The winds were up a bit on Friday in Bermuda, but that didn't stop Ben Crane, who made a run with a 9-under 62 and sits atop the leaderboard through two rounds. He's got quite the crowd of golfers behind him as five players are just one-shot back through two rounds and 33 players are within a handful of the lead.
While the scoring was more than a stroke tougher on Friday, the course still played nearly two strokes under par, setting things up for a shootout throughout the weekend. The added aspect will certainly be pressure as the 46-year-old Crane looks for his sixth career win and his first since 2014. Many of the others near the top are looking to breakthrough for the first time, creating a bunch of intriguing storylines for the weekend.
I'm going to continue to chase for rounds like Crane's with the hopes that we can get a long shot play to go low on moving day. There is certainly no clear cut favorite heading into the weekend and that can be to our advantage as we look to find a player who can make a move.
Best Bets
Erik van Rooyen (+4500 BetMGM)
If I'm adding anyone to the card this weekend, I would start with Erik van Rooyen. I have long believed in his talent and it wouldn't surprise me to see him put together a weekend that has him in position to lift the trophy on Sunday. The South African has missed just four greens through two rounds this week and is taking an aggressive approach toward the course. He led the field in driving distance on Friday and that type of aggressiveness is something that will be needed to come out on top in a shootout like this. I'll bite on van Rooyen at a nice +4500 number as he's just four shots back and is one of the few TOUR winners near the top of the board.
Will Gordon (+12500 BetMGM)
Will Gordon got his break back to the big TOUR after he got the promotion from the Korn Ferry in 2022. He has quickly reminded us why we were so interested in his talent when he seemingly came from no where to go toe-to-toe with Dustin Johnson at the 2020 Travelers Championship. He would fall short that week, but his rounds of 62 and 64 showed his ability to go low and he did it again on Sunday at the Shriners, closing with a 63. I am looking for that type of round again Saturday as it could be an opportunity for him to move into the mix heading into the final round.
