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

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 6pm Saturday

Best bets

Jason Kokrak top-five finish
2pts 10-11 Coral, Ladbrokes

Story so far

Darkness halted the second round of the Houston Open prematurely on Friday night, with heavy rain having delayed play for two-and-a-half hours on Thursday morning. The event should get back on track on Saturday, with clear skies forecast all weekend.

Jason Kokrak, eight under par with seven second-round holes still to play, is slight tournament favourite heading into the weekend. Play is scheduled to resume at 12.40pm UK and Ireland time, with the third round getting started as soon as possible after that.

Kokrak, 55-1 ante-post, is 9-2 market leader. Scottie Scheffler, 20-1 on tournament-eve, has shortened to 11-2 after firing a course-record 62 in round two.

It is 11-1 bar Kokrak and Scheffler, as bookmakers anticipate a shootout between two powerhouses on a long, soft layout.

Leaderboard
-10 Martin Trainer
-9 Kevin Tway
-8 Jason Kokrak (through 29 holes)
-7 Adam Long
-6 Kramer Hickok, Adam Schenk, Scottie Scheffler

Best prices
9-2 J Kokrak, 11-2 S Scheffler, 11 K Tway, 12 M Wolff, 14 A Long, M Trainer, L Griffin, 20 S Burns, M Leishman, A Schenk, 25 K Hickok, 28 K Mitchell, 40 bar

Third-round preview

The weather is set fair for Houston, with sunny skies and temperatures around 20C, so a soggy course is drying out. Moderate breezes are expected for Saturday afternoon, before a calm Sunday.

Jason Kokrak, a two-time PGA Tour champion who has grown more confident than ever over the last year 13 months of his career, deserves plenty of respect having forced his name on to the leaderboard.

Kokrak will tee off on the 12th hole when play resumes. He obviously has the opportunity to progress his score, but the two toughest holes on the course are still on his menu - the 14th and the 17th - so it would be a surprise should he move past the pacesetting Martin Trainer.

Getting up at the crack of dawn to complete round two, then having a long gap before starting round three is not ideal, so Saturday will be a test of stamina for the chunky 36-year-old.

Kevin Tway, fortunate a wedge at the 13th in round two span into the hole - it was going so fast it may have spun off the green had it missed the cup - played poorly after that eagle, and the world number 533 makes little appeal. Even less so Martin Trainer, who is playing for his PGA Tour future.

Pre-tournament 20-1 chance Scottie Scheffler - a Racing Post Sport recommendation - seems the most likely leaderboard dweller to trouble Kokrak. Lanto Griffin, Keith Mitchell, Marc Leishman, Matthew Wolff and Sam Burns are dangerous from deeper on the board, but Kokrak and Scheffler are arguably the two for punters to concentrate on.

The 10-11 about a Kokrak top-five finish with Coral and Ladbrokes seems more than fair. The course debutant is getting more comfortable at Memorial Park with every hole.

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