Steve Palmer's golf betting tips for the Masters second round

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the second round of the Masters at Augusta National, Georgia.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event and Golf, 2pm Friday

Best bets

Jon Rahm to win threeball
3pts 6-4 Betfred

Bubba Watson to win threeball
1pt 9-4 general

Story so far

Pre-tournament 80-1 chance Justin Rose covered Augusta's final 11 holes in nine under par to set a remarkable pace in the first round of the Masters.

Rose, who had not competed since withdrawing during round three of the Arnold Palmer Invitational with back spasms a month prior, dropped to two over par through seven holes of his Masters first round. An eagle at the eighth followed, though, and seven more birdies to the hut as he carded a 65 which left him four shots clear.

Dry, firm, lightning-fast greens made the opening round a struggle for most of the field, and it seemed three under par - the early contributions of Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama - might be enough for the lead until Rose went birdie crazy late in the day.

Most of the big names made disappointing starts, with Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau - both four over par - leaving themselves much work to do, battling to make the cut. World number one Dustin Johnson double-bogeyed the 18th hole on his way to a 74.

The action is scheduled to resume at 8am local time (1pm UK and Ireland) with Vijay Singh and Martin Laird in a twoball. Rose, a two-time Masters runner-up who has become 7-2 favourite, is due off at 2.36pm.

Leaderboard
-7 Justin Rose
-3 Brian Harman, Hideki Matsuyama
-2 Will Zalatoris, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed
-1 Si Woo Kim, Jason Kokrak, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, Jordan Spieth

Selected others
Par Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele
+1 Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa
+2 Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson
+4 Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau
+7 Patrick Cantlay

Best prices
7-2 J Rose, 8 J Spieth, 12 J Rahm, P Reed, 14 J Thomas, H Matsuyama, 18 W Simpson, 20 D Johnson, 22 X Schauffele, 25 B Harman, 28 T Hatton, 35 W Zalatoris, 40 C Morikawa, 45 C Bezuidenhout, 50 bar

Second-round preview

Justin Rose entirely devoted himself to the Masters in the wake of his Bay Hill withdrawal, clearing his schedule of any other tournaments and focusing on getting fit and ready for Augusta, and the plan appears to have worked.

Rose has a strong but winless history in the Masters, finishing tied second behind Jordan Spieth in 2015, then losing a playoff to Sergio Garcia two years later. The Englishman knows he can handle the Cathedral of Pines and he has made a sensational start.

Rose has been first-round leader four times in the Masters, so there is no guarantee his typically fast exit from the Augusta gates will result in a first Green Jacket, but he has set an incredible platform for the week given so many top-class operators found the course a real struggle.

Rose, for example, finished 14 shots ahead of Patrick Cantlay - one of the more fancied runners - underlining how sensational the 40-year-old's Thursday effort was. The fitness problem seems to have been solved and it will probably be a case of whether Rose can keep his game in order and show enough courage over the weekend.

Rose has not won for almost 27 months and his lone Major win came in 2013. And Spieth has, like he often does, clearly packed Lady Luck in his golf bag for assistance. If Spieth triumphs on Sunday, he will look back at the 15th hole on Thursday as his key moment of the week. He hit his chip from behind the green much too hard - and if it failed to hit the pin then it was certain to find a watery grave from which a bogey would have been a great result - but it clattered into the hole for an eagle three instead.

Spieth was generally excellent - typically loose with driver and a couple of missed short putts, but superb with his irons - and his short outright odds are understandable given he could walk away from round one feeling thrilled with his score. A few groups earlier, Shane Lowry hit a much better chip from the same spot on the 15th, and it rolled agonisingly into the water. Spieth will feel his fortune was name-on-the-trophy stuff.

Outright punters getting involved at this stage should arguably focus on Rose, Spieth, Brian Harman and Patrick Reed. Getting off to a good start is more often than not essential to success in this event. Nobody has ever won from more than seven shots adrift after round one.

Jon Rahm (seven behind) and Justin Thomas (eight) are the best candidates for surging through the pack from deep in round two. Thunderstorms have cleared from the forecast and day two seems set to be almost identical weather-wise to day one.

Second-round threeball punters are pointed towards Rahm, who can outscore Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele (6.48pm UK). Rahm said getting ready for the tournament has been a rush in the wake of his baby's birth and that the speed of the greens caught him out in round one. Better can be expected in round two from a player whose ball-striking this year has been solid.

McIlroy, badly out of sorts, lacking confidence and in a state of confusion after hiring a new coach for the first time in his adult life, hit his father in the gallery with one mishit shot in round one. The Northern Irishman will probably get results with Pete Cowen eventually, but the Masters appears to have come far too soon in their partnership.

Brooks Koepka, a long way from full fitness in the wake of knee surgery, can be opposed in the 6.12pm threeball. Viktor Hovland enjoyed plenty of fortune on day one and preference is for two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, a healthy-priced outsider.

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