PGA Championship First Round Leader

The heavens have emptied at Quail Hollow over the last couple of days and with more rain threatening for Wednesday we are going to see a mighty soft golf course at least for the opening couple of days of the PGA Championship - get my outright picks here.

The sub air system underneath the green surfaces means they may be able to firm up the greens a little, but it's arguable how fast they can get them. 

Nevertheless, with some high temperatures in the afternoon, holding the greens may be the only task here across the week. On Day 1 you'd expect the earlier starters to get the better of it before the greens dry out a little and that's the section where my three first round leader bets come from. 

PGA Championship First Round Leader Tips

 

Rickie Fowler @ 100/1 (Six Places)

First up is Rickie Fowler who is interesting at a top price of 100/1. Rickie has a love affair with Quail Hollow which dates back to 2012 where he gained his maiden victory on the PGA Tour. 

Another couple of top five finishes ensures he arrives here as one of the course dogs behind McIlroy. US Open venues Erin Hills and LA Country Club have seen him land the first round leader since 2017 and Bellerive saw him finish 2nd at the PGA after the first 18 back in 2018. 

He has posted 3rd, 5th and 8th in three of his last six first round efforts and is certainly one of those who is a lot more likely to lead this event early doors than what he will be to do so on Sunday evening.

0.75pt each-way R.Fowler 100/1 (1/5 6) Paddy Power

Stephan Jaeger @ 110/1 (Six Places)

I'm keen to include Stephan Jaeger in round one who has a chequered history here at Quail. A couple of missed cuts in 2018 and 2019 was a poor start but he has since got to grips with it finishing 27th and 21st in his last two efforts here.

Last year he fired a best of the day 65 in the second round and he has a plum draw to do something similar on Thursday. He is a much improved golfer since those missed cuts early in his career and recently he has shot out of the gates in fine style. 

Six top 11 finishes in his last nine first round starts shows means he is one of the better starters and during that period he led after 18 holes at Copperhead in late March. The German has gone as low as 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour and could trap well early.

0.75pt each-way S.Jaeger 110/1 (1/5 6) Paddy Power

Andrew Novak @ 100/1 (Seven Places)

Big names often come to the front early in Major Championships but this time I'm around I'm inclined to play at bigger prices simply because of the soft conditions. There should be plenty of low scores and the final player on my list is Andrew Novak. 

Novak has been hitting the ball remarkably well lately with an overdue victory coming in the Zurich just a couple of weeks ago. Prior to that he had been somewhat of an unlucky loser at Harbour Town losing out to JT in a playoff and he was in contention most of the way in Texas before a poor final round saw him finish 3rd. 

With seven places here on offer for round one he would have placed in this market five times in his last 17 starts. That bodes well for a player in form who can hole more than enough putts on his day to get into the mix here after 18.

0.75pt each-way A.Novak 100/1 (1/5 7) Unibet, BetMGM, Livescore