The Open Championship second-round preview, threeball predictions and golf betting tips

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf & Main Event, from 6.35am Friday

Best bets

Patrick Reed to win 12.31pm threeball
3pts 4-6 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes

Lucas Herbert to win 11.58am threeball
1pt 7-4 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes

Henrik Stenson to win 1.15pm threeball
1pt 9-5 bet365

The Open second-round threeball predictions

The best bet from the second-round threeballs at the 151st Open could be Patrick Reed, who is well positioned to launch a Claret Jug bid having opened up with a rock-solid opening 70 at Royal Liverpool where he gained strokes on the field in all areas of the game.

The pugnacious Texan has been in fine form on the LIV Tour, finishing fifth at Valderrama and second at Centurion in the last two events. He boasts a solid Open Championship record, and his short-game magnificence is a huge asset around a course like Royal Liverpool which features dangerous run-off areas on the majority of holes.

Reed is joined in the 12.31pm match by world number 209 Connor Syme, who opened up with a three-over 74, and Spanish amateur Jose Luis Ballester Barrio. They could again find themselves outclassed by the 2018 Masters champion.

Lucas Herbert looked set to be on the first page of the leaderboard until a treble-bogey six at the par-three 17th but the Australian was still able to sign for a level-par 71 which, in the context of the tournament, has to be regarded as a solid start.

Herbert, who won his third DP World Tour title in Japan in April, is an adept performer in links conditions and he put that experience to good use in round one, driving the ball well and producing a typically assured display on the greens.

The Victorian looks the best bet in a closely matched 11.58am threeball which also features New Zealand's Ryan Fox, who opened up with a dismal 78, and South Korea's Byeong-hun An, who could be running on empty on his fifth consecutive week of action.

Henrik Stenson has missed the cut in the last two Opens and left St Andrews in controversial circumstances a year ago as rumours swelled that he was about to forfeit the European Ryder Cup captaincy to join the LIV Tour.

Stenson did indeed jump ship, winning on his debut on the rebel circuit, but his two strongest efforts since have come in the last three LIV Golf events as he arrived at Royal Liverpool in solid form.

The 2016 Open champion made a slow start on Merseyside but he played the final ten holes in one under and a similar performance could see him go lowest when he tees off at 1.15pm alongside Harris English and Andrew Putnam, who do not share Stenson's links pedigree.

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