The Punter's In-Play Blog: Taylor chanced with 18 to play

• Syme up by two in the Netherlands

• Tight at the top in Canada

• Home hero chanced at a big price

---

09:45 - June 8, 2025

With a round to go, the top 15 players are separated by just four strokes at the Canadian Open. Here's the 54-hole leaderboard with prices to back at 9:30.

Ryan Fox -14 4.77/2
Matteo Manassero -14 8.07/1
Kevin Yu -13 10.09/1
Matt McCarty -13 11.010/1
Lee Hodges -13 12.011/1
Mackenzie Hughes -12 13.525/2
Jake Knapp -12 19.537/2
Andrew Putnam -12 27.026/1
Cameron Young -11 30.029/1
Byeong Hun An -11 44.043/1
Rico Hoey -11 50.049/1
Victor Perez -11 50.049/1
Cameron Champ -11 65.064/1
Cristobal Del Solar -11 130.0129/1
Davin Skins -11 140.0139/1
-10 and 60.059/1 bar

This is a really tough tournament to evaluate.

This is the first time the course has been used so we have no previous data to look back on, and I could very easily leave the event alone.

Ryan Fox heads the market and that 's understandable given he won his first PGA Tour title last month at the Myrtle Beach Classic and he looks far better equipped for round four than the man alongside him, Matteo Manassero.

This has developed into a bit of a putting competition and the Italian's putting stroke, especially on the short ones, isn't great.

With a round to go, six of the top eight on the leaderboard are ranking inside the top ten for Putting Average. The odd men out are Manassero and Mackenzie Hughes and the Italian ranks 104^th for Strokes Gained: Putting!

With such a condensed leaderboard and with the course drying up all the time, it's incredibly difficult to call but I'm happy to have a tiny bet on the 2023 Canadian Open winner, Nick Taylor.

The home hero came from off the pace to win two years ago (seven off the lead at halfway and still three adrift with 18 to play) and tied for 16^th and four back, I thought he was worth chancing at 85.084/1.

---

08:35 - June 8, 2025

There's just one round to go at both the KLM Open on the DP World Tour and the Canadian Open on the PGA Tour, but the two tournaments are in very different states.

The KLM Open looks like a two-man tussle. Connor Syme has edged two clear of the 36-hole leader, Joakim Lagergren, and the pair are four clear of the remainder.

I'll be back shortly with a look at the Canadian Open but here's the 54-hole leaderboard at the KLM Open, with prices to back at 8:30.

Connor Syme -10 1.768/11
Joakim Lagergren -8 3.7511/4
Francesco Laporta -4 20.019/1
Richie Ramsay -4 38.037/1
Ricardo Gouveia -4 40.039/1
-3 and 70.069/1 bar

Due to a waterlogged course, the third round of the KLM Open started late but it's a different story today with the leaders due to go out shortly, at 9:09 UK time.

The live coverage on Sky Sports, starts at 9:00.

The halfway leader, Lagergren, was matched at 2.245/4 in-running yesterday but back-to-back bogeys at eight and nine handed the initiative to Syme and it's going to be interesting to see how the two men manage their games today now they've changed places on the leaderboard.

With a gap of four to the remainder, Lagergren at around 11/43.75 represents the value this morning but I'm happy to continue leaving the event alone for now.

If the front two get nervous it could be an interesting final round and we've already seen a few early starters making plenty of birdies but one of the front two really should get it done.

---

10:40 - June 7, 2025

After another suspension in play yesterday, this time due to high winds, the second round of the KLM Open has been completed this morning and pre-event 140.0139/1 chance, Joakim Lagergren, leads by two over the first-round leader, Ricardo Gouveia.

The diminutive Swede is a fabulous player that hasn't won the number of titles his talent deserves, although he did win twice on the HotelPlanner Tour in August last year.

He's twice led at this stage on that Tour and he went on to win on both occasions, ten years apart, but on the two occasions that he's been tied for the lead on the DP World Tour, at the BMW International and in this event in 2017, he finished 14^th and ninth.

I'm happy to leave the event alone for now and see what today brings. It feels as though there's a very long way to go.

Over on the PGA Tour, the pre-event favourite, Rory McIlroy, has missed the cut by miles at the Canadian Open after shooting rounds of 71 and 78 and anyone that's backed him to win next week's US Open must have concerns over his wellbeing.

"Of course it concerns me"

Rory McIlroy after missing the cut at the Canadian Open pic.twitter.com/fAzr6ePmt6

-- Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 7, 2025

Rory was trading at less than 9/110.00 to win the US Open on Wednesday. He's not out to 14.013/1 and the defending champ, Bryson DeChambeau, who's tied for the lead after the first round of the LIV Golf Virginia event, is the new second favourite behind the red-hot world number one, Scottie Scheffler.

Cameron Champ, who was a badly out of form 780.0779/1 chance before the off, leads by two at hallway but it's a very open event. Here's the 36-hole leaderboard with prices to back at 10:30.

Cameron Champ -12 7.413/2
Andrew Putnam -10 15.014/1
Nick Taylor -9 9.89/1
Thorbjorn Olesen -9 14.527/2
Victor Perez -9 21.020/1
Richard Lee -9 48.047/1
Shane Lowry -8 11.010/1
Sam Burns -8 11.010/1
Ryan Fox -8 21.020/1
Jake Knapp -8 26.025/1
Matteo Manassero -8 55.054/1
Cristobal Del Solar -8 110.0109/1
Taylor Pendrith -7 20.019/1
-7 and 50.049/1 bar

Champ won the Utah Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour back in 2018, having led by three at halfway, and he won the Sanderson Farms Championship, the second of his three PGA Tour titles, three months later, but he shot 74 in round three of the Shriners Children Open in October 2023 when tied at the top on the last occasion he was in front at halfway. He bounced back with a 65 on Sunday but finished the week tied for 18^th.

That was the last time Champ was in-contention so it would be no surprise to see him go backwards today but I'm happy to chance him at more than 6/17.00.

Champ's stats at halfway are excellent across the board so he's not just leading because of one aspect of his game and he's a fair price to convert.

He turns 30 next week and it's uncanny how often a player finds an upturn in form on or around a significant birthday.

---

07:15 - June 6, 2025

The birdies kept dropping at the Canadian Open after my post last night and it looked for a while like Chilean longshot, Cristobal Del Solar, may even break 60.

The pre-event 1000.0999/1 chance was matched at just 1.182/11 in the 1st round Leader market, but long odds-on backers have had to accept split stakes after a five-five finish saw him end round one alongside Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen on -9.

Those two are one clear of Cameron Champ, two in front of Jake Knapp, and three clear of a group of four on -6.

The figures don't suggest there was a huge advantage to the PM starters but the top-eight on the leaderboard all teed off in the afternoon.

68.75 = R1 scoring → @RBCCanadianOpen

69.31 = early
68.19 = late

-- Rob Bolton (@RobBoltonGolf) June 5, 2025

Olesen and Shane Lowry, who shot -6 on day one, dominate the market but I'm happy to sit on my hands for now and see what today brings.

---

21:20 - June 5, 2025

A lengthy weather delay at this week's DP World Tour event - the KLM Open - has meant that the opening round's play has only just finished.

Morning starter and pre-event 370.0369/1 chance, Ricardo Gouveia, leads after a seven-under-par 64 and for much of the day it looked like he'd be leading by two strokes over Scotland's Richie Ramsay, but fellow Scot, Connor Syme, has just edged past him on -6 and the late starters have enjoyed much the better of it.

There are six players tied for third on -5 and five of them teed it up in the afternoon and so did the two players tied for ninth on -4.

Overall, the afternoon starters averaged 1.28 strokes less than the morning wave and it will be interesting to see where Gouveia is when he kicks off his second round tomorrow afternoon.

My pre-event fancy, Thriston Lawrence, birdied the opening hole before the suspension in play but he was poor when play resumed and a two-over-par 73 leaves him a lot to do.

The pre-event favourite, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, fared even worse, posting a four-over-par 75 in the morning and the tournament looks wide open.

The wind is predicted to blow quite hard again tomorrow and it's 10/111.00 the field after day one.

It's a tricky event to evaluate but I've already got two players onside in-running and they're two players I looked at closely before the off - Richie Ramsay, and regular play, Daniel Brown.

Both are excellent links exponents, and I'd considered both for the Find Me a 100 Winner column, so given my sole selection for the column in the event - Joe Dean - matched Neergaard-Petersen's 75 this morning, it's been a frustrating start.

At this week's PGA Tour event - the Canadian Open - the late starters are enjoying an even bigger advantage than the afternoon starters at the KLM Open.

Rain irritated the early wave and at the time of writing, four afternoon starters are tied at the top on six-under-par, and they all have holes to play.

Early starter and pre-event favourite, Rory McIlroy, who was my sole selection before the off, was particularly disappointing.

He was weak in the market before the event began, drifting more than a point this morning, from 6.411/2 to 7.613/2, and his play reflected the negative move.

With birdies flying in all over the course this afternoon, he looks in trouble after his one-over-par 71.

I haven't got involved here in-running yet but I'll have another look in the morning once the first round is all done and dusted.

---

KLM Open Pre-Event Seelction:
Thriston Lawrence @ 42.041/1

In-Play Picks:
Daniel Brown @ 18.017/1
Richie Ramsay @ 28.027/1

Candian Open Pre-Event Pick:
Rory McIlroy @ 6.411/2

In-Play Picks:
Cameron Champ @ 7.413/2
Nick taylor @ 85.084/1

---

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter

---

Now read more golf previews and tips here