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Start delayed in the Netherlands
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Early start in the States to dodge the weather
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Kim and Korhonen still lead the way
08:45 - June 23, 2024
There's been a two hour delay to the start of the final round of the KLM Open on the DP World Tour and there's going to be an early start at the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour.
With poor weather forecasted in Connecticut, it's going to be a frenetic Sunday afternoon/evening today with the tee times for round four at the Travelers Championship brought forward to dodge the worst of the weather.
The final three-ball tees off at 4:15 UK time and the final round of the KLM Open will still be ongoing at that point. The final pairing in the Netherlands now kick off their rounds at 13:58 UK time, instead of 11:58, so it's going to be a hectic day. Here are the two leaderboards with price to back at 8:30.
KLM Open
Mikko Korhonen -11 5.04/1
Guido Migliozzi -10 5.49/2
Rasmus Hojgaard -9 5.85/1
Matteo Manassero -9 11.010/1
Sean Crocker -9 12.011/1
Matt Wallace -8 9.08/1
Joe Dean -8 36.035/1
Marcus Kinhult -8 36.035/1
Ewen Ferguson -7 38.037/1
-7 and 50.049/1 bar
Travelers Championship
Tom Kim -18 4.84/1
Scottie Scheffler -17 2.8415/8
Akshay Bhatia -17 8.415/2
Xander Schauffele -16 7.26/1
Sungjae Im -16 16.015/1
Collin Morikawa -15 15.529/2
Tony Finau -14 50.049/1
Justin Thomas -14 60.059/1
Shane Lowry -14 80.079/1
-13 and 100.099/1 bar
The presence of the 54-hole leader at the KLM Open, Mikko Korhonen, is a bit of a surprise but below him on the leaderboard are a collection of players that were well-fancied before the off.
Sitting alone in second, the in-form Italian, Guido Migliozzi, who now heads the market, was a 40.039/1 chance before the off and the pre-event third favourite, Rasmus Hojgaard, is one of three players tied for third, but the value sits with the pre-event favourite, Matt Wallace, with a round to go.
The Englishman, who finished third here back in 2019, despite sitting tied for 111th after round one, hasn't won on the DP World Tour since he claimed three titles in seven months back in 2018 but he won the Corales Puntacana Championship on the PGA Tour in March last year so he's still capable of contending strongly on a Sunday.
It's a tricky tournament to call and we'll almost certainly witness some in-play drama later, but Wallace is a strong candidate, and I was happy to play him modestly at odds in excess of 8/19.00 but over on the PGA Tour, I'm happy to sit back and see how the event pans out now.
Scottie Scheffler is the very obvious favourite but on a rain-softened course, the scoring is going to be super-low again and it's all going to boil down to the odd missed putt.
Cameron Young shot up the leaderboard yesterday with an 11-under-par 59 before the weather delay but it didn't take long for him to slip back again after play resumed. He sits tied for 10th with a round to go, and having been matched at a low 42.041/1 yesterday, trailing by five, he's now a 270.0269/1 chance.
Tom Kim hit a low of just 3.185/40 yesterday when it looked like he might hold a healthy advantage heading in to round four but Akshay Bhatia birdied the last two holes and Scheffler hit a high of 10.09/1 before he birdied the last four holes. Those two are now just one behind the Kim.
If forced to pick a value play with a round to go, I'd plump for Xander Schauffele at more than 6/17.00 on the exchange.
Trailing by two, he's no bigger than 5/16.00 on the High Street, and after rounds of 65, 64 and 64, he's highly likely to post another consistent low round.
Given the condition of the course, the scoring is going to be low again today and it's hard to imagine one of the top six not winning.
09:15 - June 22, 2024
In just his third start on the DP World Tour in more than a year, Finnish veteran, Mikko Korhonen, made everything between a two and seven on his way to a three-under-par 68 in round two to lead the KLM Open at halfway and the pre-event 400.0399/1 chance is surprised by his lofty position on the leaderboard.
"I didn't really expect anything. It's just my third event coming out of a year's medical so not much expectation but I'm happy to be here and happy to play well.
"The golf course is nice, I like it. It's rewarding good drives. There's a couple of blind shots so you have to really commit to the tee-shots. It's linksy but it's not running that fast yet."
Korhonen won the first of his two DP World Tour events - the Shot Clock Masters in Austria in 2018 - from the front but it's hard to envisage him kicking on and taking the title here.
I'm kicking myself for not taking the 30.029/1 available yesterday morning about Rasmus Hojgaard before he fired an impressive six-under-par 65 in round two to move up into a tie for fifth (trailing by three) and he now heads the market at 7/18.00.
Hojgaard, who's twin brother, Nicolai, finished second here five years ago, on the only other occasion The International has hosted the event, will have his supporters this morning but with as many as 22 players within four strokes of the lead I'm more than happy to sit on my hands and see what today brings. And it's a similar story on the PGA Tour, where Tom Kim still leads at the halfway stage of the Travelers Championship where I've added just one longshot for tiny stakes.
Here's the 36-hole leaderboard at River Highlands with prices to back at 9:10.
Tom Kim -13 5.79/2
Scottie Scheffler -11 3.02/1
Collin Morikawa -11 6.05/1
Akshay Bhatia -11 16.531/2
Xander Schauffele -10 7.613/2
Justin Thomas -9 32.031/1
Sungjae Im -9 40.039/1
Shane Lowry -9 50.049/1
Tony Finau -8 48.047/1
-8 and 65.064/1 bar
The last two Travelers winners were in front at halfway and six of the last 16 winners were leading or tied at the top at halfway, suggesting Kim is a fair price at getting on for 5/16.00 but I'm far from convinced.
Although not putting brilliantly, Scottie Scheffler is a huge danger in a tie for second and the leaderboard is packed with quality.
Kim was tied for the lead at this stage when he won his first PGA Tour title - the 2022 Wyndham Championship - so there's no reason to think he's vulnerable in front but this is a quirky venue when it comes to in-play trading.
The 2020 winner, Dustin Johnson, and the 2021 champ, Harris English, were both sitting in a tie for 20th at halfway. DJ trailed by six and English was four adrift, and the winner ten years ago, Kevin Streelman, was even further back after 36 holes.
Streelman sat tied for 39th and eight off the pace and 12 months earlier, the 2013 winner, Ken Duke, had trailed by seven in a tie for 32nd at halfway.
This is a track where players can get on a hot streak and where a lot of ground can be made up in a hurry.
Robert MacIntyre moved up 35 places into a tie for ninth with an eight-under-par 62 yesterday and Shane Lowry jumped up 27 spots into a tie for sixth with his 62 so taking a chance on one ore two outsiders sitting five, six or even more strokes back may pay dividends.
My two pre-event selections, Sam Burns and Tony Finau, my two Find Me a 100 Winner picks, Wyndham Clark and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and my in-play pick, Hideki Matsuyama, all lost ground yesterday after decent starts on Thursday so it was a particularly disappointing day but unperturbed, I've added one more to the portfolio.
Last week's tied third at Pinehurst, Patrick Cantlay, started understandably slowly on Thursday but he looks a decent price at 65.064/1 after yesterday's 65 saw him move up into a tie for 12th.
Cantlay shot 60 here as an amateur back in 2011 and he was fourth last year so he clearly loves the layout and if there's to be another off the pace winner this year, he's arguably the most likely candidate.
06:45 - June 21, 2024
Tom Kim leads the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour after a brilliant bogey-free 62 around TPC River Highlands but with 12 players within three of his lead, one of which being the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, it's a tough tournament to evaluate.
Kim is the fifth player this century to lead the Travelers by two strokes after round one and the first three kicked on and won, although they were all sitting second with a round to go.
Denny McCarthy failed last year, having opened up with a 60 to lead by two, but Hunter Mahan (2007), Kenny Perry (2009), and Bubba Watson (2015) all went on to lift the trophy.
Tom Kim is two from five when leading after round one but his two wins came on the Asian Development Tour back in 2019 and the Korean Tour in 2021. This is the first time he's led after round one on the PGA Tour.
I'm going to eave the event alone for now, but I have added Hideki Matsuyama at 34.033/1. He was on my shortlist before the off so I'm happy to add him at the same price he went off at after his four-under-par opening knock.
Over on the DP World Tour, none of the early starters in round one of the KLM Open shot any better than four-under-par and the early leaderboard is dominated by the Thursday afternoon wave.
Finish veteran, Mikko Korhonen, and the recent Jonsson Workwear Open winner, Matteo Manassero, tied for the lead after matching seven-under-par 64s and one week ahead of the Italian Open, it's noticeable just how many Italians have started nicely here.
Manassero, who has already kicked off his second round, is one of six inside the top-22 places after round one.
I was tempted by Manassero at a double-figure price, but this is the eighth time he's led or co-led after the opening round and he's never before kicked on for the win and I don't like the fact that he changed his putting grip during the round yesterday.
He led the Indian Open back in March after round one but finished fifth - beaten by five.
Yet again, Rasmus Hojgaard has started slowly but he could make giant strides today after opening with a one-under-par 69, and he sits alongside the other pre-event favourite, Matt Wallace, who was matched at just 6.411/2 when he played his first five holes in three-under-par yesterday.
Sitting alone in third, Japan's Rikuya Hoshino is the favourite after round one but the one I like is the Swedish PGA Tour player, Henrik Norlander, who sits tied for fourth and two off the lead. I thought 27.026/1 was fair.
KLM Open pre-event picks:
Pablo Larrazabal @ 65.064/1
Adrian Otaegui @ 75.074/1
In-Play Picks:
Henrik Norlander @ 27.026/1
Matt Wallace @ 9.417/2
Travelers Championship pre-event picks:
Sam Burns @ 42.041/1
Tony Finau @ 42.041/1
In-Play Picks:
Hideki Matsuyama @ 34.033/1
Patrick Cantlay @ 65.064/1