3 Ball Betting
A 3 ball bet shrinks the whole tournament down to one group of three players over a single round. You’re not picking the champion — you’re simply backing whichever of the three shoots the lowest score that day. Because golf is scored low, the player with the fewest strokes wins your bet, and you only have to beat two rivals rather than a field of a hundred.
That smaller pool is why the prices are so much friendlier than the outright winner market, usually landing between 2.00 and 4.00. It also makes the bet a great fit for one-round reads: the morning draw, a player in red-hot recent form, or someone who historically tears up a particular course. If you’d rather pit two named players against each other over the full event instead of three over one round, step across to the 72 hole match bet.
Place it on Scorebet, step by step
- 1Open the 3 Ball tab
On the tournament page, tap the 3 Ball tab to see the round's groupings.
- 2Read the group
Each row shows three players paired together for that round, with a price beside each name.
- 3Pick the lowest scorer
Choose the player you think will shoot the best (lowest) score in that group, then tap their odds to add it to your slip. Remember, lower scores are better in golf.
- 4Stake and confirm
Enter your stake and confirm the bet.
Example: a 3 ball group at the Open d Italia 2026
| Selection | Odds | R50 returns |
|---|---|---|
| Elvis Smylie | 2.37 | R118.50 |
| Andy Sullivan | 2.50 | R125.00 |
| Charley Hoffman | 3.90 | R195.00 |
Check form, course history and tee time. Early morning slots can catch softer, calmer conditions before the wind picks up, which matters over a single round.
A 3 ball is a one-round bet, so recent form and the day's draw matter far more than season-long pedigree. A streaky player can win the group even if they have no chance of the title.
Frequently asked
What happens if two players in a 3 ball tie?
On most 3 ball markets a dead heat is settled under dead-heat rules, where your returns are reduced in proportion to how many players shared the lowest score. Some books offer a tie price instead — always check how the specific market settles before you stake.
Is a 3 ball easier to win than an outright?
Yes. You only have to beat two other golfers over one round rather than the entire field over four, so the odds are far shorter — typically around 2.00 to 4.00 rather than the double figures you see on outrights.
Why is the bookmaker's margin often heavier on a 3 ball than on a 2 ball?
A 2 ball is a near 50-50 with only two outcomes, so the book can run a tight over-round on it. A 3 ball has three roughly even outcomes, and the margin tends to be padded a little more across those three prices because the field is small and the result is volatile over a single round. If you add the three implied percentages together they'll exceed 100 by more than a typical two-way market — that gap is the hold.
How does an early-morning tee time shift a 3 ball price?
Groups don't all play in the same conditions — the morning wave often gets softer, calmer greens before the wind builds, which can be worth a stroke or two over 18 holes. When all three players in a group share the same tee time that advantage cancels out, but across a windy day the early starters as a whole tend to score lower. Reading the draw and the forecast is one of the few genuine edges in a one-round group bet.