The Byron Nelson First-Round Leader Prediction and Tips

After Aaron Rai’s victory at the US PGA Championship, attention turns to the Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in Texas, and with low scoring expected, getting off to a fast start is going to be essential.

Consequently, the first-round leader market is set to be hotly contested, particularly when last year’s winner Scottie Scheffler took that honour too when he carded a Thursday 61 that was two shots better than anyone else in the field.

Scheffler was also one of four players who got off to the best start at Aronimink in the second Major of the year last week, so it is once again no surprise to see him at the top of the market to be looking down on everyone else after the completion of the first day’s play.

A birdiefest is anticipated - Scheffler’s 31-under-par total last year equalled the lowest ever PGA Tour score to par over four rounds - so hitting the ground running is going to be essential for anyone with ambitions of claiming the trophy, and there are a host of players who will fancy their chances of getting off to a flier.

The Byron Nelson First-Round Leader Tips Summary

Best Bet - Jordan Spieth each-way @ 22/1
Alternative Bet - Mark Hubbard each-way @ 80/1
Alternative Bet - Stephan Jaeger each-way @ 50/1

The Byron Nelson First-Round Leader Prediction

Best Bet: Jordan Spieth each-way @ 22/1

Home hero Scheffler will get plenty of support this week, but another Texan is capable of making a strong start at TPC Craig Ranch having played some consistent golf in the last few months.

Jordan Spieth has enviable form figures at this course of 9-2-MC-4 and he already knows what it is like to get off to a storming start after a first-round 63 in 2021 took him to the top of the leaderboard when the tournament was played at this venue for the first time.

He should also be encouraged by the 62 he fired in the final round last year, a spin that was bettered only by the 61 Scheffler mustered on the Thursday.

Spieth was 18th at the US PGA Championship last week, which was his sixth top-20 in his last 10 outings, so the confidence is beginning to return for the three-time Major winner, who will be delighted to be back on home turf this week, so we can expect a strong start.

Alternative Bet: Mark Hubbard each-way @ 80/1

Another player who should be champing at the bit to get back to TPC Craig Ranch is Mark Hubbard, who is strong each-way value to be at the top of the board at the end of Thursday.

The Colorado-born swinger has generally struggled this year but he will hope his fortunes will have turned round after he finished second behind Brandt Snedker at the Myrtle Beach Classic last time out.

Hubbard started with a 66 on that occasion having fired in an opening 65 in his previous individual tournament at the Valero Texas Open, and he should be lifted by the fact he finished fifth when Scheffler took this prize last year.

Alternative Bet: Stephan Jaeger each-way @ 50/1

Germany’s Stephan Jaeger was one of four players alongside Scheffler who led after the first round at Aronimink last week and the signs are good that his encouraging 18th-spot finish will have left his spirits high.

He faded to 56th in this tournament 12 months ago, but only after he hit an opening 64, and his other course-form figures of 38-11-20 point to him potentially mastering the track and flying out of the blocks.

Key Tournament Stats

• This is the sixth successive year TPC Craig Ranch has hosted this tournament, which was first played in 1944

• Last year’s winner Scottie Scheffler took a two-shot lead into the second round after an opening 61

• Kevin Roy is number one in the PGA Tour first-round scoring rankings with an average of 68.8

• Jordan Spieth was first-round leader when the tournament was first played at this venue in 2021

• A round of 63 has been the highest score that was good enough to be first-round leader at TPC Craig Ranch

• Colombian Sebastian Munoz, in 2022, and South Korea’s Seung-yul Noh the following year both hit opening rounds of 60

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.