This week Matt Cooper has final-round tips for both the Truist Championship and Myrtle Beach Classic.
Golf betting tips: Sunday May 11
2pt win Justin Thomas in Truist Championship at 13/2 (Sky Bet)
2pt top-10 finish Harris English in Truist Championship at 13/5 (General)
1pt win Mackenzie Hughes in Myrtle Beach Classic at 9/2 (General)
Who would have thought that a golf course at a cricket club in Philadelphia would be the site of a reunion for two old friends from Rome – an Irishman who loves GAA and an Austrian with an American accent?
Yes, it’s been a week of curiosities in a Truist Championship that has relocated from its Quail Hollow while that course prepares to host next week’s PGA Championship. Heading into the final round Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka lead on 14-under 196, the pair holding a three-shot advantage over Justin Thomas and Keith Mitchell with Hideki Matsuyama a further shot in arrears after a third round 63 and the rest of the field at least six strokes off the pace.
The leading quartet are interesting cases. Lowry, for example, has only one once (individually, at least) since his 2019 Open triumph. It was a good win – the 2022 BMW PGA Championship – but it seems thin pickings for a fellow whose quality is apparent when he reels off top 25 finishes in the major championships.
He’s currently on a run of 15 top 20 finishes in his last 18 starts and he seems to be doing a good job of keeping a lid on what must be a frustration. “I think you need to be persistent,” he said last night. “You need to keep putting yourself there, and eventually it will happen. Look at Rory in the Masters. Keep knocking on the door, and eventually you’ll go through it.
"Since the Ryder Cup in Rome, I feel like I’ve kicked on a little bit and I’ve been quite mature. I’ve put a lot into it the last two years, I’ve worked very hard. Starting to see some rewards is good. Obviously you want trophies, and that's going to be my number one goal tomorrow."
Straka, who combined with Lowry at the Rome Ryder Cup when Europe swept the opening morning foursomes, is also in fine form. In his case, 11 top 30s in 13 starts for the year including a victory in January’s The American Express. It’s a distinct improvement on a similar stretch before Christmas and there’s good reason why.
"During the fall I worked on my putting," he explained last night. "My grip was pretty weak and I had a pretty bad year putting. Changed my setup, hands got a little higher. It’s been good this year.” He lost strokes to the field throughout 2024 on the greens; this year he is gaining.
If Lowry’s quest is for another win, Straka’s is for a higher grade triumph but he’s another who seems to be aware that he’s playing well and that the business of winning is a tricky one. "All you can do is try to focus on what you can control," he said. "Pick your target, try to hit your number, try to make a good swing. That’s pretty much it. You’re going to feel terrible while trying to do it, but that’s just part of it. That makes it fun when you are able to pull it off."
Straka has had two solo 54-hole leads this year already. He won The Amex and then, playing with Lowry in the final group at Pebble Beach, the third man in the group Rory McIlroy won. He also lost one 54-hole lead on the Korn Ferry Tour. Lowry is 3-for-8 at converting a pre-final round lead into a win.
Thomas has a little advantage over the leaders in that he was like them until winning the RBC Heritage. He, too, was trying to balance the want to win and the need to stay patient. "Took a lot of faith and belief in my game," he said after holing a long birdie putt at 18 to join Mitchell in a share of second. "Be positive and good things will happen. But also don’t do anything special, don’t force the issue, just try to let things happen.”
Poor Mitchell keeps making fast starts and then gets in his own way at the weekend. In his last five individual starts he’s been tied first, tied first, tied second, tied second and (this week) solo first after 18 holes. He’s not out of it but his putter went cold on Saturday and that’s familiar.
In terms of how the course is playing, Lowry said: “The fairways are quite generous and once you get the ball on the fairways, you’re going to have some chances.” He made the point that he is not hitting it far from the tee this week but he’s hitting the short grass and that’s what concerned him.
With that in mind, the fact that Lowry is leading the field for Driving Accuracy and SG Approach gives him the edge over Straka (who is the week’s best putter and par saver). However their prices (Lowry 6/4, Straka 8/5) are exactly what I expected whereas JUSTIN THOMAS (third for Approach for the week and better putting stats on Saturday) at best price 13/2 (and the widely available 6/1) is bigger than I had him. He’s the value in the outright.
Elsewhere, HARRIS ENGLISH sits one shot outside the top 10 and is a tempting 13/5 to end it inside that number. Playing on an AW Tillinghast track this week there are certain US Open feels, even if the scoring is much lower. English has three US Open top 10s in his last five starts and the first of those was on a Tillinghast track. He’s also a winner this year on another US Open host, Torrey Pines.
In this week’s opposite field event, the Myrtle Beach Classic, MACKENZIE HUGHES was the pre-tournament favourite and has hung around the top of the leaderboard all week.
A slow Saturday front nine saw him slip to third, but he’s only two back and the current 1-2 (Carson Young and Harry Higgs) are looking for first tour titles. Hughes loves Sea Island and was recently third at Harbour Town. There’s a touch of that vibe about Myrtle Beach.
He’s another who looks a touch big at 9/2 (and the general 4/1 too).
Posted at 1010 BST on 11/05/25
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
