Steve Palmer's Ras al Khaimah Classic final-round preview, best bets, free tips

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Golf, 8am Sunday

Best bets

George Coetzee without Ryan Fox
1pt 28-1 Betfair

Adrian Meronk without Ryan Fox
1pt 4-1 general

Story so far

Ryan Fox will take a six-shot lead into the final round of the Ras al Khaimah Classic after doubling his halfway advantage at Al Hamra Golf Club on Saturday afternoon.

Fox, 60-1 at the outset having missed the cut by a shot on the same course last week, has made 25 birdies this week. Nicolai Hojgaard overpowered Al Hamra to reach 25 under par and win the Ras al Khaimah Championship last Sunday - and Fox is doing likewise in the Classic.

Starting the final round on 19 under par, Fox needs a 66 to match Hojgaard's 72-hole Championship total. Some moderate breeze is forecast for Sunday - and the track has played firmer than last week - so the New Zealander may fall just short of the Dane's mark.

Bookmakers may struggle to drum up interest for Sunday, with punters offered a best-price 3-10 if they want to support Fox. There are four players tied for second place, including in-form Pole Adrian Meronk, but all requires serious fireworks to stop Fox claiming his second Tour title.

Leaderboard
-19 Ryan Fox
-13 Adrian Meronk, Scott Jamieson, Adri Arnaus, Pablo Larrazabal
-12 Marcel Siem, Robert MacIntyre, Masahiro Kawamura
-11 Ross Fisher, Marcus Armitage, Mattieu Pavon, Marcus Helligkilde, George Coetzee, Jazz Janewattananond, Jason Scrivener, Connor Syme

Best prices
3-10 R Fox, 14 A Arnaus, A Meronk, 22 P Larrazabal, S Jamieson, 28 R MacIntyre, 45 M Kawamura, 66 M Siem, 80 G Coetzee, M Armitage, 100 bar

Final-round preview

Al Hamra Golf Club always seemed ideal terrain for Ryan Fox to enjoy himself - and last week's missed cut in the Ras al Khaimah Championship came as a shock.

Fox revealed this week that he had some back problems last week - and could not move properly through the ball - while his caddie had just returned from Covid. The missed cut gave both more time to recover for the Classic - and they have dominated the event from the off.

Fox has also explained how a putting tip from his pal Shaun Norris has helped him improve on the greens this week. Fox endured a dismal first round with putter in hand in the Championship. He improved in round two last week and has gone up another level in the Classic, lying eighth in the putting stats after three rounds.

Fox won twice on the Australasian Tour before winning twice on the Challenge Tour, then making his European Tour breakthrough in the 2019 World Super 6. Unless the increase in wind for Sunday means a horror shot or two busts his card - or unless his new putting technique fails to hold up under final-round pressure - it is difficult to envisage Fox not converting this chance. Opposing him would be in hope, rather than expectation, of an implosion.

Preference at this stage is to play in the 'without Fox' market - for which George Coetzee and Adrian Meronk are nominated as punting propositions.

Coetzee, still clinging on to a faint outside chance of rewarding Racing Post Sport's pre-tournament faith at 70-1, can be backed at 25-1 without Fox. Meronk is a 4-1 chance.

Coetzee has slowly but surely improved this year, hitting his ball with more authority in each event, and this proven desert fox is only two shots off second place. The burly South African has got better in every round this week and has the putting ability to sign off with something in the low-60s.

Meronk, arrow-straight in round three and putting superbly, outscored everyone in the field on Saturday. The Pole, fourth in the Dubai Desert Classic at the end of last month, is growing ever more comfortable on the main circuit.

Fox, Meronk and Scott Jamieson comprise the final threeball, teeing off at 7.30am UK and Ireland time on Sunday.

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