Steve Palmer's Sony Open third-round preview, best bets, free golf tips

When to watch

Sky Sports Golf, midnight Saturday

Best bet

Collin Morikawa to win the Sony Open
1pt each-way 7-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Cameron Smith to win threeball
1pt 19-20 Betway

Day-three preview

Brendan Steele and Cameron Davis are co-leaders of the Sony Open in Hawaii after 36 holes, the pair overcoming windy conditions to reach six under par at the halfway stage of the Waialae Country Club shootout.

Steele, despite being an excellent wind player who won the first of his three PGA Tour titles in the wild weather of the 2011 Texas Open, could be backed at 250-1 for the Sony ante-post. The price was due to terrible recent form which has seen the 36-year-old slump to 403rd in the world rankings.

Maiden Davis, who won the 2017 Australian Open, was victorious on the Web.com Tour in 2018. The 24-year-old was the same price as Steele on tournament-eve and both can be backed at 20-1 after their hot starts.

Ante-post 5-1 favourite, Justin Thomas, failed to live up to his billing, missing the cut by two shots after covering the first two rounds in three over par. Defending champion Matt Kuchar and Sentry Tournament of Champions playoff loser Patrick Reed also fell short of the cut-line.

The Sony is wide open with two rounds to go, especially given the unsettled weather forecast, which features rain, wind, and the threat of thunderstorms. Everyone remaining in the field is a realistic champion, with only sevens shots separating first from last, and the possibility of getting lucky with the tee-times.

Outright punters looking to get involved at this stage should consider Collin Morikawa, who recovered from a frustrating opening 16 holes in round two to finish with two birdies, leaving himself just one shot behind going into the weekend.

Morikawa is relishing the Waialae assignment, showcasing his remarkably high standard of iron-play, and even gusts of more than 40 mph did not blow him out of rhythm in round two. Without holing hardly anything, the rising star of the PGA Tour stayed bang in contention, and he looks the man to beat if he can get his fair share to drop over the closing 36 holes.

Cameron Smith, who will have been pleased to see Presidents Cup foe Patrick Reed miss the cut, is the next most appealing outright option. Smith may be a better bet for his third-round threeball, with Steele and Davis for company in the 11pm (UK and Ireland time) contest.

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