2023 Masters odds: Our favorite first-round leader bets for Thursday's opening round at Augusta

There is nothing quite like a good First-Round Leader (FRL) sweat.

While some people wait all year to cash a +600 ticket on the Houston Astros to win the World Series, FRL bettors only have to endure around 10 hours of golf action to cash tickets that can climb into the triple-digits.

Longshots may not win golf tournaments all that often, but it’s not a rarity to see them top the board after 18 holes of golf. It’s what makes the FRL experience such a roller coaster. You just need your player to get hot for one round.

There is no right or wrong way to bet this market. Handicapping one round of a golf tournament is basically a random exercise, so bettors should look at this as a way to have fun rather than a way to find +EV. Thus, you want to bet small and embrace the sweat.

With that in mind, here are a couple of names to keep an eye on in the FRL market:

2023 Masters First-Round Leader Bets

Justin Rose (+5000, BetMGM)

This one is easy. Rose has cashed four FRL tickets at Augusta in his career and has been in good form in 2023. You don’t need to overthink this one.

Si Woo Kim (+6000, FanDuel)

A player to keep in mind across all formats, Si Woo Kim has seemingly taken a step forward in his career lately. The 27-year-old always boasted tournament-winning talent, but he also carried some serious downside as his game could implode without warning. These days, Kim seems to be a steady hand as he’s missed one cut on the year.

Kim has a win and a handful of Top-25 finishes already this year and is 22nd on the PGA Tour in Round 1 scoring average this season.

Tom Hoge (+6600, BetMGM)

This is just Hoge’s second trip to Augusta National, but that shouldn’t deter you from backing him in some form over the weekend.

The Fargo, N.D. native has carved out a place on the PGA Tour over the last calendar year and is coming into Augusta in decent form. Hoge finished T14 at the Genesis, then MC’d at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he bounced back nicely with a T3 at THE PLAYERS in his last full-field start.

Hoge ranks 24th on the PGA Tour in Round 1 scoring average this season and that number would be a lot better if it was not for slow starts at the API and THE PLAYERS.

Russell Henley (+10000, FanDuel)

It’s been an hot-and-cold start to the year for Henley, but he did put together his best performance of 2023 in his last start with a T19 finish at THE PLAYERS.

And although it hasn’t translated to this season, Henley was one of the best Thursday players on the PGA Tour during the 2021-22 campaign. Only Rory McIlroy, Cam Smith and Joaquin Niemann boasted better Round 1 scoring averages last season than the Georgia native.

Though he’s only played in one Masters since 2018, Henley’s got some decent course history here with a pair of top-15 finishes.

Cameron Champ (+10000, BetMGM)

Champ is boom-or-bust, but the 27-year-old has shown a real penchant for working his way around Augusta National. Champ has finished no worse than T26 in his a trio of outings at the Masters and he’s coming off a T10 in 2022.

Champ may not have the consistency in his all-around game to don the Green Jacket, but his all-world length off the tee makes him a threat to go very low if he can get his short game to cooperate.

The Inquirer is not an online gambling operator, or a gambling site. We provide this information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only.