Steve Palmer's Memorial Tournament third-round preview, best bets, free tips

Best bets

Jon Rahm to lead after round three
2pts 2-1 Betfair, Betway, Power

Viktor Hovland to win twoball
2pts 4-5 Hills

Story so far

Ryan Palmer and Tony Finau are co-leaders of the Memorial Tournament at the halfway stage, both reaching nine under par through two rounds.

Palmer, 225-1 at the outset, and Finau, available at 66-1 at the start of the week, have not done enough for favouritism, though, because world number two Jon Rahm is breathing down their neck from third place.

Rahm, who carded a final-round 64 in last week's Workday Charity Open to signal a return to form, has followed up with a 69 and a 67 in the Memorial to lurk just a shot behind with 36 holes to play. The Spaniard, 22-1 ante-post, is a general 5-2 market leader going into the weekend.

Dustin Johnson slumped to a pair of 80s to miss the cut by 13 shots, while Hideki Matsuyama, Webb Simpson, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler also failed to qualify for the weekend. Tiger Woods made it through by a shot, as did Brooks Koepka. Justin Thomas is six shots behind, with Rory McIlroy a further shot adrift.

Leaderboard
-9 Ryan Palmer, Tony Finau
-8 Jon Rahm
-6 Gary Woodland, Chez Reavie, Luke List
-5 Jason Day
-4 Mackenzie Hughes, Henrik Norlander, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Danny Willett, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay

Best prices
5-2 J Rahm, 4 T Finau, 10 G Woodland, R Palmer, 12 P Cantlay, 16 J Thomas, 20 J Day, V Hovland, 25 R McIlroy, 30 C Reavie, J Spieth, 40 L List, 66 bar

Third-round preview

The sun is out at Muirfield Village and the course is getting firmer and faster, which will delight tournament host Jack Nicklaus. He wants his event to be a proper examination of the players and mother nature appears happy to help.

Superstars like Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau have already failed the assignment in spectacular fashion – DeChambeau carded a ten at the par-five 15th in round two – and this is a danger-strewn layout. More cardbusters can be expected over the weekend.

Ryan Palmer has never been a comfortable frontrunner, while the travails of Tony Finau when contending for PGA Tour titles are well documented. Finau, for all his power and ball-striking quality, has won only one low-grade Tour event – the 2016 Puerto Rico Open – and the 30-year-old will be more entitled than most to feel some nerves down the stretch if he retains his position with the finishing line looming.

If Palmer and Finau tread water in front, Jon Rahm is obviously the standout name on the leaderboard who should take advantage. Rahm clicked into top gear in the final round of the Workday Charity Open on this course last Sunday and seems to have restored full confidence after a short quiet spell.

Rahm deserves favouritism, but 5-2 is nothing special given how volatile the scoring can be around this track when it is set up tough. Matt Fitzpatrick carded a 66 on Friday and rocketed 64 places up the leaderboard, underlining how quickly things can change, and the likes of Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas will know they are well in the title hunt if they can find some Saturday birdies.

In the hope that ante-post Racing Post Sport selections, Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland, can force their way into the thick of things from a share of eighth place, no further outright options are suggested at this stage.

Rahm at 2-1 to be end-of-round-three leader is more appealing than his outright odds. The likes of Gary Woodland, Cantlay, Hovland, Thomas and McIlroy may need more than 18 holes to overtake the world number two.

The increasing tee-to-green difficulty of Muirfield Village will not worry Hovland, who has quickly established himself as one of the best ball-strikers on the circuit. The Norwegian ace, who carded seven Friday birdies to haul his way up the board, is the pick of the third-round twoballs card at 4-5 to defeat Jordan Spieth (5.50pm UK and Ireland time).

Palmer and Finau are scheduled to tee off at 6.50pm. A hot, humid afternoon is anticipated for Dublin, Ohio.

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