Editor’s Note: Now, all our premium tools for Fantasy, DFS and Betting are included in one subscription at one low price. Customers can subscribe to NBC Sports EDGE+ monthly ($9.99) or save 20% on an annual subscription ($95.88). And don’t forget to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
Three different courses saw three different men put their claim on the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. We will begin with Tom Hoge who had an opportunity to tie the course record at Pebble Beach. Beginning his first-round on the back-nine, the 32-year-old made birdie on his first two holes of the day.
Stalling until the par-5 18th, the North Dakota resident turned in 3-under 33. Three-putting for par on the reachable par-5 second, Hoge was frustrated and would rattle off six consecutive birdies following the misstep to reach 9-under. Unable to convert yet another birdie chance on the ninth, he settled for a bogey-free 9-under 63 to lead by one.
While Hoge may possess the lead, the round of the day went to Seamus Power. The Irishman took to the most difficult course, Spyglass Hill, on Thursday and had no issues in doing so. Playing some of the most consistent golf on the PGA Tour, Power’s name continues to appear on the leaderboard, and this week will be no different.
Signing for a bogey-free 8-under 64, the 34-year-old has now become the co-favorite at PointsBet Sportsbook. When asked about his confidence level since his victory at the Barbasol Championship this past summer, Power said, “Yeah, I really have. I really, this – I know this place always plays the hardest, I’ve always really enjoyed playing Spyglass, it kind of suits my eye and game feels in good shape so I was like, why not.”
And then there is the pre-tournament favorite Patrick Cantlay. In what was an uncharacteristic up-and-down round, the world No. 4 carded a 6-under 65 at Monterey Peninsula. Set to take on Spyglass Hill in Round 2, the California kid discussed the challenge ahead, saying, “The greens are so undulating that you really have to leave your golf ball in the right spot. And there’s a few hole locations that you really have to know exactly what you’re doing. And it’s lucky we don’t play four rounds at that place because I don’t know if there’s four hole locations on every green.”
We unfortunately did not know what we were doing in the first-round as we got in front of the runaway train that is Hoge. With some brief moments of potential, we will look to not only recuperate our Thursday loss, but also get back in the black when it comes to our matchup record.
The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
Updated Odds to Win (Odds Via PointsBet):
+350: Patrick Cantlay, Seamus Power
+600: Tom Hoge
+2200: Jason Day
+3000: Jordan Spieth
+3300: Andrew Putnam, Austin Smotherman, Denny McCarthy
+4000: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Scott Stallings, Taylor Moore, Troy Merritt
+5000: Kevin Streelman, Maverick McNealy, Min Woo Lee
+6000: Austin Eckroat, David Lipsky
+6600: Charley Hoffman, Greyson Sigg, Satoshi Kodaira
+8000: Brendon Todd, Doc Redman, Hayden Buckley, Justin Rose, Matthew NeSmith, Ryan Moore, Vaughn Taylor
+9000: Camilo Villegas
Round 2 Plays (Odds Via PointsBet):
Ryan Palmer +150 over Jordan Spieth (1.00 unit):
I came into the week a bit perplexed with Palmer’s lack of success in this tournament and was even compelled to discuss him on various shows. As Golf Channel’s Shane Bacon coined, the 45-year-old’s “psycho scorecard” was one to behold. Namely on his front-nine as Palmer turned in 3-over at Monterey Peninsula, carding three birdies, four bogeys, and a double-bogey.
Finding his footing on the inward half, Palmer climbed back to even-par for the tournament. Eventually finishing three-strokes worse than Spieth, I cannot help but look at the form he arrived to Pebble Beach in. Making five consecutive cuts dating back to 2021, Palmer’s two results this year read T-12 and T-16. Gaining strokes throughout the bag in each start, I expect a well-balanced round from him tomorrow at Spyglass Hill.
Which could spell trouble for the younger Texan in this pairing as Spieth is as erratic as they come these days. Over his illness from last week, from a rudimentary level, today was actually one of his better ball-striking rounds in recent memory. Unsure if this will snowball into something more, the manner in which the three-time major champion has played since The Open continues to creep into the back of my mind, thus giving the edge to Palmer.
Nick Taylor +175 over Jason Day (1.00 unit):
Statistically, they were rather similar in the first-round as Day got the better of Taylor by a single-stroke. If not for a bad break on the par-4 13th, the Canadian would have rated better from a strokes-gained perspective and likely in the same neighborhood as Day who gained strokes across the board, ranking 10th in SG: Tee-to-Green.
Playing more consistent than Day when taking a step back, I am willing to chance the ball bounces Taylor’s way in the second round. While the Australian is a great story and a return to prominence seems imminent (if he can stay healthy), I am still going to need to see more out of the former world No. 1.
For the purposes of a single round, this price is too long to ignore. In what is likely more of a coin flip, I will side with Taylor as the two are set to take on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula in Round 2.
2/3-Balls YTD: -1.90 units, -12.16%
Total YTD: +49.69 units, +156.95%
PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links. NJ, IA, IN, IL, CO, MI, VA, WV only. 21+. T&C apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
