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posted August 12, 2009 at 18:18 EST in Golf Props

PGA Championship Betting - First Round Leader Props

Bookmark and Share by D.S. Williamson

Golf:  USPGA 1st Round
Tee-off:  8/13/2009

Ask any gambler who wagers on golf and they will tell you that it’s harder to pick a golfer to lead after the 1st Round then it is to pick a golfer to win.

Tiger Woods is a +160 favorite to win the 2009 PGA Championship this year and a +450 favorite to lead at the end of Thursday.  Why? Because often times Tiger comes out of the gate slowly and then uses Friday and Saturday to get things going.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that El Tigre is a terrible bet in this category.  It just means that he might not be the best bet.

Let’s take a look at some of the contenders to finish at the head of the pack at the end of Thursday in the USPGA Championship.

2009 USPGA Championship 1st Round Leader

  1. Jim Furyk +4000 – Furyk was tied for 2nd place with a 66 after Thursday in the Masters earlier this year.  That means that he can, at times, come up big when it counts.  Furyk’s best stuff is often within the first two rounds of a tournament.  So, at the odds, I’m willing to take a stab on Furyk in this category.

 

  1. Hunter Mahan +2500 - - Mahan was tied for 2nd at the end of Thursday at the Masters as well.  He too could be a factor in this category because not only is he hitting the ball well but he’s finishing up with a flourish on Sundays.  Let’s say he carries over his 4th round at the WGC-Bridgestone to the USPGA on Thursday.  That would make him tough in this category.

 

  1. Mike Weir +6000 - - After the 1st Round of the U.S. Open at Bethpage earlier this year, it was Mike Weir who was ahead.  Weir also shot a 67 in the 1st Round of the British Open.  He will need to do better than the two straight 71s he has posted in his last two 1st Rounds, but there’s no doubt that he can.  At 60 to 1, he might be worth a wager in this category.

 

  1. Miguel Angel Jimenez +6000 - - Jimenez shot a 64 in the 1st Round of the British Open to lead after Thursday and a 68 in the 1st round of the WGC-Bridgestone last week.  Again, in this category gamblers should let the odds help them choose who to bet on.  Like Weir, at 60 to 1, he has to be considered for a bet in this category.

 

  1. Padraig Harrington +2500 – Paddy was great in the 1st Round of the WGC-Bridgestone last Thursday.  He led the field after that round and figures to be tough again this Thursday as Harrington is too gutsy and tough to let that debacle on the 16th on Sunday at the WGC-Bridgestone get to him.

 

  1. Tiger Woods +450 - - The odds are just too low for me to bet on Tiger in this category, but Tiger is too good for me top leave him off of this list.  El Tigre could be behind by 6 strokes after Thursday, or he could be up by 6 strokes.  It’s too hard to tell with Tiger.

 

Best Long Shot

Brian Gay +1000 - - 100 to 1 on a two time winner on the PGA Tour in 2009 in a category where he has won before almost makes my head spin.  Out of 20 1st Rounds this year, Gay has hit better than 70 in 10 of them.  That’s a 50% breaking the 70 barrier rate.  Not only that but he has hit 64 in the 1st Round once, 65 once and 66 twice.  A 64, 65 or 66 would probably make Gay the winner in this category.