One of the more popular markets going into any golf tournament is the first round leader market and whenever there is a major there is often more intention and scrutiny on it as everyone wants to get off to a fast start.
The first round of the USPGA on Thursday could be a little easier to decipher than some because the wind is expected to blow a lot stronger in the afternoon session than the morning so those out early should be a real factor on the leaderboard at the end of the opening day of action.
With that in mind I’m going to target a couple of players who I think will get off to a quick start but maybe not see the job through in the hope of landing a nice payout to make life a lot easier for the rest of the week.
Charl Schwartzel was in a tie for eighth after the first round of The Open and that looked like being a lot higher when he finished but the wind didn’t blow as strongly as it was meant to. That shows us a couple of things. Firstly he can start majors fast and secondly he can play seaside or in this case lakeside golf.
As a former winner of a major he knows how to get off to fast starts and how important they are. I think this course sets up nicely for him and I fancy him to go well initially. Whether he has the ammunition to get it done on Sunday remains to be seen but I would expect to see him quite prominent on Thursday.
Another man who was high up on the leaderboard at The Open was the American player Robert Streb. Streb was actually in a tie for second behind Dustin Johnson at St Andrews and everything that applied to Charl Schwartzel applies to him. Streb comes in here in really strong form and might actually hang around right up until the death on Sunday but if he is going to do that he needs to start well so the 80/1 on him leading after round one is mighty attractive too.
I’m also going to take a chance on a man who actually likes Pete Dye tracks in the form of Boo Weekley. Weekley is twice a winner of The Heritage and he was third in the Zurich Classic earlier in the year so he has good form on these tracks which is encouraging. He’s a massive price but he’s out early and if he catches light early on he could shoot a nice number which might see us to a pay out late on Thursday.
Back C.Schwartzel First round leader (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Skybet (1/4 1-6)
Back R.Streb First round leader (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with BetVictor (1/4 1-6)
Back B.Weekley First round leader (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 201.00 with BetVictor (1/4 1-6)
