There's nothing quite like a first-round leader bet in golf.
When else can you convert a 100-1 longshot in just a few hours? Or have that longshot ripped away from you when Justin Thomas or Rory McIlroy storms up the leaderboard on Thursday afternoon?
Bettors love first-round leaders because a golfer doesn't need to sustain his pace for all four rounds. He just needs to catch fire for 18 holes. And that opens up a world of possibilities when building a card.
First-round leader odds are correlated with odds to win the tournament, but the range of outcomes shrinks. Justin Thomas, the tournament favorite at around 10-1, is 20-1 to lead the first round because he's more likely to outlast the entire field over four rounds than best the entire field for one day.
The guys lower down the board will be the opposite. Take Cam Champ, a bomber who our Josh Perry likes this week. He's 100-1 to be the FRL, but 150-1 to win the tournament because it's more likely that he gets scorching hot for 18 holes than keeps it together all weekend.
So who should you bet?
Here's our primer on betting first-round leaders and what to look for, and here are the odds for the 2020 PGA Championship (via bet365).
PGA Championship First-Round Leader Odds
Via bet365, where you can also bet each-ways on first-rounder leader bets. You double your stake, but get paid if your golfer finishes in the Top 5 after Round 1.
| Player | FRL Odds |
|---|---|
| Justin Thomas | 20-1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 20-1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 22-1 |
| Jon Rahm | 25-1 |
| Bryson Dechambeau | 33-1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 33-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 33-1 |
| Webb Simpson | 35-1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 35-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 40-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 40-1 |
| Daniel Berger | 45-1 |
| Collin Morikawa | 45-1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 50-1 |
| Viktor Hovland | 50-1 |
| Jason Day | 50-1 |
| Tony Finau | 50-1 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | 50-1 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 50-1 |
| Gary Woodland | 50-1 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 50-1 |
| Patrick Reed | 50-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 50-1 |
| Justin Rose | 50-1 |
| Adam Scott | 50-1 |
| Abraham Ancer | 60-1 |
| Shane Lowry | 60-1 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 66-1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 66-1 |
| Sungjae Im | 66-1 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 66-1 |
| Marc Leishman | 66-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 66-1 |
| Chez Reavie | 80-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 80-1 |
| Billy Horschel | 80-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 80-1 |
| Paul Casey | 80-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 80-1 |
| Brendon Todd | 80-1 |
| Matthew Wolff | 80-1 |
| Joaquin Niemann | 90-1 |
| Erik van Rooyen | 90-1 |
| Byeong Hun An | 90-1 |
| Ryan Moore | 90-1 |
| Sepp Straka | 90-1 |
| Kevin Streelman | 100-1 |
| Kevin Kisner | 100-1 |
| Danny Willett | 100-1 |
| Adam Hadwin | 100-1 |
| Corey Conners | 100-1 |
| Cameron Champ | 100-1 |
| Tom Lewis | 100-1 |
| Ian Poulter | 100-1 |
| Matt Wallace | 100-1 |
| Harris English | 100-1 |
| Max Homa | 100-1 |
| Ryan Palmer | 110-1 |
| Richy Werenski | 110-1 |
| Kevin Na | 110-1 |
| Brendan Steele | 110-1 |
| Joel Dahmen | 110-1 |
| Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 110-1 |
| J T Poston | 125-1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 125-1 |
| Dylan Frittelli | 125-1 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | 125-1 |
| Emiliano Grillo | 125-1 |
| Lucas Glover | 125-1 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 125-1 |
| Luke List | 125-1 |
| Charl Schwartzel | 125-1 |
| Michael Thompson | 125-1 |
| Rory Sabbatini | 125-1 |
| Adam Long | 125-1 |
| Mackenzie Hughes | 125-1 |
| Brian Harman | 125-1 |
| Russell Henley | 125-1 |
| Matthias Schwab | 125-1 |
| Nick Taylor | 125-1 |
| Cameron Tringale | 150-1 |
| Harold Varner | 150-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 150-1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 150-1 |
| Cameron Smith | 150-1 |
| Graeme McDowell | 150-1 |
| Joost Luiten | 150-1 |
| Robert MacIntyre | 150-1 |
| Jason Kokrak | 150-1 |
| Si Woo Kim | 150-1 |
| Zach Johnson | 150-1 |
| Talor Gooch | 150-1 |
| Troy Merritt | 150-1 |
| Mike Lorenzo Vera | 150-1 |
| Rafael Cabrera Bello | 150-1 |
| Lanto Griffin | 175-1 |
| Keith Mitchell | 175-1 |
| Doc Redman | 175-1 |
| Scott Piercy | 175-1 |
| Haotong Li | 175-1 |
| Jason Dufner | 175-1 |
| Danny Lee | 175-1 |
| Marcus Kinhult | 175-1 |
| Joohyung Kim | 175-1 |
| Wyndham Clark | 200-1 |
| Andrew Landry | 200-1 |
| Sebastian Munoz | 200-1 |
| Jimmy Walker | 200-1 |
| Sung Kang | 200-1 |
| C T Pan | 200-1 |
| Vaughn Taylor | 200-1 |
| Kurt Kitayama | 200-1 |
| Matt Jones | 200-1 |
| Bud Cauley | 200-1 |
| Andrew Putnam | 200-1 |
| Mark Hubbard | 200-1 |
| Tom Hoge | 200-1 |
| Carlos Ortiz | 250-1 |
| Benjamin Hebert | 250-1 |
| Victor Perez | 250-1 |
| Jazz Janewattananond | 250-1 |
| Tyler Duncan | 250-1 |
| Jorge Campillo | 250-1 |
| Denny Mccarthy | 250-1 |
| Ryo Ishikawa | 250-1 |
| Lucas Herbert | 250-1 |
| Steve Stricker | 250-1 |
| Nate Lashley | 250-1 |
| Chan Kim | 250-1 |
| Brian Stuard | 250-1 |
| Nate Lashley | 250-1 |
| Chan Kim | 250-1 |
| Brian Stuard | 250-1 |
| Shaun Norris | 300-1 |
| Ken Tanigawa | 300-1 |
| Davis Love III | 350-1 |
| Jim Herman | 350-1 |
| Rich Beem | 400-1 |
| Jim Herman | 350-1 |
| Rich Beem | 400-1 |
| Justin Bertsch | 400-1 |
| Rod Perry | 400-1 |
| Jeff Hart | 400-1 |
| Jason Caron | 400-1 |
| Shuan Micheel | 500-1 |
| Alex Beach | 500-1 |
| Judd Gibb | 500-1 |
| Rich Berberian Jr | 500-1 |
| Danny Balin | 500-1 |
| Alex Knoll | 500-1 |
| Bob Sowards | 500-1 |
| Rob Labritz | 500-1 |
| Marty Jertson | 500-1 |
| Ryan Vermeer | 500-1 |
| Mike Auterson | 500-1 |
| Shawn Warren | 500-1 |
| J R Roth | 500-1 |
| John OLeary | 500-1 |
| David Muttitt | 500-1 |
| Benny Cook | 500-1 |
| JustinBertsch | 50000-1 |
| JeffHart | 50000-1 |
| AlexBeach | 50000-1 |
| ShawnWarren | 50000-1 |
| AlexKnoll | 50000-1 |
| JuddGibb | 50000-1 |
| MartyJertson | 50000-1 |
| BobSowards | 50000-1 |
| RichBerberian Jr | 50000-1 |
| ZachJ Johnson | N/A |
| ShuanMicheel | N/A |
| RichBerberian | N/A |
| JeffRoth | N/A |
| MikeAuterson | N/A |
| DannyBalin | N/A |
| OLeary | N/A |
