Brian Harman among best first-round Leader bets at the 2024 Masters

There’s only one way to kick-off one of the great gambling events of the season: Throwing a few bucks on some first-round leader (FRL) bets at the Masters.

Most punters, pundits and patrons will tell you that there are a select few players that have a chance to win the 2024 Masters, but almost every player in this field has the ability to get hot out of the gates and sit atop the leaderboard after 18 holes at Augusta National.

Here are four players worth a look for a first-round leader bet on Thursday:

A trendy sleeper pick to win the Green Jacket, Georgia native Brian Harman checks into Augusta in decent form. The 37-year-old finished T25 at the Valero Texas Open and was a runner-up at the PLAYERS last month, so he should have plenty of momentum rolling into Thursday. Harman is one of the game’s best putters, so there’s certainly a chance the 2023 Open Champion can get red hot and storm to the top of the ladder.

The first winner of the 2024 PGA Tour season, Chris Kirk has been a hot-starter all year. The Tennessee native is eighth on the circuit in Round 1 scoring average through his first eight events and has shot 67 or better in half of his opening rounds. Kirk’s history at Augusta isn’t great, but he’s got plenty of rounds under his belt and should know what to expect.

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This is just the second time that Nick Taylor has qualified for the Masters, but I’m happy to give him a look in this spot because he ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in Round 1 scoring average this season. Taylor, who won against a deep field at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, has shown an ability to get white hot on a moment’s notice, so here’s hoping he does that on Thursday.

It’s been a while since Bubba Watson has done anything noteworthy on either the PGA Tour or LIV, but this is a two-time winner at Augusta National that has played the tournament 15 times and has missed just two cuts. Watson hasn’t contended at Augusta for some time, but his experience and skillset absolutely makes him worth a look to put together 18 strong holes at his favorite track.

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