Steve Palmer's Wyndham Championship third-round preview, best bets, free tips

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf red button, 1.30pm Saturday

Best bets

Kevin Streelman top-five finish
2pts 100-30 Coral, Ladbrokes

Webb Simpson leader after round three betting without Russell Henley
2pts 5-2 Betfair, Power

Webb Simpson to card 66 or lower in round three
2pts 10-11 Coral, Ladbrokes

Story so far

Russell Henley has surged to a four-shot halfway advantage in the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club, North Carolina, shortening to 11-8 favourite.

Henley, a pre-tournament 35-1 chance, claimed the first-round lead with a magnificent 62, then followed up with a Friday 64 to reach 14 under par. The three-time PGA Tour champion has set a blistering pace in the final event before the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The reason Henley is not odds-on for victory is because ante-post market leader, Webb Simpson, is tied for second place. Simpson got his Wyndham campaign off to a horror start - a double-bogey at the first hole - but the local man has also carded an eagle and 12 birdies en route to compiling a pair of 65s.

Ante-post second-favourite, Hideki Matsuyama, missed the cut by a shot. Simpson, ten under par and chasing a second Wyndham triumph, has been cut from 12-1 to 7-2.

Leaderboard
-14 Russell Henley
-10 Rory Sabbatini, Webb Simpson, Scott Piercy
-9 Justin Rose, Tyler Duncan, Brian Stuard
-8 Kevin Streelman, Alex Smalley, Tyler McCumber, Kevin Na
-7 Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner, Hudson Swafford, Bronson Burgoon, Sam Ryder, Mackenzie Hughes, Matt Kuchar, Sung Kang, Sebastian Munoz, Jhonattan Vegas, John Augenstein

Best prices
11-8 R Henley, 7-2 W Simpson, 14 R Sabbatini, 16 J Rose, 25 S Piercy, B Stuard, 28 K Na, K Streelman, 40 K Kisner, 50 bar

Final-round preview

Russell Henley used to be one of the best putters on the PGA Tour and he rapidly won a maiden PGA Tour title, romping to a three-shot victory in the Sony Open with rounds of 63, 63, 67, 63 and a 24-under-par total.

Henley lost his putting sparkle and is winless since April, 2017, but in this week's Wyndham he has looked deadly on the greens and the 32-year-old must be sensing a chance to post a similar total to that which won him the 2013 Sony.

Henley tops the Wyndham putting stats and the tee-to-green stats - obviously a formidable combination - and a seriously low 72-hole score could be in the offing if he can just tighten up his approach-play slightly over the weekend.

Of course, the long winning drought may throw nerves into the equation, so the chasing pack will know they are still well in the hunt, especially on a Sedgefield track which annually serves up dozens of birdies.

A hot, sunny, calm Saturday is forecast, and Henley can only be expected to further his score. Perhaps anyone seven under par or better is still in contention, with two rounds in the low-60s entirely feasible at Sedgefield.

Racing Post Sport's ante-post staking plan is in a strong position, with each-way selections Henley, Webb Simpson, Kevin Na and Mackenzie Hughes all in the top 12. Hopefully one of them can win and some place money come from the others. Henley, a 35-1 recommendation, seemed determined and confident. He led the US Open for a long way in June - and defending a lead in the Wyndham Championship will feel like a stroll in the park in comparison.

Kevin Streelman, who has also performed well in Majors this year, narrowly missed the pre-tournament staking plan and is feared from only two shots off second place. Fortunately Coral and Ladbrokes have provided a cover opportunity with their generous 100-30 about a Streelman top-five finish.

The same firm go 10-11 about Simpson carding a 66 (four under par) or better in round three, while Betfair and Power offer 5-2 about Simpson being third-round leader in a market without Henley. Both are appealing options. Henley tees off at 6.55pm UK and Ireland time.

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