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Ideal scoring conditions presented themselves in Round 1 at TPC San Antonio as players faced little-to-no wind, fast fairways, and accessible pin locations. With the Greg Norman design firming up as the day progressed, it was Russell Knox, one of the first men on the golf course, who ended with the low round on Thursday.
Last in contention at The PLAYERS Championship, where he finished in a tie for sixth-place, it appears the Scotsman has carried his typically strong tee-to-green presence to Texas. Leading the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green by way of a spectacular around-the-green performance, Knox signed for a bogey-free 7-under 65.
When asked to describe his first round, the 36-year-old said, “Yeah, it was a great day obviously. A little chilly this morning, but then as the round kind of got going, I mean, absolutely the most beautiful weather to play golf in. Yeah, I mean, obviously thrilled with the round. I took care of business off the tee, which was nice. Obviously, this course, if you get offline, it can be very penal.”
Later harping on the importance of his off-the-tee play, Knox added, “So, I drove the ball well, iron play was solid again and just a couple of those good luck moments starting the round kind of got my momentum nice. Chip-in there on 7, good up-and-down on 6, great up-and-down on 9, those were kind of the key parts that allowed me to kind of settle into the back nine and have some easier birdies.”
Atop not only the leaderboard, but also the odds board at PointsBet Sportsbook, Knox has moved to +1000 with 54-holes to play. Worthy of the price given not only his statistical fit, but also his comfort level in potential dramatic winds – mainly Friday and Sunday – the Scotsman should feel right at home in the Texas breeze.
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Updated Odds to Win (Odds Via PointsBet):
+1000: Russell Knox
+1400: Rasmus Hojgaard
+1800: Denny McCarthy
+2000: Matt Kuchar
+2200: Corey Conners, J.J. Spaun
+2500: Aaron Rai, Dylan Frittelli, Luke List
+2800: Tony Finau
+3000: Brendan Steele, Rory McIlroy, Si Woo Kim
+3300: Anirban Lahiri, Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth
+4000: Chris Kirk, Matt Jones, Maverick McNealy, Mito Pereira, Ryan Palmer, Scott Stallings
+5000: Adam Hadwin, Davis Riley, Hideki Matsuyama, Kevin Streelman, Patrick Rodgers
+6000: Austin Smotherman, Patton Kizzire, Robert MacIntyre, Peter Uihlein
+6600: Brendon Todd
+7000: Troy Merritt
+8000: C.T. Pan, Jhonattan Vegas, Jim Herman, Matthias Schwab, Richard Bland
+9000: Keegan Bradley
+10000: Andrew Putnam, Ben Martin, Brice Garnett, Bryson DeChambeau, Camilo Villegas, Doc Redman, Henrik Norlander, Martin Laird, Nate Lashley, Taylor Moore
Round 2 Plays (Odds Via PointsBet):
Henrik Norlander +10000 to win (0.33 units):
I figure there are a couple ways to attack Round 2, but with winds expected to freshen in the afternoon hours, an addition to the outright card is the sound decision. Torn between a few players, we will forgo Todd at +6600 and remain content with our pre-tournament wager on Ian Poulter who currently resides at +12500.
Instead, Norlander will be our diamond of choice as the big Swede impressed on Thursday, signing for a round of 4-under 68. Only three adrift, Norlander is primed to play himself into position come the weekend as he ranked sixth in SG: Tee-to-Green, 16th in SG: Off-the-Tee, and ninth in SG: Approach.
Missing only three greens in regulation, the 35-year-old was unable to take advantage of the easy closing stretch at TPC San Antonio. Losing nearly a stroke to the field by playing Nos. 14-18 in even par, Norlander should be more than content with his current standing.
While the recent results look bleak – six consecutive missed cuts – the iron play has hardly been the issue as he has posted positive SG: Approach figures in four straight tournaments. Considered a second shot golf course, Norlander should be worthy of the investment given his morning tee time and the potential for dodgy weather later in the day on Friday.
Outrights YTD: +68.86 units, +213.53%
Total YTD: +46.87 units, +52.65%
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