Round 1 of the 150th Open is in the books, and PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young is in the lead after a blistering 8-under-64. The day’s biggest story came from Tiger Woods, who failed to rebound from his rocky start. Woods started the tournament with a double bogey on the first hole and struggled throughout the front nine. Despite playing the final 11 holes even-par, he finished the round with a 6-over-78, marking the highest single round he’s had at the Open.
Woods wasn’t the only golfer in the PM window to struggle. After the shift in the forecast, there was an extreme weather advantage for those who teed off in the morning window. I was one of the brave who woke up early to watch as much Open golf as possible; I’ve watched a lot of golf today. After watching, I found a couple of three-balls on PointsBet Sportsbook that caught my attention.
Talor Gooch (+112) over Shaun Norris and Wyndham Clark
Before the tournament, I was a firm fader of Gooch. I told one of my discord friends to stay far away from Gooch. Boy, did I look silly after he went out and shot a 68. Much of which was done with poor approach play. The conditions were difficult during his round, but strong putting and carefully placed tee shots allowed him to post a good opening round score.
Generally, when backing someone in a three-ball, I want to fade one or two members of the three-ball. This time, I’m backing the better golfer who now looks ready to play good golf again. He has two members of his three-ball that are very beatable. Norris went on to post a forgettable 2-over round. He lost strokes putting around the green and on approach. I’m not a huge fan of back Norris in three-balls, so that eliminates one group member. The other is Clark. He’s scary, given his current form. Let’s not forget this is the same Clark who has over eight missed cuts on the season. Backing Gooch feels dirty, but it should be an easy cash.
Scottie Scheffler (+125) over Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton
This might be one of my favorite three-balls in a very long time. The price on Scheffler is beautiful for how he played today and the improvements he can make in tomorrow’s round. He struggled to find birdies on the back nine but was still able to post a 4-under-68. While missing numerous putts, he still gained +3.30 strokes on the putting surface. He wasn’t dialed in with his irons. The angulation of the greens hindered his ability to attack pins. In round 2, he will be better on approach, which will help him post a similar score, if not better. It’s important to note that Scheffler is top five in Strokes Gained: Total in the second round.
He’s up against formidable golfers in Niemann and Hatton. I’m still siding with Scheffler. Statically, Niemann played nearly flawless golf and still lost the head-to-head against Scheffler. As for Hatton, I would back Scheffler over Hatton any day. At this price, it’s a bet I must make.
