What a Sunday it is shaping up to be at the home of golf….
Rory McIlroy — Diane Knox Balas’ 3-star best bet at +1000 before the tournament started — has another chance to win his first major since 2014 and he can do so at none other than St. Andrew's. Of course, Viktor Hovland has other ideas. McIlroy and Hovland are tied for the lead at 16-under; nobody else is within 3 shots (Cameron Smith and Cameron Young are both 4 back). A virtual match-play showdown between the Irishman and Norwegian could be in the cards, which is what it already felt like on the back 9 on Saturday. I'm avoiding the McIlroy-Hovland group in these 2-ball bets since whoever wins that matchup is likely to win the whole tournament and you can get better value on their outright odds.
Friday could not have gone better for me. I cashed all three of my 3-ball bets – all well into plus money (+140, +170 and +185). Saturday was a mixed bag at 2-2, although it should have been 3-1 and would have been if Lucas Herbert had not carded a triple-bogey 7 on the 17th hole.
Now let's wrap up the tournament in style.