Steve Palmer's QBE Shootout final-round preview, best bets, free golf tips

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 5pm Sunday

Best bets

Sam Burns & Billy Horschel to win QBE Shootout
2pts 9-2 bet365

Brian Harman & Hudson Swafford to win match
2pts 23-20 general

Story so far

Australia dominated the first Ashes Test - quickly going one-up in the cricket - and the Aussies have been setting the pace in the QBE Shootout too.

Jason Day and Marc Leishman, combining for the first time in this competition, have reached 24 under par through two rounds at Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Florida. They have carded three eagles in 36 holes and have a three-shot lead.

The duo were 8-1 ante-post for QBE glory, shortening to 11-4 after a Friday 55 in the scramble, and a day-two 64 in the greensomes have seen Day and Leishman cut to a best-price 4-6 with 18 holes to play.

Sunday will see 'betterball' - fourball golf with only the best score in each pairing counting towards the leaderboard. Defending champions, Harris English and Matt Kuchar, are among a trio of teams tied for second place.

Leaderboard
-24 Jason Day & Marc Leishman
-21 Sam Burns & Billy Horschel, Harris English & Matt Kuchar, Jason Kokrak & Kevin Na
-20 Corey Conners & Graeme McDowell
-19 Lexi Thompson & Bubba Watson

Best prices
4-6 J Day & M Leishman, 9-2 S Burns & B Horschel, 6 J Kokrak & K Na, 7 H English & M Kuchar, 20 C Conners & G McDowell, 80 bar

Final-round preview

There is a seven-shot gap between Jason Day and Marc Leishman and the teams in seventh place, so the QBE Shootout appears to have halved from a 12-team event to a six-team one through two rounds.

It would be remarkable if any side 17 under par or worse managed to enter the equation - the fourballs format should allow the Australians to comfortably progress their score towards 30 under. Punters have six teams to focus on, then, and the leaders make no appeal at 4-6 and worse for outright victory.

In fact, the laying community on the exchanges may be tempted to oppose the Aussies at odds-on - because they could not have three more dangerous sides lurking over their shoulder.

Three pairings are tied for second - and all are capable of delivering a Sunday sizzler which sees them charge past Day and Leishman. Day has not won on the PGA Tour since May, 2018, and seems bound to feel some nerves given his lack of recent silverware. The 34-year-old is far less trustworthy on the greens than he used to be, dropping to 115th in the world rankings.

Had Cameron Smith fancied the QBE gig, Day would almost certainly have had to find a different partner. Day and Leishman, aside from their shared nationality, were not a natural pairing. They have played on four Presidents Cup teams together - and only once were they asked to play as a pairing. That was in 2017 when Nick Price put Day and Leishman out three times in tandem - and they won only half a point.

The outright value arguably lies with the three teams tied for second. Jason Kokrak has taken his game to a new level over the last year or so, becoming a confident PGA Tour champion, and his alliance with Kevin Na is dangerous. Na, full of rust after almost two months off, should be sharper on Sunday after two days of action.

The record of Harris English and Matt Kuchar in this event is incredible - they deserve automatic respect. The 6-1 Kokrak and Na, and the 7-1 English and Kuchar, are well worth considering, but the 9-2 about Burns and Horschel is most attractive.

Burns and Horschel are full of form and confidence, have both won twice this year as individuals, and will be licking their lips at the prospect of fourballs golf, hunting the Australians from three shots behind.

Burns and Horschel are in the final group, able to apply pressure to the leaders. The tee-to-green solidity of Burns and Horschel means they should set up countless birdie opportunities, keeping the Aussies fretting throughout.

The event resumes at 2.45pm UK and Ireland time, with the leaders out at 4pm. Final-round match punters are pointed towards Brian Harman and Hudson Swafford in the opening contest. These two pals, who live close to one another, will be desperate to avoid the wooden-spoon.

Ryan Palmer and Matt Jones, a hastily assembled pairing after Harold Varner's late withdrawal, seem more likely to go through the motions from so far off the pace.

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