We head to the halfway mark of the Tour Championship on Friday, after which there will be just 36 holes left to decide the fate of the FedEx Cup. Everyone thought it would be a cruise for those with the lowest scores going into the week but it has taken just 18 holes for that theory to be thrown out.
Those who got themselves into contention with a good start on Thursday will be looking to consolidate things on a difficult golf course while those who didn’t will find themselves having to push on Friday to get back into things.
First Round Recap
We started out with just Justin Thomas at 10 under the card when the tournament teed off but we ended the opening 18 holes with three men leading on that score. Thomas is one of them and he has been joined by Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka while Rory McIlroy is menacingly placed just a shot further behind on nine under. Matt Kuchar and Patrick Cantlay sit two off the lead on eight under with Hideki Matsuyama another shot back on seven under so this tournament is already nicely poised.
It has begun well for us betting wise as well with Xander Schauffele easily seeing off Matt Kuchar in their first round two ball even though the latter shot four under par for his round. That didn’t touch Schauffele’s six under par. Paul Casey is tied for second on the scoring without the handicap start so we’re hopeful he can push on over the final three rounds as well.
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Friday Betting
We’ve got a second round betting market to get stuck into but I have to say I’m a little edgy about getting involved because the top six on the leaderboard are all of the highest class and any one of them could run away with the halfway lead. That is fine but they are all priced accordingly so the prices don’t really match the risk we would have to take on what isn’t certain to be just a six horse race anyway. If pushed I’d probably back Thomas as his mindset will have changed now but I’m happy to leave that market alone and head for the two balls.
Friday 2 Balls
Once again the field are out in pairs on Friday and this time they go out in line with their positions on the leaderboard. That means the last group onto the golf course is the one featuring Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele. They tee off at 19.20 BST while Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas go out 10 minutes before. With the 30 best players on Tour this year here each group is quality and I’ll take a bet in one of them.
Sungjae Im vs Justin Rose
Match tees off at 18.20 BST
One of the middle pairings out onto the golf course is the one featuring the rising Korean star Sungjae Im and the current FedEx Cup champion Justin Rose who both tee off four under par and six off the lead currently.
Im beat Rose by a shot on Thursday but I expect the course to player tougher on Friday with scoring much lower than expected across the board on the opening day. That means course experience could be crucial over the duration of the second round and it is Rose who has that in droves. His ball striking fits this place like a glove so if he can get some putts to drop he can still contend at the business end of the tournament but whether that does or doesn’t happen he can see off Im here.
Tips
Back J.Rose to beat S.Im for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
Back him here:
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