First-round leader golf tips for the Open Championship
Back any player to win the Open at Portrush and Betway will pay you out as a winner if they lead at the end of any round.
MATT KUCHAR
To win
To lead after the first round
Kuchar leads all players in first-round scoring average on the PGA Tour this year, and looks poised for another fast start this week.
The American has had an excellent year so far, with 11 top-10 finishes in 16 starts, including a victory at the Sony Open and four other top fives.
Kuchar opened with a 63 at last week’s Scottish Open to tie for the lead after round one, and was also joint-first at the end of the first day at the 2017 Open.
He’s yet to win a major and doesn’t often seal the deal when in contention, but the 41-year-old looks a good bet to climb the leaderboard early on at Portrush.
RAFAEL CABRERA-BELLO
To win
To lead after the first round
Like Kuchar, Cabrera-Bello tends to struggle when it comes to converting a winning position, and a first major victory might be beyond him this week.
The Spaniard is in great form, though, having gone T3-T4-T9 in his last three starts, and he finished joint-second when Portrush hosted the Irish Open in 2012.
Cabrera-Bello led by three strokes at one point in Ireland a fortnight ago before faltering late on, and a run of 11 successive made cuts dating back to March indicates that he very rarely starts poorly.
He was T6 after the first round at the 2017 Open and is worth a punt to be among the early leaders again this time around.
ERIK VAN ROOYEN
To win
To lead after the first round
Our offer means it’s worth taking a flyer at a big price this week, and Van Rooyen fits the bill nicely.
The South African opened with a 64 at the Scottish Open last week, which left him joint-fifth at the end of the first round, and could have won that event had he not finished with a 72.
That came a week after he birdied four of the first 12 holes at the Irish Open but somehow managed to finish on level par at the end of the first round.
Van Rooyen was joint-second at the end of Thursday’s play at the Open last year, so clearly has a habit of starting well at links events and is a good outside option this week.
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