- The Valspar Championship from Palm Harbor, FL tees off Thursday, March 17th
- Victor Hovland and Justin Thomas are +2200 co-favorites to lead after the first round
- See the best bets and odds to grab the first-round lead in the article below
A strong field featuring five of the top-ten golfers in the world is teeing it up at the Valspar Championship. Among those top players are Victor Hovland and Justin Thomas, who are co-favorites to win in the Valspar Championship odds. They’re also most likely to grab the first round lead in the eyes of oddsmakers.
The other top-ten golfers competing are Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele. They’ll be faced with a track that has a very challenging final three holes nicknamed ‘the snake pit’. There are also plenty of opportunities for Valspar Championship sleepers and longshots to make some noise.
2022 Valspar Championship First Round Leader Odds
| Golfers | Odds | Tee Time |
|---|---|---|
| Victor Hovland | +2200 | 8:24am |
| Justin Thomas | +2200 | 1:03pm |
| Collin Morikawa | +2500 | 8:24am |
| Louis Oosthuizen | +2500 | 8:35am |
| Xander Schauffele | +2500 | 1:25pm |
| Dustin Johnson | +3000 | 8:13am |
| Jason Kokrak | +3500 | 8:35am |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +3500 | 9:08am |
| Sam Burns | +3500 | 1:25pm |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +3500 | 1:36pm |
| Brooks Koepka | +4000 | 8:35am |
| Shane Lowry | +4000 | 1:14pm |
| Abraham Ancer | +4500 | 8:24am |
| Keegan Bradley | +5000 | 8:57am |
| Bubba Watson | +6000 | 8:13am |
Odds as of March 16th at DraftKings Sportsbook
The forecast is expected to be mainly sunny throughout the day in Florida. Temperatures will be in the mid 60’s for the morning, reaching low 70’s for the afternoon. Wind gusts will be pretty well consistent for all of Thursday, between seven and nine miles per hour.
A benefit for those teeing it up in the morning is the exact same as it is every week – less bumpy greens with fewer players chewing them up.
Victor Hovland on a Tear
In his last nine tournaments, Viktor Hovland has been sensational, racking up three victories, and has posted seven top-ten finishes in that time frame. He’s found himself deep in contention at the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship in his last three starts.
He’s also one of the top players on Thursdays this season.
2021-22 PGA Tour First Round Scoring Average Leaders
| Golfer | Average Score | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 7. Patton Kizzire | 68.15 | +9000 |
| 8. Matt Kuchar | 68.33 | +10000 |
| 12. Jhonattan Vegas | 68.60 | +10000 |
| 13. Brian Harman | 68.64 | +9000 |
| 15. Graeme McDowell | 68.67 | +14000 |
| 20. Abraham Ancer | 68.78 | +4500 |
| 21. Tommy Fleetwood | 68.80 | +6000 |
| 24. William McGirt | 68.86 | +20000 |
| 25. Victor Hovland | 68.88 | +2200 |
| 26. Sam Burns | 68.90 | +3500 |
In his last twelve rounds on tour, the Norwegian sensation is first in total strokes gained, tee-to-green, ball striking, off-the-tee, and approaching the green. He’s the co-favorite to grab the first round lead for a reason, and at +2200, the odds are still decent.
- Pick: Victor Hovland (+2200)
2022 Masters Odds Tracker
Abraham Ancer Excels at Copperhead Course
Abraham Ancer has only played this golf tournament twice, but he’s looked very comfortable on both occasions. In 2018, he was T-16th, then last year, he found himself in contention through 54 holes, before settling for fifth place.
For those eight rounds, Ancer has accumulated some impressive ‘strokes gained’ stats.
Ancer’s Strokes Gained Stats Last Eight Rounds at Copperhead Course
| Total | Tee-To-Green | Short Game | Putting | Off-The-Tee | Ball Striking | Around-The-Green | Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 22 | 24 |
Ancer also has the sixth best scoring average in the first round, of those teeing it up this week. He’s seventh in driving accuracy on the campaign, which will come in handy in his attempt to secure more birdies and avoid bogeys.
- Pick: Abraham Ancer (+4500)
Adam Hadwin Coming Off Strong Players Championship
Adam Hadwin enters this championship fresh off a solid T-9th showing at TPC Sawgrass. For that week, he gained over five shots on the greens compared to his competitors and over four shots approaching the green.
The Valspar Championship is also the site of his lone PGA Tour triumph, in 2017. In his last twelve rounds at this venue, he’s posted strong numbers.
Hadwin’s Strokes Gained Stats Last Twelve Rounds At Copperhead Course
| Approach | Ball Striking | Total | Tee-To-Green | Short Game | Around-The-Green | Putting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 23 | 33 |
His strong result at the Players Championship was his fourth finish of T-26th or better in his last six events, indicating he’s close to putting it all together. His odds to grab the first round lead is very intriguing for a past champ, and worth a dart throw for a long shot wager.
- Pick: Adam Hadwin (+7000)
The post First Round Leader Odds at 2022 Valspar Championship appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
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