It was a long day at the Old Course in St. Andrews on Thursday. Afternoon rounds dragged in tougher winds, but the morning crowd rolled right through the most historic course in golf. In total, the afternoon wave shot nearly a stroke and a half over par while the early tee times played it just a shade under par.
No player took more advantage of the wave split than Cameron Young, who steamrolled his way to an 8-under 64. The most impressive part is definitely the bogey-free round on a course where the smallest mistake can be magnified. He'll need to continue playing great golf to stay at the top the rest of the way as there is quite a list of names looking to chase him down. That list starts with Rory McIlroy, who fired a six-under 66. One shot behind him is Cameron Smith, who has a stroke advantage on the likes of Viktor Hovland, Dustin Johnson and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler after the opening round.
The players that got an afternoon time on Thursday will roll right back out on Friday morning in some cold and potentially rainy conditions. They may have drawn the short end of the stick this week, but with weather changing on a dime in Scotland, we can't really rely too much on that going into Friday. I'll keep a lookout for weather changes leading into the second round, though for now I'm playing it weather neutral.
Best Bets
Bryson DeChambeau: +5500 (DraftKings)
Bryson DeChambeau is the most intriguing player for me within a handful of strokes of the lead. He shot a 3-under 69 on Thursday and was the second best in the field tee-to-green in projected numbers. His issue was some really poor putting in his opening few holes and a putting blunder on the 16th down the back nine.
My overall sentiment on DeChambeau is that it seems like he figured out the greens and got the putting under control down the back stretch despite his overall numbers showing he lost more than a stroke to the field in that metric. We know he is a guy who will be aggressive on this course and when he brings his game he can still be one of the best players in the world. For me, he's worth a gamble at +5500 on DraftKings to see if we may snatch a potentially elite player at a big number.
Tyrrell Hatton: +6600 and Top 10 (BetMGM)
The guy a little further down the leaderboard who I am going to buy up and down the board into Friday is Tyrrell Hatton. He has shown some flashes of form dating back to last week's JP McManus Pro-Am and has had extensive success at the Old Course in his play at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour.
I was beating the drum for the Englishman heading into the week and was happy to see him finish with three birdies across his final six holes to get into the clubhouse at 2-under on Thursday. He seemed to find some comfort with his game down the back nine and if he carries that into Friday he could be in position to go low. Hatton ranks third on TOUR in three putt avoidance, which will continue to be a key the rest of the way. I also think his course knowledge will come in handy over the next three days. I see some solid value in him at +6600 on BetMGM and certainly in placement markets if we get those odds Thursday night.
Shane Lowry: Matchups, DFS, up to Top 10
The surprising part of the day for Shane Lowry wasn't that he struggled — that can certainly happen — but it was the way in which he struggled. He had a number of three putts at the Old Course, which is simply uncharacteristic of a player like him who is typically really strong on and around the greens.
I expect him to bounce back Friday and will line him up in a number of formats, though he's getting a little too much respect in outright markets. Instead, I'll mostly attack with him for Round 2 only, with some adders in placement markets if and when they get posted.
