The second round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship is in the books, and we have two golfers tied at the top, Kensei Hirata (+1800) and Chandler Blanchet (+950). There’s still a host of golfers who can win this tournament, and if the first two rounds have taught us anything, it’s that low scores are out there.

We’ve seen multiple golfers shoot 7 under or better across the last two days, and a round like that on Moving Day or Sunday can catapult someone up the leaderboard in a hurry, especially with tougher conditions forecast for the weekend.

But there’s some poetic justice in James missing the cut. Earlier in the week, I mentioned in my Horses for Courses article that favorites simply don’t win this tournament. In fact, only one golfer with pre-tournament odds of +2500 or shorter has won in Bermuda's previous seven editions. James entered at +1400 as the pre-tournament favorite, with plenty of attention surrounding him, only to miss the cut entirely. If that doesn’t tell you how much variance exists at this golf course, I don’t know what will.

So far, this golf course has rewarded accuracy more than anything else. There really hasn’t been one statistical category that separates the leaders from the rest of the field. We have golfers putting the lights out, others gaining strokes from tee to green and some absolutely striping their irons. There isn’t one particular way to attack this course, which makes the weekend that much more interesting.

That said, if you’re looking to attack the live betting market, I wouldn’t necessarily target golfers simply because they’re due for a bounce-back round. I’d rather focus on the guys who are absolutely flushing their irons, regardless of whether the putter is cooperating.

Find the golfers who are hitting fairways, giving themselves plenty of birdie opportunities and hitting a ton of greens in regulation. At a course where one hot round can completely change the leaderboard, I’d rather back elite ball-striking and hope the putter catches fire than chase someone who has been making everything on the greens.

How can you look down the odds board, see Austin Smotherman sitting there at +1300 and not want a piece of the action?

Smotherman won the Bank of Utah Championship with an impressive performance, and he’s always been the type of golfer I believed could start winning in bunches once he finally broke through. Why? Because he hits the ball in the middle of the fairway and is absolutely deadly with his irons.

That’s exactly what we’ve seen through two rounds in Bermuda. Smotherman has been gaining strokes off the tee and on approach, and his putter has been cooperating. He’s gained strokes on the greens throughout the tournament, which makes him that much more dangerous.

Austin Smotherman holes 17-foot shot for birdie on No. 16 at Butterfield Bermuda

It took Smotherman 100 starts to pick up his first PGA Tour victory. How incredible would it be for him to win again in his 101st start, going back to back? For anyone who has been rooting for Smotherman to finally break through, that would be quite the story.

But this isn’t just some feel-good narrative. When I look at the golfers priced around him, Smotherman is gaining more strokes ball striking than anyone in that range. He’s only two shots back, and I have a hard time believing Hirata can sustain this level of putting over the weekend.

If you’re looking for someone in that +1200 to +1500 range who has a legitimate chance to win this golf tournament, Smotherman is the golfer I’d be targeting.

I really wanted to take Cole (+700) to win this golf tournament before the start of his second round, but the price just didn’t make sense financially. I still don’t know if he can get over the hump and pick up his first PGA Tour victory, but what I’ve seen from his game this week tells me he should be in contention come Sunday.

I think taking Cole to finish inside the top five, including ties, is a relatively safe way to get exposure to him given how well he’s been playing.

Eric Cole hits tee shot to 4 feet, sets up birdie on No. 8 at Butterfield Bermuda

He’s been absolutely flushing the ball from tee to green. He lost strokes putting in the opening round and still managed to fire a 6-under round. In the second round, he gained strokes on the greens, and his putting stroke hasn’t looked nearly as bad as we’ve seen in the past.

I keep going back to the belief that slower greens give poor putters a better chance to compete. And doesn’t this just feel like a Cole golf course?

We’re talking about one of the shortest courses on Tour, which helps a guy who doesn’t hit the ball particularly far. The rough isn’t overly penal either, measuring just 2 inches. Cole isn’t the most accurate driver, but what he lacks in distance and accuracy off the tee, he can more than make up for with his approach play.

This is a relatively small wager because, quite frankly, the top of the odds board is pretty gross. But rather than take another long-shot flyer, I’d rather back a golfer who is already playing some of the best golf in the field.

I genuinely believe Cole has a chance to find himself in the final pairing on Sunday, and if that happens, we should be in a great position to cash this top-five ticket.