The field is whittled down to just 29 this week, as the initial 30-man roster was cut even shorter by Will Zalatoris dropping out. With the staggered scoring for the Tour Championship, there are a couple sites offering first-round leader betting both with and without starting strokes. With the help of OddsShopper golf betting tools, below are some of the best values on the board for the first-round leader market at the 2022 Tour Championship.
2022 Tour Championship First Round Leader Bets
Best First Round Leader Betting Picks
Sam Burns First Round Leader W/O Starting Strokes (+2000) | DraftKings
Sam Burns hasn’t exactly lit it up in the playoffs this season, but he’s proven this year that he doesn’t necessarily need much of a spark to go supernova. He has gained over five strokes putting four times this season and won two of those events. He’s also been one of the best starters on the PGA Tour in 2022 and ranks 18th in first-round scoring. Even though he’s only managed 19th- and 20th-place finishes in the first two events, it’s worth noting that Burns has shown upside in multiple areas, gaining six strokes around and the green plus putting last week and over four strokes on approach at the FedEx St. Jude.
The fact Burns hasn’t been able to put it together yet for a full tournament in over a month is not a concern for a one-round bet, as the upside he’s displayed in multiple areas is more than enough to carry him to a low round. Burns is clearly close and will also be back on his preferred Bermuda putting surface, making him a nice first-round bet without strokes.
Corey Conners First Round Leader — W/O Starting Strokes (+2200) | DraftKings
While it’s tempting to go back in the odds for a big number on the second selection, Corey Conners is hanging around in the same price range as Burns and also is capable of a big round on Thursday. Conners has been quite consistent in the playoffs thus far, posting a 28th at the St. Jude and a fifth at the BMW. He gained over seven strokes ball striking alone at Wilmington, and his tee-to-green play was up there with some of the best.
The golf playoffs consistently provide examples of players who use momentum to string together a couple of big weeks, and right now Conners is the kind of dark horse to bet. He’s struck it infinitely better in the second of the half of the season and will be tackling East Lake for the third time in his career this week. Look for him to ride the momentum of just squeaking into this event and produce a fast start.
Scottie Scheffler Round 1 Leader W/ Starting Strokes (-130) | BetMGM
A really simple bet to sweat this week for Round 1 is looking into the “with strokes” market and simply taking the No. 1 golfer in Scottie Scheffler to retain the lead after 18 holes. Scheffler is -130 just to retain the lead after Round 1, and he has a two-stroke advantage over the field — a field which now is also devoid of the No. 3 seed in Will Zalatoris.
Obviously, Xander Schauffele and Burns have a chance to upset this pick, starting at 6 and 5 under par, but this almost comes down to a matchup bet with Patrick Cantlay, with Cantlay starting 2 behind. Scheffler gained over seven strokes ball striking last week and was in the mix for most, if not all of the event. This is betting he starts solidly this week and tries to turn up the heat on his closest chaser.
If looking to make a wager on BetMGM this week, then Scheffler is a first-round leader target to consider at that sportsbook and new BetMGM users get a risk-free bet up to $1,000!
