CIMB Classic: Perez, Schauffele separate in Malaysia

At the halfway point in the CIMB Classic, Pat Perez and Xander Schauffele have a little cushion on the rest of the field.

Perez leads the way at 13-under, while Schauffele is at 12-under and tops the betting odds at +175.

A trio of golfers, Thomas Pieters, Sung Kang and Cameron Smith, are next in line at 9-under. Of that group, Kang at 20-1 is of some interest. I'm not adding anything right now given how the card is looking at the moment, but if the weather heats up and sun comes out, I'd keep an eye on Perez fading.

Heading into the weekend, we're in solid position with bets on Schauffele at 25-1 and Rafael Cabrera Bello at 40-1 in seventh place and a couple shots back of a top five. Jazz Janewattananond is also lurking in 15th place and is one shot out of the top 10 at 25-1. I'm going to let things play out again tonight and see how the board looks after 54 holes.

A couple of third-round matchups caught my eye, but ultimately I decided to hold off. I had a long look at Anirban Lahiri -115 over Charl Schwartzel. Lahiri started hot in his second round with three birdies after five holes, but the weather delay threw him off and he fell down the board. This is a course he loves, though; I just worry the rain zapped his momentum.

I also considered a 3-ball bet with Scott Brown over Wesley Bryan and Poom Saksansin at +140. Brown is pretty up and down normally, but has been steady this week with rounds of 69 and 70. I think Saksansin probably starts to fade back further after being near the top of the lead for about 27 holes. As for Bryan, the real trouble comes on this course when players get errant off the tee, and he's one of the worst drivers on tour. He played well in the second round but carded a couple double bogeys on his opening 18, so he's prone to big numbers that can give these type of matchups away.

Joshua has spent the last five years writing about sports and the last 10 years betting them, mostly on golf. He's one of approximately five people who will watch the PGA over the NFL in November. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaPerry22

Photo: © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

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