Ben Coley has an 80/1 roll-up for day two of the Farmers Insurance Open, where one of the stars of Thursday might just be worth taking on.
Golf betting tips: Farmers Insurance Open three-balls
1pt double Hughes and Cantlay at 6/1 (William Hill, 888sport)
0.5pt treble Hughes, Cantlay and Clanton at 16/1 (William Hill)
2pts double Rodgers and Theegala at 3.73/1 (General)
0.5pt five-hold the above selections at 80/1 (William Hill)
Seamus Power is begging to be opposed after a red-hot start to the Farmers Insurance Open.
Power produced the best round of the day at the South Course, a galling spectacle for someone on him at 175/1 last week, but it was largely down to a phenomenal putting display. The Irishman was almost six shots better than the field average.
That alone wouldn't have had me rushing to take him on, but when you see that he's last of 119 players in North Course strokes-gained the 6/4 beside his name looks awfully short.
Strictly on North Course form the bet is Lanto Griffin, who ranks inside the top 15 in the entire field and among the top 10 for those playing it today, but here's where we need to be flexible and side with MACKENZIE HUGHES instead.
For me he's the best golfer in this threesome, he hit the ball well in round one, and while his North Course record is modest, it's better than Power's. That includes under-par rounds on his last three spins and I think he's the man to beat.
Griffin is badly out of form and while he does pop up from time to him, including in California in the autumn, Hughes has to be the call.
At the risk of throwing good money after bad, PATRICK CANTLAY is the value call against Cam Young and Akshay Bhatia.
Cantlay isn't out of the tournament after a level-par opener which he finished on the front foot, but he'll feel he ought to have got more out of the round having putted poorly throughout.
That was the only difference between him and Young and as Cantlay boasts the far superior North Course record, he's awarded the vote at the prices. Bhatia has suffered successive nightmare rounds and hasn't done much here previously.
For the final pick at the North, LUKE CLANTON's putter is the risk and that's why I'll throw him in for a smaller-stakes treble, while sticking with a 6/1 double on the more confident selections.
Clanton ranked 25th in ball-striking at the South but his putting woes continued. His playing partners, Emilio Gonzalez and Pontus Nyholm, hit the ball horrendously.
Hopefully, Clanton's superior long-game earns him the money today. It ought to if he can just avoid any putting howlers.
Over at the South Course, PATRICK RODGERS surely merits shorter prices against Seonghyeon Kim and Camilo Villegas.
This looks a classic case of placing too much emphasis on 18 holes at the easier layout, where Kim's brilliant short-game likely had something to do with a tidy 68.
Rodgers could only shoot 70 but he's more comfortable at the South, which few can really say. In fact the list of just 10 players with superior records is made up either of elite golfers, past champions, or both.
He's a more reliable, experienced and downright capable player than Kim and can show it today, his extra length likely to come in handy, and Villegas unlikely to be competitive.
Another with strong course form and local ties is SAHITH THEEGALA, who can beat Taylor Moore and Mark Hubbard.
Hubbard tied with Theegala in round one but struggles at the South, while Moore's last round here was an eight-over 80. With his iron play poor for a while and very little substance to his form, he's easy to oppose.
We do so with a player who brought momentum within him from the AmEx and who is set to make it five cuts made in a row in this tournament, including fourth place in 2023.
Posted at 10:30 GMT on 30/01/26
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