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A clustered leaderboard has a new man at the top at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. Harold Varner III will look to claim his first victory on the PGA Tour as the North Carolina native took moving day quite literally in the third round.
Signing for an 8-under 63, Varner propelled himself up the leaderboard as he began the day at 3-under and six-strokes off Patrick Cantlay’s 36-hole lead. With Cantlay only able to sign for a round of 1-under 70, Varner will take the solo lead into the final round, attempting to hold off a slew of pursuers.
A winner earlier this year at the Saudi International, the 31-year-old is well aware he has been held without a trophy on the PGA Tour. When asked if previous success abroad has affected his motivation, Varner said, “No, I think it’s even more just because -- not that people doubt it, they’re just like, I’ve won in Australia, I’ve won somewhere else that I can’t speak of. I mean, it just proves that I can win, and I just want to do it here.”
Adding, “Sometimes I think it can be like a focus. There’s always other stuff to do, people to entertain, but I feel like it just keeps giving me more confidence. The best thing that I can do is just run my course, like this is my journey. It’s just weird I’m getting old. When people say, oh, you’ve been out here this long and you haven’t won, I’m like, oh, really. So, it surprises me sometimes, but I just think I’m getting closer every time.”
At 11-under, Varner will face the difficult task of not only sleeping on the 54-hole lead, but also trying to convert it into a victory. Harbour Town has long been considered a chaser’s golf course given the trouble looming around every corner. This should bode well for the likes of Shane Lowry and Cantlay who are listed as co-favorites at PointsBet Sportsbook despite trailing by one-stroke.
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Updated Odds to Win (Odds Via PointsBet):
+350: Patrick Cantlay, Shane Lowry
+500: Harold Varner III
+650: Erik van Rooyen
+1400: Matt Kuchar
+1600: Aaron Wise, Jordan Spieth
+1800: Sepp Straka
+2200: Hudson Swafford
+2500: Billy Horschel, Tommy Fleetwood
+4000: Joel Dahmen
+5000: Corey Conners
+6000: Joaquin Niemann
+6600: Cameron Young, Maverick McNealy
+8000: Mito Pereira
+10000: Ian Poulter
+12500: Adam Svensson, Sungjae Im, Kevin Na, Robert Streb
+15000: Alex Noren
Round 4 Play:
As mentioned, the Pete Dye design has been a breeding ground for come-from-behind winners. Those at 7-under are likely the cutoff point and if so, we are in with a chance with three pre-tournament selections in van Rooyen, Dahmen, and Niemann.
Maverick McNealy +7000 to win at Caesars (0.47 units):
Adding to our arsenal, this feels like the perfect spot for someone like McNealy to steal his first victory on the PGA Tour. Four-strokes off the pace at 7-under, the former Stanford standout sits only three adrift of the big dogs Cantlay and Lowry.
Posting rounds of 71-70-65, McNealy has improved each day and was finally able to find some success on the greens on Saturday. Posting +3.00 SG: Putting, the 26-year-old’s putting prowess matched that of his ball-striking.
Stellar for the better part of a month, McNealy was in a similar position not all too long ago at the Valero Texas Open. Stalking in San Antonio, his name plummeted down the leaderboard as he was dealing with a stomach bug over the weekend. Now 100%, he should be capable of putting his best foot forward and potentially claim a long awaited victory on the PGA Tour.
Outrights YTD: +62.64 units, +162.85%
Total YTD: +44.64 units, +40.55%
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