Racing Post's American Express second-round twoball tips & free golf betting tip

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the second round of The American Express on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 4.30pm Friday

Best bets

Abraham Ancer to win 6pm twoball
2pts 6-5 Hills

Justin Rose to win 6.30pm twoball
2pts 20-21 bet365

Story so far

Patrick Cantlay shot a course record at the Stadium Course in The American Express last year and once again showed his likely for this tournament with an opening 62 at low-scoring La Quinta Country Club to share the lead with Lee Hodges after the first round.

Cantlay played the first seven holes in seven under, making an eagle on the sixth and five birdies before coasting through the rest of the round. The Californian was raised just a few hours away from PGA West and his local expertise has clearly come in handy.

Hodges is making his debut in this event and an eagle at the par-five fifth, coupled with eight birdies, saw him finish level with the world number four at the top of the pile.

Both leaders will tackle the Nicklaus Tournament Course in round two, which played to an average score of 69.6 on Thursday. La Quinta played easiest of the three courses at 69.1 and the Stadium Course proved the toughest assignment, playing to a 71.7 average.

Kyoung-hoon Lee, who impressed with a low score on the Stadium, and Cameron Young (La Quinta) are two shots behind the leaders on eight under par, while a whole host of other contenders are seven under including consistent Irishman Seamus Power and Brandt Snedeker.

Pre-tournament favourite Jon Rahm is still firmly in the chasing pack, sitting at six under after the opening day.

Leaderboard
-10 Lee Hodges, Patrick Cantlay
-8 Lee Kyoung-hoon, Cameron Young
-7 Joseph Bramlett, Sam Ryder, Brandt Snedeker, Danny Lee, Tom Hoge, Wyndham Clark, Seamus Power, Greyson Sigg

Best prices
2-1 P Cantlay, 9-2 J Rahm, 14-1 S Power, K.H. Lee, 28-1 L Hodges, A Ancer, 33-1 R Henley, J Bramlett, 40-1 C Bezuidenhout, C Young, T Moore, 50-1 bar.

Second-round preview

Abraham Ancer has a fine record in this tournament - the Mexican has recorded back-to-back top-five finishes in the last two years including when runner-up in 2020 - and he can build on his solid start by winning his twoball match-up with Sungjae Im.

Last year’s WGC-St Jude Invitational winner was in the top ten for total birdies on the tour last year and, after opening up with a 67, can go on a blitz to get the better of the South Korean on the Stadium Course.

A pair of former world number ones face off in the shape of Justin Rose and Jason Day and the Englishman is fancied to come out on top of their twoball.

The pair duelled on the Nicklaus Tournament Course in the opening round, with Day coming out a shot ahead at five-under, but Rose may come into his own on the Stadium Course in round two.

Day's credentials on Pete Dye designs can not be questioned but the Aussie is not at the peak of his powers at the moment and has a tendency to follow one good round with a bad one.

Rose, on the other hand, arrives at this tournament after a break having registered back-to-back top-15 finishes at the RSM Classic and the Hero World Challenge at the end of last year and the 41-year-old can make an easy day’s work of the second round.

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