We put Sam Ryder on early 59 watch as he rolled out with seven birdies in his first nine holes and looked to be on the brink of something special as he made the turn. Unfortunately, things stalled from there as he played his final nine holes at one over and eventually lost the lead to Russell Henley.
Henley matched his opening-round 63 to get to 16-under after just 36 holes. The former Georgia Bulldog, who is taking a three-shot lead into the weekend, has had everything working and is bogey-free through the first two rounds.
He's also tied for the lead in driving accuracy and hitting 75% of his greens-in-regulation. Henley has certainly separated himself from the rest of the field, but the pressure will start to mount for a player who hasn't won on TOUR since 2017. It'll be interesting to see how he handles being in this position as any real stumble will bring a large number of players into the mix.
I expect there to be some shaky times this weekend, mostly because there is simply too much golf left to expect anyone to pull away. If I'm adding to my card before Saturday, I'll be looking for value — especially since we know scores of 62 or better can be had.
Best Bets
Patton Kizzire +2200 (DraftKings)
If there is one player near the top who has the combination of odds and winning upside I am looking for, it has to be Patton Kizzire. It's no secret the big man didn't have a great season last year and he hasn't gotten off to a good start this fall. However, he clearly found something over the first two rounds in Mexico.
Kizzire has missed just seven fairways and six greens in his opening two rounds. He's been dialed in with his ball striking and that has him at 12-under heading into the weekend. Kizzire is just low enough on the odds board to take a shot at and he's a proven winner at this level, having won twice at the Sony Open, which sets up as a very similar course to the one he's playing this week.
Maverick McNealy Top 5 +275 (BetMGM)
I don't see a lot on the betting board that really entices me to do much heading into Saturday. However, I do want some exposure on Maverick McNealy as he seems to be hitting it well and has yet to get his putter going. The flatstick is always the best club in his bag and if he can start dropping some putts, he is certainly in position for a top-five type of finish and possibly contention for the title. I can't quite get there at the odds available for him to win, but I'll bite on a top 5, especially at BetMGM where ties are paid in full.
