Steve Palmer's Pebble Beach Pro-Am third-round preview, best bets, free golf tip

When to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 6pm Saturday

Best bet

Russell Knox to win twoball
2pts 5-6 bet365

Third-round preview

Nick Taylor leads the Pebble Beach Pro-Am by two shots going into the weekend, the ante-post 150-1 chance shortening to 6-1 with 36 holes to play.

The Canadian, whose only PGA Tour title came in the 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship, is being pursued by a star-studded chasing pack. Former world number one Jason Day is alone in second place, while five-time Pebble Beach Pro-Am champion Phil Mickelson is tied for third spot.

Dustin Johnson, 13-2 pre-tournament favourite, is tied for sixth place, while Patrick Cantlay is a further shot off the pace in a share of eighth.

With so much quality hunting him down, Taylor is an unappealing frontrunner. He tackles Spyglass Hill, traditionally the most difficult of the three courses used for this event, in round three. A cut will be made after three rounds, with the final round staged at Pebble Beach.

The forecast for a breezy afternoon means the more exposed Monterey Peninsula and Pebble Beach courses may not play as easy as usual, but one or two of the superstars lurking behind Taylor are likely to reel him in.

Mickelson, who finished third in Saudi Arabia last week, is clearly a huge runner as he bids to defend his title at his beloved Pebble. Lefty will play the entire weekend at Pebble and must be respected, while Johnson, who was superb from tee to green in round two, is also capable of overcoming the expected wind.

Day, world number 46, is an unappealing 4-1 favourite at this stage given he has seven months of poor form behind him. The Aussie plays at Spyglass in round three. The 11-2 Mickelson and the 5-1 Johnson are more attractive, while Cantlay, who also has a weekend at Pebble Beach ahead, is also a fair outright price at 12-1.

Third-round twoball punters are pointed towards Russell Knox for his 5.50pm (UK) match against Sean O'Hair at Pebble Beach. With the wind set to get up, the long-game control of Knox will count for more, and the Scot should handle the assignment better than his playing partner.

This is the first PGA Tour event O'Hair has played since the last Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the injury-plagued American could be vulnerable in the tougher conditions. He has made a bright start to this year on the Korn Ferry Tour, but the jury is out with regards to his PGA Tour future.

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