A wild two days at Valhalla may be an understatement. We saw Xander Schauffele break a course record and set the pace Thursday morning. After that, we all got our much-needed rest only to wake up to see the best golfer in the world get arrested. I truthfully had to triple take the video when I first saw, but it sure was true.
Nonetheless, Friday was extremely fun. Collin Morikawa caught fire and grabbed the lead Friday afternoon. Valhalla does not ask a lot of different questions for these golfers and that is showing. Double-digit golfers under par through 36 holes is not typical in a major. After being out there all week, it was expected, but the weather is allowing the players to take it super deep.
Let's take a look at both the odds board and the leaderboard and find some winners ahead of this long iron plus putting contest. Here are my PGA Championship Round 3 picks.
1) Xander Schauffele -12 (+240)
2) Collin Morikawa -11 (+500)
3) Sahith Theegala -10 (+1200)
T4) Scottie Scheffler -9 (+320)
T4) Bryson DeChambeau -9 (+900)
T4) Thomas Detry -9 (+3500)
T4) Mark Hubbard -9 (+6500)
Tony Finau Top 5 +400
I was interested in Tony Finau pre-tournament, but I failed to pull the trigger. My thought was that he always plays longer, easy bentgrass golf courses extremely well. His recent results were not great, but his recent stats were awesome.
Turns out, Finau is playing great golf this week. Through 36 holes, he is gaining around six strokes ball striking to the field. He is leaving so many putts out there but still showed signs of solid putting. Even if he putts it poorly over the weekend, I expect the ball striking to hold up and have him in the conversation come Sunday afternoon.
Finau has underperformed in the majors of late, but he is coming through on a course that makes sense for him. Look for Finau to keep hitting it close over the weekend and finish inside the top five.
Keegan Bradley Top 10 +450
What an impressive first two rounds from Keegan Bradley. He had to deal with the crowds of playing with Tiger Woods and surely an immense amount of pressure. But he still played elite golf and sits at -6 through 36 holes.
More impressive than anything else, Bradley is leading the field tee to green. Coming into this week, he has been absolutely striping his irons but was leaving a lot to be desired with the driver. This week, Bradley figured out the driver. Sadly for him, he is losing just under four strokes on the putting greens. He is generally not the best putter on tour but he has figured out the flat stick this season.
Even if Bradley does not putt it well, he is hitting the ball well enough to finish inside the top 10. Bradley is a great target to add to your PGA Championship Round 3 betting card.
Xander Schauffele To Win +240
Ride with me, my friends. I know we backed Schauffele last week and it clearly backfired. If you did not back him at +1400 with me pre-tournament, it is not too late to get in!
Even though he is in the lead, no one believes in Schauffele. He has played nearly flawless golf thus far, which is extremely on brand for him through 36 holes. Schauffele is doing everything well. I love how balanced he is across the board in terms of strokes gained, gaining over two strokes in each category. If a certain aspect of his game is not clicking, he can rely on another part of the game.
Call me crazy, but we're doing it again. Trust in Schauffele to grab his first major.
