Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson can pressure the leading trio

Sky Sports Golf, 4pm Sunday

Story so far
Jon Rahm, Tony Finau and Henrik Stenson are in a three-way tie for first place going into the final round of the Hero World Challenge at the Albany course, Bahamas.

Halfway pacesetters Rahm and Stenson carded 69s alongside each other to retain a share of the lead, while Finau got up and down for par from a tricky position at the 18th hole to also post a 13-under-par 54-hole total.

The trio of leaders, 12-1, 16-1 and 25-1 respectively ante-post, are jostling for favouritism with 18 holes to play. Defending champion, Rickie Fowler, three shots behind in fifth place, comes next in the betting.

A stormy, breezy final round is forecast. The final twoball of Rahm and Finau is scheduled to tee off at 5.10pm UK and Ireland time. Tournament host, Tiger Woods, is in last place.

Leaderboard
-13 Tony Finau, Jon Rahm, Henrik Stenson
-11 Gary Woodland
-10 Rickie Fowler
-9 Xander Schauffele, Dustin Johnson

Best prices
12-5 J Rahm, 13-5 T Finau, 11-4 H Stenson, 12 R Fowler, 14 G Woodland, 20 D Johnson, 40 X Schauffele, 80 bar

Final-day advice
Rickie Fowler started the final round of last year's World Challenge trailing by seven shots, before carding a sensational 61 to win by four, so players who are off the pace in The Bahamas will not have given up hope of lifting the trophy.

That said, conditions for the Sunday of this edition seem set to be much tougher than they were when Fowler went birdie crazy 12 months ago, so a score in the low-60s is probably not available. Breeze looks likely to be flapping at the competitors' trousers.

Given the quality perched atop the leaderboard, in-running outright punters may be wise to make the top-class duo of Xander Schauffele and Dustin Johnson their cut-off point for analysis. The WGC-HSBC champion and the former world number one are nine under par, four shots behind, and anyone behind them has a mountain to climb.

Fowler and Johnson, both comfortable in the wind, seem the dynamic duo most likely to deny one of the leading trio Hero glory. Fowler can boast Albany form figures of 3-3-1 and he knows he can destroy this layout. A level-par opening round left the defending champion with much work to do over the final three days, but he has followed that slow start with a pair of 67s to put himself in a position he relishes just off the pace.

Johnson, who finished third in this event two years ago, has all the tools to tame Albany. The five par-fives are at his mercy. Despite the bodyblow of going four over par through two holes of round three, the giant Carolinian made the turn at level par, highlighting his scoring power at this venue.

The Racing Post Sport ante-post advice was to put all the eggs in the Fowler basket. It is tempting to add a Johnson investment at 20-1, but Fowler is one ahead of his pal and remains the preferred choice. The champ played his final five holes of round three in four under par, seemingly building a head of steam.

Of course, Fowler has little margin for error with three world-class operators three shots ahead of him. Jon Rahm, who loves this style of track, is the rightful favourite, while Henrik Stenson's superior course knowledge means he should be next in the betting. Finau, with only one US Tour title to his name, is being flattered by the market.

Final-round twoball punters are pointed towards regular Albany visitor, Bryson DeChambeau, who beat Tiger Woods yesterday and can follow up by outscoring Patrick Cantlay (4.04pm UK and Ireland time).

DeChambeau, who has won four US Tour events in the last six months, is more comfortable at Albany than first-timer Cantlay. A first-round 65 was a surprisingly bright start from Cantlay, but he has followed up with a 70 and a 76.

Johnson can beat Patrick Reed, who must be running low on energy having competed in far-flung European Tour destinations prior to the Hero, while Rahm is preferred to Finau in the final duel.

Twoballs recommendations
B DeChambeau
3pts 6-5 Coral, Ladbrokes

D Johnson
3pts 10-11 BetBright, Betway

J Rahm
2pts 6-5 Coral, Ladbrokes

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