Steve Palmer's John Deere Classic third-round preview, best bets, free golf tips

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 5.30pm Saturday

Best bets

Denny McCarthy to win 6.40pm twoball
2pts Evens Betfair, Betfred, Power

Christiaan Bezuidenhout to win 5.25pm twoball
2pts 20-23 bet365

Story so far

JT Poston extended his lead in round two of the John Deere Classic - the 29-year-old Carolinian setting a red-hot pace at TPC Deere Run.

Poston followed his opening round of 62 with a 65 - the pre-tournament 45-1 chance becoming an 11-8 favourite at the halfway stage of the low-grade PGA Tour gathering.

Poston finished runner-up in the Travelers Championship last week, closing with a 64, so he is a total of 21 under par for his last three PGA Tour rounds.

PGA Tour maiden Denny McCarthy is alone in second place, four shots behind, while Austrian raider Matthias Schwab is among the group tied for third. Pre-tournament favourite Webb Simpson missed the cut by two shots.

Leaderboard
-15 JT Poston
-11 Denny McCarthy
-10 Matthias Schwab, Chris Gotterup, Emiliano Grillo, Chris Naegal
-9 CT Pan, Callum Tarren, Michael Gligic, Taylor Moore, Maverick McNealy, Scott Stallings, Vaughn Taylor, Kelly Kraft

Best prices
11-8 JT Poston, 7 D McCarthy, 16 M McNealy, E Grillo, 20 C Gotterup, S Stallings, 25 M Schwab, CT Pan, 33 bar

Third-round preview

JT Poston has hit a little purple patch - and the 2019 Wyndham champion is dominating the John Deere Classic market going into the weekend - but odds of 11-8 make no appeal.

Poston opened with a 62 in the Travelers Championship last week and did not seem comfortable with his lofty perch, stalling with rounds of 70 and 67 over the subsequent two days of that low-scoring event. He is enjoying another birdiefest this week - his typically purring putter working well - but the leader's four-shot advantage can be quickly eroded.

Denny McCarthy, a Racing Post pre-tournament recommendation at 28-1, will be licking his lips as the lead pursuer. McCarthy has been playing some superb golf this year, finishing sixth in The American Express, 12th at Pebble Beach, fifth at Memorial and seventh in the US Open.

McCarthy also usually carries a red-hot wand on the greens, so a thrilling weekend shootout between two flat-stick masters could be in store.

That said, rising star Chris Gotterup and tidy Austrian Matthias Schwab should also hang around on the leaderboard, with Maverick McNealy and Scott Stallings also lurking dangerously just off the pace.

Without the pressure of frontrunning - and having performed more consistently this season - McCarthy can be much preferred to Poston in the final Saturday twoball (6.40pm UK and Ireland time).

Christiaan Bezuidenhout, well equipped for the TPC Deere Run assignment, is the other twoball option which appeals. The South African, typically accurate and sharp on the greens, can boss Hank Lebioda in the 5.25pm match.

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