Racing Post's Phoenix Open second-round threeball predictions, golf betting tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the second round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 3pm Friday

Best bets

Adam Long to win 7.24pm threeball
2pts 7-4 general

Louis Oosthuizen to win 7.35pm threeball
2pts Evs BoyleSports, Hills

Second-round preview

Adam Long had an unusually difficult day with his putter in the first round of the WM Phoenix Open but he should be expected to get the better of Matt Jones and Luke Donald in his second go at TPC Scottsdale on Friday.

The 34-year-old from New Orleans lost 2.65 shots on the field on the greens, but he is ranked seventh on the PGA Tour in strokes-gained putting this season, so there is plenty of scope for improvement.

He missed the cut in two of his three appearances in this tournament, but he was eighth when Webb Simpson won two years ago so he does have some course form.

Long has not been great since the turn of the year, but he was 11th at the Houston Open and 16th at the RSM Classic in the autumn, so we should expect better.

Jones was third at last month's Tournament of Champions but that effort came in the middle of five missed cuts, including each of his last three efforts.

The Australian has played at Scottsdale ten times but has not fared better that 30th in his last five efforts.

Meanwhile, Donald's travails have been well-documented as he has struggled to compete in the age of the bomber.

The former world number one is now outside the top 500 and, having missed the cut in all three of his visits since 2009, he faces another tough battle to make the weekend.

Thursday's round was the first time Louis Oosthuizen has been seen in action since he withdrew from November's RSM Classic with a back problem, but this model of consistency carded an opening 67 and he should be able to build on that.

The former Open champion was third in 2017 and 11th last year in his two Phoenix efforts and his playing partners Robert Streb and Charles Howell face battles to make the cut.

Streb shot a Thursday 71 but his approach play put him in all sorts of trouble.

Good scrambling helped but his game is probably not in the best shape - he was seventh at the Houston Open but then missed three cuts before finishing 56th at the Farmers Insurance Open last time.

Howell, meanwhile, has missed his last four Phoenix cuts and will have plenty of work to do after Thursday's 75. A run of five successive weekend appearances looks in jeopardy.

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