
The PGA teed off at the TPC of Louisiana on Thursday for the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Jim Furyk entered the tournament as the favorite at 12/1 odds at BodogLife.com, but Furyk started the tourney with a thud for golf bettors.
Furyk shot an awful opening round of 3-over par, which leave him well back of the lead and tied for 112th overall. Heading into Friday’s second round, the Zurich Classic odds on Furyk at BodogLife.com had dropped to 66/1.
While Furyk struggled at the TPC of Louisiana, Dean Wilson got off to a great start after shooting 6-under par to take the lead heading into the clubhouse. Wilson didn’t even receive individual odds at before the tournament began, but after posting the best score in the opening round Wilson checks in at 14/1.
Trailing Wilson on the leaderboard by one stroke heading into Friday were three different golfers. Briny Baird, Peter Lonard and Chez Reavie all posted a 5-under par score in Round 1. Out of that trio, Baird and Lonard are both listed at 18/1 at while Reavie is a 25/1 underdog.
Before Thursday’s opening round the favorites on the odds list behind Furyk were Steve Stricker at 14/1 and Padraig Harrington at 16/1.
Stricker had a successful first round with a 2-under par and is tied for 17th place, while Harrington posted a round of 1-under par to sit tied at 33rd. Stricker moved up the odds list to 8/1, while Harrington is also on the rise at 14/1.