How the public is betting leader after day 1 of the Travelers Championship

The PGA Tour tees off at TPC River Highlands on Thursday with the 2020 Travelers Championship. There was concern the tournament might get canceled due to Covid-19, but the Tour is forging ahead, with the first golfers teeing off at 6:45 a.m. ET on Thursday.

Justin Thomas entered this week’s tournament as the betting favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. Late money closed him at +900 to win the whole thing, keeping him just ahead of regular favorite Rory McIlroy (+1000). Bryson DeChambeau (+1100) and Jon Rahm (+1600) followed, with Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, and Xander Schauffele all next at +2200.

There will be plenty of wagering on who will win the tournament, but once the tournament starts, you’re stuck waiting four days for the results. Why not bet on a round-by-round basis as well? The book offers odds on who will lead after each round, giving you some same day finality.

The leader after round 1 odds include top names, but we get a few longer shots mixed in. Jhonathan Vegas (+8000) is the longest shot getting some love to have the low round on Thursday. Last week at the RBC Heritage, he finished 17th, but had the low round on Friday.

It’s no surprise Bubba Watson is in the top five in handle. He’s won the Travelers Championship three times dating back to 2010. He’ll be a popular bet this week, but also a popular DFS play.

Here are the 13 golfers getting the most action heading into Thursday.

Bryson DeChambeau (+2000): 8% handle, 5% bets
Justin Thomas (+1800): 5% handle, 3% bets
Jordan Spieth (+5500): 4% handle, 4% bets
Abraham Ancer (+4000): 3% handle, 3% bets
Bubba Watson (+4500): 4% handle, 3% bets
Rory McIlroy (+2000): 3% handle, 3% bets
Jhonattan Vegas (+8000): 3% handle, 4% bets
Patrick Cantlay (+3300): 3% handle, 3% bets
Scottie Scheffler (+6000): 3% handle, 2% bets
Justin Rose (+3300): 3% handle, 2% bets
Jon Rahm (+2800): 3% handle, 2% bets
Joaquin Niemann (+4500): 2% handle, 2% bets
Paul Casey (+5000): 2% handle, 2% bets

Last week, Ian Poulter and Mark Hubbard tied for the lead on Thursday. Poulter was +6600 to top the field in the first round, while Hubbard was +12500.

A solid first day puts a golfer in position to get into the weekend, but some there are always notable names that stumble after performing well on day 1. Rickie Fowler was tied for 26th after day 1 thanks to a 67, but failed to make the cut after a Friday 72.

Here are the full odds for who will lead when the first round comes to a close.

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