Steve Palmer's World Wide Technology Championship third-round preview, best bets

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 7pm Saturday

Best bets

Viktor Hovland top-ten finish
2pts 13-10 bet365

Viktor Hovland to win World Wide Technology Championship
1pt 20-1 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes

Brandon Wu top-ten finish
1pt 4-1 bet365, Hills

Harris English to win 4.50pm twoball
1pt 10-11 bet365

Story so far

Russell Henley has carded back-to-back rounds of 63 to take a three-shot lead into the weekend of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba.

The three-time PGA Tour champion, who is winless since April, 2017, has gone 36 holes without a bogey, and shortened from 55-1 to 6-5.

Henley leads fellow Americans Sam Ryder and Will Gordon, who are tied for second, with former Mayakoba champion Patton Kizzire alone in fourth spot a further shot behind.

Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa headlined the pre-tournament betting - and all three of this illustrious trio have qualified for the weekend. Scheffler is tied for 29th, ten shots adrift, while Hovland and Morikawa are two shots closer to the lead, sharing 14th spot.

Leaderboard
-16 Russell Henley
-13 Sam Ryder, Will Gordon
-12 Patton Kizzire
-11 David Lingmerth
-10 Brian Harman, Harry Higgs, Martin Laird
-9 Maverick McNealy, Matt Kuchar, Greyson Sigg, Scott Piercy, Patrick Rodgers

Best prices
6-5 R Henley, 8 W Gordon, 11 S Ryder, 20 B Harman, V Hovland, 25 P Kizzire, 28 M McNealy, C Morikawa, 40 M Kuchar, M Laird, D Lingmerth, 50 bar

Third-round preview

Russell Henley is scheduled to tee off at 6pm UK and Ireland time in the final twoball at El Camaleon Golf Club - and it is a pretty safe bet the free-flowing, relaxed character on show over the first two days will have been replaced by a tenser version.

Henley has gone 67 months without winning a tournament, getting ever more edgy as each golden opportunity has been squandered. The fragility of the modern Henley was highlighted in last year's Wyndham Championship - when he had the tournament at his mercy with eight holes to play.

Henley bogeyed the 11th, 12th, 14th and 18th to finish a shot shy of the Wyndham playoff, missing from two feet at the 11th and from three feet on the final green.

In that Wyndham Championship, Henley opened up with rounds of 62 and 64, looking unbeatable, but a 69-71 weekend meant an eventual share of seventh place. It may pay for punters not to get too carried away by his 63-63 foundation in Mexico.

Last year's Mayakoba event must also be noted. Henley, having missed the Mayakoba cut in 2019 and 2020, made a brighter start 12 months ago. Rounds of 65 and 69 put him in contention, but a miserable Saturday 76 destroyed his chance.

Henley was five shots clear with nine holes to play in the Sony Open in January, but a one-over-par final nine holes meant a playoff with Hideki Matsuyama, which the Japanese won. Henley will be more aware than anyone that a three-shot lead with 36 holes to play guarantees nothing.

This event is wide open if Henley stalls in front. Pre-tournament Racing Post Sport 100-1 recommendation Brandon Wu is still in the hunt from a share of 14th place, eight shots behind Henley, while a more established PGA Tour champion will still be feeling fairly bullish from the same weekend starting position.

Viktor Hovland has missed a lot of fairways this week and carried a cold putter, yet he is still tied for 14th place, underlining his affection for this layout. The Norwegian ace will know that if Henley wobbles - which is entirely feasible - the Hovland Mayakoba hat-trick bid is still on. The Hov has dominated this tournament the last two years and it would be no surprise to see him move threateningly on to the first page of the leaderboard in round three.

Hovland (13-10) and Wu (4-1) are on offer at surprisingly generous odds for a top-ten finish. Both men are only a shot shy of the top ten with 36 holes to play. It is reasonable to expect a strong weekend from Hovland and Wu which secures them both a healthy cheque.

And with each-way terms of a fifth the odds, the first four places up for grabs with some firms chalking up 20-1 Hovland, a little tickle on the defending champion in the outright market is suggested. Hovland was difficult to resist at 11-1 ante-post, but 20-1 with 36 holes to play when he is only five shots off second place is an even more attractive wager.

With warm sunshine and light breezes forecast all weekend, scoring should be low, and the chasing pack is likely to be full of scores in the low-60s. Hovland and Wu are prime candidates to go low. Henley knows he needs to stay on the front foot if he is to repel his pursuers. His putter has saved pars on numerous occasions over the first two days, but he is 184th on the PGA Tour putting stats and finished 148th in that statistic last season. A regression to the mean this weekend could see the leader get swamped.

Harris English, who has has been swinging well this week at a track he loves, looks the pick of the twoball options against Troy Merritt.

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