Raise your hand if you plan to stay up tonight to watch Round 1 of the 2022 Open Championship.
If you raised your hand, I’m guessing that means you have a bet in for the first round of the final major of the 2022 golf season. If you didn’t, well you are in luck — because this article will motivate you to place those first-round leader bets.
As of Wednesday afternoon, it looks like players with a morning tee times will have the weather advantage in Round 1 of the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews Links Old Course. With that in mind, here is a look at the first-round leader market and a few golfers I will be betting on.
To Lead Round 1 of 2022 Open Championship
Rory McIlroy +2200
Xander Schauffele +2800
Jon Rahm +3300
Jordan Spieth +3300
Matthew Fitzpatrick +3300
Scottie Scheffler +3300
Shane Lowry +3300
Cameron Smith +4000
Justin Thomas +4000
Patrick Cantlay +4000
Will Zalatoris +4000
Collin Morikawa +4500
More selections available at WynnBET!
Golf Picks
Tony Finau
Finau has become a popular play this week, and for good reason. He’s played in Scotland four times and finished inside the top-20 in all four outings, which includes an 18th-place finish as a debutant in the 2016 Open.
There is also the fact that Finau has some solid recent form. His 13th-place finish at the Travelers last time out was his third top-15 finish over his last four starts. Finau just hasn’t been able to find the winner’s circle, and I’m not so sure he has the win equity to justify the popularity in the outright market.
But that can be solved by just betting on him to be the first-round leader for a price of 50/1. Finau will be in the morning group with Will Zalatoris and Hideki Matsuyama, so I’m counting on that group to bring out the best in each other.
Tommy Fleetwood
Another player priced at 50/1 to lead after Round 1, Tommy Fleetwood has become a trendy name for this week’s tournament.
That’s because of Fleetwood’s comfort in an event like this one. Fleetwood finished runner-up at the Open two years ago and has finished 33rd or better his last four tries at this event. The only time Fleetwood played at St Andrews was 2015, when he shot 69 on the first day before missing the cut.
Fleetwood gets the luxury of going off in the morning, as his tee time is set for 8:14 when he plays with Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose.
Bryson Dechambeau
The best part about the first-round leader market is it allows us to get weird.
Bryson Dechambeau is not the same player he once was when he was one of the more polarizing players on the tour. Dechambeau has missed four cuts over his last five PGA events, with the lone exception being a 56th-place finish at the U.S. Open.
I still think Dechambeau has a ceiling level in him, similar to how he used to overpower a golf course off the tee. We only need that to happen for one round when the conditions are right, and luckily he goes off in the morning with a group that features John Daly and Cameron Tringale. At 75/1, I think it is worth a sprinkle.
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