Steve Palmer's Charles Schwab Challenge final-round preview, best bets

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 6pm Sunday

Best bets

Jordan Spieth to win the Charles Schwab Challenge (2-5) and Alex Cejka to win the Senior PGA Championship (11-4)
2pts double general

Advised yesterday morning

Jordan Spieth to win the Charles Schwab Challenge
4pts 10-11 general

Story so far

Jordan Spieth retained his one-shot lead through the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge, but his chances of success increased significantly, with the favourite moving five shots clear of third place.

Spieth, 10-1 pre-tournament and a general 10-11 at the halfway stage, is no bigger than 4-9 with 18 holes to play. He leads Jason Kokrak by a shot and is well clear of the rest. Kokrak is a 9-4 chance.

Sergio Garcia, alone in third place, is 22-1 for victory, and it is 125-1 bar the front three. Unless Garcia suddenly finds some dazzling putting form early in his round - he is 42nd in the putting statistics for the week - then Spieth and Kokrak seem set for a Sunday shootout for the title from the final twoball at Colonial Country Club.

Spieth and Kokrak are due on the tee at 7.45pm UK and Ireland time. A sunny, warm day with light breezes is forecast for Fort Worth, Texas.

Leaderboard
-15 Jordan Spieth
-14 Jason Kokrak
-10 Sergio Garcia
-8 Ian Poulter, Sebastian Munoz, Brendon Todd, Erik Compton, Patton Kizzire

Best prices
4-9 J Spieth, 9-4 J Kokrak, 22 S Garcia, 125 I Poulter, 150 bar

Final-round preview

Punters who trusted Jordan Spieth to correct his putting issues in the space between the US PGA Championship and the Charles Schwab Challenge, taking the pre-tournament 10-1, can be on extremely good terms with themselves.

Spieth has relished the bentgrass dancefloors of Colonial and immediately put his paspalum nightmare of Kiawah Island behind him. The way he and Jason Kokrak finished round three has given the Charles Schwab the look of a two-runner contest.

Spieth covered the final six holes on Saturday in three under par, while Kokrak was four under par for the final seven - the leading duo detaching themselves from the chasing pack. With good weather expected for the denouement, it is difficult to see the front two dirtying their cards enough to give the rest of the field a sniff.

The CVs of Spieth and Kokrak make selecting between the pair a fairly straightforward assignment. Spieth is a three-time Major champion and 12-time PGA Tour victor who won at Colonial by three shots in 2016 and won the Texas Open last month. Kokrak has only one PGA Tour title to his name.

Kokrak has had a decent 2021 campaign, is only seven spots below Spieth in the world rankings, and finished third in last year's Charles Schwab - the strongest Colonial gathering in history. He seems unlikely to fold quietly, but Spieth has a one-shot advantage and the history of a champion.

A hearty Spieth investment was advised yesterday morning, but punters looking to spice up their Sunday-night viewing could consider a double with Alex Cejka to win the Senior PGA Championship.

Cejka, Racing Post Sport's pre-tournament 20-1 recommendation, is one shot behind Steve Stricker with a round to play at Southern Hills. The market still seems to be giving Stricker too much respect. Cejka won his first senior Major earlier this month and is well capable of overtaking Stricker to claim a second.

The Spieth and Cejka double is generally available at 2-5 and 11-4, making a double of more than 4-1. Stricker, Cejka and Mike Weir comprise the final threeball at Southern Hills, Oklahoma, at 6pm UK and Ireland time.

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