It has been a very low scoring beginning to the Irish Open with 13 under leading at the halfway stage but with a bunched leaderboard we are set up for a thrilling and tense weekend which always seems to be the case in this championship.
We lost some big names to the halfway cut but there are plenty still alive in the tournament and with nine shots separating first to last anyone has a chance of success heading into the third round.
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Round 2 Recap
Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell both missed the cut which will have disappointed the home fans. Lee Westwood and Tyrrell Hatton were two more big names who fell by the wayside too.
As with the first round it is Daniel Im and Benjamin Hebert who lead the way. They are on 13 under par with the classy Jon Rahm a shot further back on 12 under and then three more players on 11 under. Hideki Matsuyama is in a group of players on nine under, four off the lead heading into moving day.
It was a better day for us betting wise on Friday with one of our two bets delivering the goods for a solid profit to get us back to near level for the tournament so far and with two days to come we should get the chance to build on that.
Saturday 2 balls
As with the first two days the majority of the groups have been priced up for Saturday’s third round. The only difference here is they are two balls instead of three balls. There are two across the card that interest me.
Anthony Wall vs Hideto Tanihara
Match tees off at 12.50 BST
Anthony Wall and Hideto Tanihara begin the third round very much in contention in this tournament. Both men start out on nine under par and know that good rounds will see them right in the mix going into Sunday.
It is Wall that I like here. He leads the field in fairways hit and greens in regulation in this tournament and around here that is a combination that is going to reward you. He is going at almost four in every five fairways and more than nine in every ten greens. That is world class ball striking. It means he is guaranteed chances if he keeps that up.
Tanihara will play the odd good hole to get himself going but if he continues to miss fairways eventually he is going to leave himself with too much to do and dropped shots will occur then. At odds against the links specialist Wall has to be the pick here.
Oliver Fisher vs Matthew Southgate
Match tees off at 13.10 BST
These two men begin the round two shots off the lead on eleven under and so both Oliver Fisher and Matthew Southgate will fancy their chances from here on in. Both men have shown their liking for the links once again and that they are comfortable in these conditions.
Matthew Southgate is yet to drop a shot this week and ranking fourth in fairways hit and greens in regulation is very much a reason for that. I don’t think he played his best ever round on Friday but he was still four under and that will give him extra confidence on top of what he had having secured his spot at The Open on Tuesday.
Having that spot secured means he can play this weekend with freedom unlike his playing partner who will be fighting for one of the spots that comes with a good finish here. Southgate is playing lovely golf and odds against on him in this pairing is too big too.
Tips
Back A.Wall to beat H.Tanihara for a 4/10 stake at 2.38 with Betfred
Back M.Southgate to beat O.Fisher for a 4/10 stake at 2.30 with Betfred
Back them here:
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