Racing Post's Texas Open second-round threeball tips & best bets

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the second round of the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio, Texas.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf, 3pm Friday

Best bets

Gary Woodland to win the 6.58pm threeball
1pt 6-4 general

Maverick McNealy to win the 8.04pm threeball
2pts 10-11 Hills, Betfair, Paddy Power

The story so far

A pair of Europeans top the leaderboard at the Texas Open after the first round at TPC San Antonio with Scotsman Russell Knox shooting an opening 65 for sole ownership of first place.

Victory for the 36-year-old, who went bogey-free for his first 18 holes, would gain him entry to the Masters next week.

Rasmus Hojgaard, who finished sixth at the Corales Puntacana Championship last week, is a shot behind - the Dane reached eight-under through 15 holes before a double-bogey finish at the ninth hole (his 18th) saw him fall back into the chasing pack.

Another European, England's Aaron Rai, is tied for third on five-under with three Americans - Matt Kuchar, Denny McCarthy and JJ Spaun.

Pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy carded a level-par round of 72 featuring six birdies and six bogeys, suffering mainly due to some loose approach shots.

Bryson DeChambeau, meanwhile, produced a wild back-nine performance which featured five bogeys, two birdies and an eagle - he is currently one over par for the tournament.

High winds are forecast throughout Friday afternoon which looks like providing a decent draw bias in favour of those who tee off early in round two.

Leaderboard
-7 R Knox
-6 R Hojgaard
-5 M Kuchar, D McCarthy, J J Spaun, A Rai
-4 S Stallings, A Lahiri, L List, R Palmer, M Jones, B Todd, P Uihlein, B Steele, A Smotherman, D Skinns, H Norlander

Best prices
10 R Knox, 14 R Hojgaard, 20 D McCarthy, M Kuchar, 22 L List, C Conners, 28 S Kim, B Steele, R McIlroy, A Rai, 33 JJ Spaun, T Finau, A Lahiri

Second-round preview

Gary Woodland is a player who has tidied up his short game in recent months and looks to be reaping the rewards, with two top-five finishes in his last four starts.

The 37-year-old appears to have carried that good form to Texas, making four birdies and two bogeys in a first-round 70.

Woodland is taken to win his threeball against Bryson DeChambeau, who is still recovering from injuries and looked erratic on Thursday morning and Luke List, who may lack the consistency to follow up going a first-round 68.

In the later threeballs it’s hard to look past Maverick McNealy when he tees it up alongside Lee Westwood and Kelly Kraft.

The 26-year-old was unlucky to go down in a playoff to Kevin Na at the WGC Match Play last week and is clearly in good nick having not missed a cut in his last ten strokeplay starts.

Two under for the tournament after the first 18 holes, McNealy is another player for whom victory here would mean an invite to the Masters so motivation will be no issue for the former world number one amateur.

He should have too much for Kraft, who was inconsistent in the first round, while Westwood did well to recover from four-over at one stage on Thursday - reaching one-over through 18 holes - but the veteran has not really contended this season.

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