing of Matthew NeSmith and Taylor Moore, well suited to foursomes golf, look lively candidates to retain their place in the thick of things.

Schauffele and Cantlay at 13-8 for top-five finish looks full of juice. The champions are ideally suited to foursomes golf and can only be expected to go one way on the leaderboard.

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