The penultimate event of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Fall Series begins on Thursday and every player in the field will be hoping for a fast start at the inaugural Austin Championship.
With playing privileges for the 2027 PGA Tour season and the chance to earn a spot in two Signature Events still up for grabs, a strong week at Fazio Canyons Golf Course would be welcomed.
A two-tee system is in operation with the action from the first and 10th holes beginning at 13:00 GMT on Thursday.
Nick Hardy, Mac Meissner and Takumi Kanaya begin from the first hole, while Erik van Rooyen, C.T. Pan and Chandler Phillips get their opening round started from the 10th.
Jackson Koivun has been installed as the 25/1 favourite in the first-round leader market, ahead of 28/1 Doug Ghim and 30/1 Blades Brown, who landed his first PGA Tour title at last week's World Wide Technology Championship.
Austin Championship First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best Bet - Jordan Smith each-way @ 35/1
Alternative Bet - Karl Vilips each-way @ 66/1
Alternative Bet - Kensei Hirata each-way @ 75/1
Austin Championship First-Round Leader Prediction
Best Bet: Jordan Smith each-way @ 35/1
Solid approach play looks like it will be a necessity this week given the constant elevation changes throughout the course and one player who thrives in that department is Jordan Smith, who is ninth in greens in regulation.
Ranking first in total driving, the Englishman has been giving himself plenty of opportunities to find the dancefloor and if he manages to get the putter rolling, he will be a danger.
Smith was tied second after round one of the Bank of Utah Championship four starts ago before then claiming sole possession of second spot on day one at the Baycurrent Classic on his next outing.
A reliable player from tee to green, Smith knows a strong week could catapult him into the 51st-60th positions in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, which would see him earn entries into next year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational.
Alternative Bet: Karl Vilips each-way @ 66/1
At 139th in the FedEx Cup standings, Karl Vilips could do with a win in one of the final two events and he will be desperate to get off to a hot start in Austin.
The Australian has made a habit of beginning well before running out of steam, evidenced by the fact he was leading after day one of the Mexico Open before going on to finish tied 23rd.
Vilips made another promising start in last week's World Wide Technology Championship, as he was in a share of ninth after the opening 18 holes before crumbling in round two to miss the cut.
Consistency is his issue, but the 25-year-old has shown he has the ability to string things together for at least one round.
Alternative Bet: Kensei Hirata each-way @ 75/1
Another player to consider in the first-round leader market is Kensei Hirata, who also needs a strong couple of weeks as he sits 133rd in the FedEx Cup table.
The Japanese player enjoyed his time in Mexico over the last two weeks, firstly finishing tied 11th in the Mexico Open before grabbing fourth place at the World Wide Technology Championship.
Hirata was sitting second after day one of the Mexico Open and he shared fourth place after 18 holes of the World Wide Technology Championship, just two shots off the pace.
The 25-year-old was also tied 11th after round one of the Bermuda Championship three starts ago and he looks capable of another bright opening on Thursday.
Key Tournament Stats
The inaugural Austin Championship will be played at Fazio Canyons Golf Course
Measuring 7,451 yards, this par 72 consists of 10 par-fours, four par-fives and four par-threes
This event is also the penultimate one of the FedEx Cup Fall Series
Chris Kirk shot a round of 63 to lead last week's World Wide Technology Championship on day one
Last week's winner, Blades Brown, was tied ninth after round one, three shots off the pace
Austin Smotherman is eyeing his third win in a row after victories at the Bank of Utah Championship and Bermuda Championship
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
