Steve Palmer's Houston Open final-round preview, best bets, free golf tips

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 6pm Sunday

Best bets

Scottie Scheffler to win Houston Open
2pts 5-2 bet365

Jason Kokrak top-five finish
2pts 7-4 general

Kramer Hickok to win threeball
2pts 29-20 bet365

Story so far

Scottie Scheffler leads the Houston Open by a shot with 18 holes to play - the Texas-raised slugger going into Sunday a best-price 5-2 for a PGA Tour breakthrough at Memorial Park.

Scheffler, 20-1 on tournament-eve, was in 96th place after a disappointing first-round 72, but he followed up with a course-record 62, and a battling 69 in tough Saturday conditions was enough for the 25-year-old Dallas man to get his nose in front.

Scheffler chipped in at the 14th hole and was two under par for his closing five holes. Halfway leader Martin Trainer carded a 74 to drop into a tie for second place, a group which also includes Matthew Wolff and Jhonattan Vegas.

Scheffler is scheduled to tee off at 4.10pm UK and Ireland time in the final round, with Wolff and Vegas for company in the final threeball.

Leaderboard
-7 Scottie Scheffler
-6 Jhonattan Vegas, Matthew Wolff, Kramer Hickok, Martin Trainer, Kevin Tway
-5 Jason Kokrak, Russell Henley, Luke List
-4 Vincent Whaley, Marc Leishman, Adam Schenk, Adam Long

Best prices
5-2 S Scheffler, 11-2 M Wolff, 8 J Vegas, 12 J Kokrak, K Hickok, 14 R Henley, 16 K Tway, 18 L List, 25 M Leishman, 28 M Trainer, 40 A Long, 50 bar

Final-round preview

Scottie Scheffler looked cool and calm after round three, correcting his interviewer who wrongly thought the chip-in birdie was at the 15th hole, and the extra pressure on the shoulders of this carefree character on Sunday could actually be helpful.

Scheffler is a laid-back youngster, who admitted he needed to give himself a good talking-to between rounds one and two, looking to find "that spark". Getting emotionally invested, 100 percent concentrated and aggressive through the ball seems to be the key to success for Scheffler, and taking a lead into a PGA Tour event in his home state should be plenty enough.

Scheffler showed in the Ryder Cup in September that he was the man for the big occasion. Going unbeaten over the first two days when partnering Bryson DeChambeau was impressive enough, but causing the upset of the Sunday singles by toppling world number one Jon Rahm in emphatic fashion was amazing.

Scheffler, a two-time champion on the Korn Ferry Tour before his graduation to the main circuit, will probably not be lacking for bottle on the final day at Memorial Park. The main problem for his backers is the amount of players taking close order - five men only a shot behind and an army in with title hopes if they finish strongly.

A sunny day with gentle breezes should mean scoring will be much better than it was on Saturday, so plenty of players should make a charge from deep on the board. Sam Burns, tied for 18th place, is arguably still close enough to have a say in matters from five shots behind.

Jhonattan Vegas has finished second three times this year and is winless since the 2017 Canadian Open, while the swing of Matthew Wolff has not held up under the pressure of contending on Sunday in recent weeks.

The list of dangers to Scheffler is long, but perhaps Jason Kokrak remains the most serious threat. Kokrak struggled when concluding his second round on Saturday, but a third-round 66 propelled him back into the thick of things. From just two shots behind, the two-time PGA Tour champion will be relishing Sunday.

Scheffler was Racing Post Sport's headline selection - available at 20-1 on Wednesday morning - and hopes are high he can get the job done. The 5-2 available going into Sunday seems generous, as does the 7-4 about a Kokrak top-five finish.

Kramer Hickok has looked more in control of his game than Sunday playing partners Martin Trainer and Kevin Tway - particularly in round three - and Hickok represents the most attractive final-round threeball option (3.58pm).

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