Steve Palmer's Zurich Classic of New Orleans final-round preview, best bets

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf red button, 3.30pm Sunday

Best bets

Sam Burns & Billy Horschel without Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele
3pts 9-4 Coral, Ladbrokes

Sam Burns & Billy Horschel to win 6.39pm match
2pts 8-11 bet365, Betfair, Power

Story so far

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele took a strangehold on the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with masterful eight-under-par third-round back-nine, charging to 29 under par for the event, breaking scoring records and becoming a best-price 2-13 for victory.

Cantlay and Schauffele have formed a successful partnership playing for America in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. For the States, alternate-shot is the format in which they have thrived, but this week at TPC Louisiana the Californian duo have excelled in best-ball competition.

A Thursday best-ball 59 laid the foundation for Cantlay and Schauffele to have a strong tournament, then a Friday alternate-shot 68 kept them ahead. A slow start on Saturday meant Sam Burns and Billy Horschel took the lead after covering the first seven holes in five under par, but Cantlay and Schauffele immediately responded with an eagle at the seventh, before forging a five-shot advantage.

The leaders were ante-post 17-2 chances, just behind Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa with most firms. They tee off at 6.50pm UK and Ireland time in the final-round best-ball.

Leaderboard
-29 Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele
-24 Garrick Higgo & Branden Grace
-23 Sam Burns & Billy Horschel, Jason Scrivener & Jason Day, Aaron Rai & David Lipsky
-22 Wyndham Clark & Cameron Tringale

Best prices
2-13 P Cantlay & X Schauffele, 14 S Burns & B Horschel, 16 G Higgo & B Grace, 33 A Rai & D Lipsky, J Day & J Scrivener, 50 W Clark & C Tringale, 250 bar

Final-round preview

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, ten under par for their final 12 holes of round three, have created a buffer over the rest of the Zurich Classic field. The key to the tournament is probably how long they can keep hold of that comfort blanket.

Cantlay and Schauffele are experienced players who have won from the front before, but both would definitely appreciate taking a large lead into the back nine of round four, rather than getting embroiled in a tight tussle.

Cantlay has twice lost a playoff on the PGA Tour this year - the theme of his 2022 campaign has been failing to turn great golf into winning golf - while Schauffele has been on a PGA Tour victory drought which stretches back to January, 2019.

Schauffele was poor in his previous two tournaments, winning only one match in the WGC-Match Play before missing the cut by three shots in the Masters, so there has been a fragility to his game which could be exposed if the pressure increases down the stretch in New Orleans.

If nobody gets close to Cantlay and Schauffele over the first nine holes, expect them to cruise to victory by playing safe foursomes golf coming home. The hope for the pursuers - and the reason the general 1-7 about the frontrunners seems so short - is that the serenity Cantlay and Schauffele have been exuding could disappear if the heat is turned up down the stretch. Schauffele, in particular, could tighten up - and there is no hiding place in foursomes golf.

A cloudy day, with temperatures of 27C and light to moderate breezes, means somebody in the chasing pack could card a round in the mid-60s. Two teams carded a 65 (seven under par) in the Friday foursomes - one being Garrick Higgo and Branden Grace. If the South Africans repeat that round, they would reach 31 under par and Cantlay and Schauffele would require a 70 or better to stay in the tournament.

Racing Post Sport's ante-post fancies, Sam Burns and Billy Horschel, are still in with a squeak from a share of third place. All the pursuers will be looking to make some early birdies to get the attention of the leaders. The mission for Burns and Horschel is to battle their way to within three shots of Cantlay and Schauffele - and hope to force an error. There is enough water at TPC Louisiana for cardbusters in alternate-shot golf.

Burns and Horschel, a confident, harmonious pairing who will fight to the end, can be backed at 9-4 in the new outright market without Cantlay and Schauffele. Final-round matches punters are pointed towards Burns and Horschel, who seem a much more stable partnership than Jason Day and Jason Scrivener.

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