First-Round Leader Looks For The 2023 PGA Championship

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I only play 1st-round leader bets (FRLs) at majors because I'm an action junkie and want to gamble on everything in the 2023 PGA Championship. At the 2023 Masters, I hit a Jon Rahm FRL-bet at +1800.

Granted, I had to split it three ways since Rahm was tied with Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka atop the Masters' leaderboard in the 1st round.

But, a win is a win and I'm confident I can hit an FRL in consecutive majors. For the record, I'm only sprinkling a tenth-of-a-unit (u), aka Pizza Bets, on the following FRLs (1u = $100 and 0.1u = $10).

PGA Championship 2023 FRL Bets

Sungjae Im (+4000)

Im ranks 5th on my key stat model over his last 50 first rounds, courtesy of FantasyNational.com. He ranks 9th or better in Proximity: 175-200-plus yards on approach shots, Stokes Gained (SG): Off-the-Tee, and Ball Striking.

Sungjae was the 1st-round leader at the 2022 Masters. Im has finished T8 or better in six starts this season so he's usually in the mix, which is all we can ask for.

Also, since Im is solid throughout the bag, he doesn't have to make many adjustments for the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club. Im is picking up strokes in all five major golf stats for his career.

Reportedly, the East Course has penal rough with tight fairways, difficult bunkers, and around-the-green (ARG) play is going to be very tough. Im ranks 13th in this field for driving accuracy, 9th in Scrambling, and 24th in Sand Saves.

Sungjae has a 1:42 p.m. ET tee time in the 1st round of the 2023 PGA Championship. This is important since it's supposed to be very cold in the mornings at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York. The afternoon may have more player-friendly course conditions.

BET: 0.1u on Sungjae Im (+4000) to be the "End of Round 1 Leader"

Scottie Scheffler (+1800)

This doesn't have to be a very lengthy blurb. Scheffler is World No. 2 and the odds-on favorite to win the Wanamaker Trophy. He doesn't need to be leading after 18 holes to win the PGA Championship but it doesn't hurt.

Scottie Scheffler plays his shot from the 7th tee during a practice round prior to the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

Scottie Scheffler plays his shot from the 7th tee during a practice round prior to the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

On top of being DraftKings' favorite, Scheffler is atop my 2023 PGA Championship power rankings. Scheffler is 1st in my key stats over the last 50 rounds, 3rd in total SG over the last 24 rounds and 2nd in total SG at comp courses.

The bottom line is Scheffler is the best ball striker on the planet and, if his putter gets hot, he is the best golfer in the world. Plus, my only FRL cash, at the Masters, was on the top golfer in the world, Rahm.

BET: 0.1u on Scottie Scheffler (+1800) to be the "End of Round 1 Leader"

Complimentary PGA Championship 2023 Coverage

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Check out the Hot Links golf gambling show hosted by Geoff Clark on the OutKick Bets podcast feed. New episodes drop Tuesdays for most full-field PGA Tour events in the 2022-23 season