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With the floodgates now fully opened, Keith Mitchell picked up Friday morning where he left off Thursday evening. After carding a bogey-free 10-under 62 to kick off THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT, another low round would always be a difficult task. Not for Mitchell as the 2019 Honda Classic champion turned in an 8-under 64 to stand at 18-under through the first 36-holes.
Utilizing a lethal combination of length and touch, Mitchell has leaned on his distance off-the-tee and now-found putting-stroke. After struggling in his first two starts of the season, losing a combined eight-strokes with the putter, the former Georgia Bulldog – thanks to some help from his coach – has very much found his form on the greens.
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Leading the field in Strokes Gained: Putting and second in SG: Off-the-Tee, Mitchell possesses a five-stroke lead heading into the weekend in Las Vegas. Building a substantial gap between himself and the competition, he is primed to capture the second PGA Tour title of his career.
The oddsmakers at PointsBet Sportsbook have Mitchell as a rightful favorite at the halfway point. Setting the 36-hole record in the short history of THE CJ CUP, the 29-year-old is listed at +220 to claim victory at The Summit Club.
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Updated Odds to Win (odds Via PointsBet):
+220: Keith Mitchell
+500: Jordan Spieth
+1100: Adam Scott
+1600: Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland
+1800: Cameron Smith
+2200: Harry Higgs, Paul Casey
+3000: Aaron Wise, Rickie Fowler
+3300: Rory McIlroy
+4000: Erik van Rooyen
+5000: Maverick McNealy, Sam Burns
Round 3 Plays (Odds Via PointsBet):
Hudson Swafford (+244) over Kevin Na and Maverick McNealy
Hardly putting our best foot forward yesterday, we will hope to right the ship in the third round. Going up against two Las Vegas residents is never ideal, but I believe Swafford presents plenty of potential at a number such as this.
With this trio of players sitting at 10-under, the former Georgia Bulldog has reached double-digits under-par a bit differently than his counterparts. Ranking fourth in SG: Off-the-Tee and 15th in SG: Approach, Swafford is one of two players in the field who is currently inside the top-15 in each ball-striking metric with Hideki Matsuyama being the other.
Couple this ball-striking prowess with a strong effort on the greens to this point and Swafford will need to hold his own around-the-green for us in this one. However, this effort of his with the flat stick is nothing compared to that of the other two players in this group.
Known to get hot on the greens, Na and McNealy rank fifth and sixth respectively in SG: Putting through the first two rounds. Getting the job done primarily on the greens, the duo has struggled off-the-tee and on approach.
Ranking outside the top-40 in SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Approach, if the putting maestros cool down just a touch, Swafford should have an opening. Having had recent success on Tom Fazio designs – boasting finishes of T-17, T-2, T-6, WIN in his last four starts – I am willing to chance Swafford can get the better of Na and McNealy on Saturday.
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