Steve Palmer's US PGA Championship third-round golf betting tips and predictions

Where to watch the US PGA Championship

Sky Sports Golf, 2pm Saturday

Best bets

Bryson DeChambeau top-five finish
2pts 11-8 general

Brooks Koepka top-ten finish
2pts 5-6 general

Story so far

The second day of the US PGA Championship was a remarkable one, but it ended with a familiar face creeping towards the head of the betting. Scottie Scheffler is a general 3-1 to win the second Major of the season.

Scheffler's Friday started in difficult fashion – his well documented arrest outside Valhalla meaning a terrible preparation for round two of the US PGA – but the world number one showcased all his powers of resilience by following a morning in a prison cell with a five-under-par 66.

Scheffler, who won the Masters a month ago, has put himself in position to claim leg two of a potential 2024 Grand Slam of Majors. The Texas-based 27-year-old is nine under par, just three shots off the lead, seeking his fifth victory of an incredible season.

Xander Schauffele retained his lead. The Californian carded a Friday 68, leaving him one shot in front of Collin Morikawa, with Satith Theegala another shot behind in third place.

The delay to the start of round two, which was due to the tragic death of a pedestrian in a road accident outside the course, means the tournament is running slightly behind schedule. Round two must be concluded on Saturday morning, before a draw is made, and round three commences.

The cut will almost certainly fall at one under par. Among the biggest names missing out on weekend employment are Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Aberg, Wyndham Clark and Tiger Woods.

US PGA Championship leaderboard

-12 Xander Schauffele
-11 Collin Morikawa
-10 Sahith Theegala
-9 Thomas Detry, Scottie Scheffler, Mark Hubbard, Bryson DeChambeau
-8 Austin Eckroat, Viktor Hovland, Tony Finau

Selected others

-7 Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka
-6 Justin Thomas
-5 Rory McIlroy
-4 Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth
-1 Dustin Johnson

Best odds for the US PGA Championship

11-4 X Schauffele, 3 S Scheffler, 5 C Morikawa, 10 B DeChambeau, 12 S Theegala, 16 B Koepka, 20 V Hovland, 28 R McIlroy, 33 T Finau, 40 T Detry, H Matsuyama, 66 bar

US PGA Championship third-round predictions

Scottie Scheffler's Friday improved greatly when he reached the sanctuary of the golf course, feeding off the enthusiastic crowd support and relishing the mental challenge he had been set, but one wonders whether there will be a delayed reaction to his early trauma.

Scheffler still has court proceedings to deal with next week – his arraignment hearing has been set for Tuesday morning – so the mental burden of this sorry incident remains. The exhaustion of Friday may hit him over the weekend, while he also has to do without his caddie Ted Scott for round three.

Scott has headed home to be at his daughter's high-school graduation, so Scheffler's friend – PGA Tour chaplain Tedd Payne – will take over bag-carrying duties for round three. In these unprecedented circumstances, the timing of Scott's absence could not have been timed worse.

Friday's dramas and Scott's absence means the 3-1 Scheffler can be resisted going into the weekend. There is no urge to take the 11-4 about Xander Schauffele, who has made a habit of fast starts and weak finishes, while Collin Morikawa also has some questions to answer with regards to his recent weekend play.

Bryson DeChambeau is arguably the best value at this stage, with 10-1 on offer about a player well suited to the challenge of a long, soft Valhalla. DeChambeau's form dipped on the LIV circuit after his bold Green Jacket bid at the Masters, but he has clicked back into gear this week. From just three shots off the lead, a second Major title for DeChambeau seems entirely feasible.

From deeper on the board, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Max Homa and Byeong Hun An can make a move, but anyone behind Scheffler and DeChambeau has little margin for error.

The LIV players seemed short of a gallop coming into this event, but two of them have put themselves into position to threaten the Wanamaker Trophy. A sensible Saturday strategy appears to be to back DeChambeau for a top-five finish at 11-8 and Koepka for a top-ten finish at 5-6.

The second round is scheduled to resume at 12.15pm UK and Ireland time. A sunny, calm weekend is forecast.

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