BMW Championship: Matsuyama Atop Leaderboard After Round 1

• Going into Round 2, Hideki Matsuyama has the shortest odds to win the BMW Championship at +550.
• 2019 BMW Champion Dustin Johnson is listed at +800 odds to defend his title.
• Kevin Kisner is +105 favorite to finish higher on the leaderboard than Viktor Hovland during the second round of the BMW Championship.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — The PGA Tour’s annual BMW Championship is underway and will conclude this weekend giving golf bettors something to indulge in.

The first round of the BMW Championship concluded with Hideki Matsuyana atop the leaderboard after shooting a -3 at the par 70 course. Going into the second round of play there are only three golfers that shot under par Tyler Duncan (-2) and Mackenzie Hughes (-1).

Expect more golfers to shoot better in the second round of play and for the rest of the tournament making for an exciting weekend of play.

After Round 1 at Olympia Fields, everybody’s looking up at Hideki. #BMWCHAMPS pic.twitter.com/yubwOHLran

— BMW Championship (@BMWchamps) August 27, 2020

The biggest question heading into weekend play is will Matsuyama be able to keep his lead over the field. It won’t be easy as most of the field has started out slow but that could just be the calm before the storm.

Johnson has been the most dominant golfer on the PGA Tour this season and is currently in first place of the FedEx Cup Standings. He’s currently tied for 14th place after shooting a +1 in the opening round. Johnson is still within striking distance of the top of the leaderboard but he will have to shoot better this weekend.

However, the +800 odds at legal betting sites on Johnson are too good to pass up here. It’s not often to get +800 odds on one of the best golfers in the world going into the weekend.

The matchup between Kevin Kisner and Viktor Hovland is a close one to keep an eye on Friday. Kisner shot a +2 in the first round and is currently behind Hovland on the leaderboard. Hovland is tied for 14th place after shooting a +1 in opening play.

Bettors should take the +105 odds on Kisner to finish the second round ahead of Hovland on the odds board. Only one shot separates these two on the leaderboard and Kisner could easily make that ground up in one day especially if Hovland struggles early in the second round.

Bettors should feel comfortable rolling the dice on Kisner’s +105 odds as he’ll likely separate himself from the pack down the stretch of this tournament beginning with a strong showing in Day 2 of the BMW Championship.

The BMW Championship Day 2 has already started for those wanting to watch the action; the tournament is being broadcasted by CBS and the Golf Channel.

News tags: Abraham Ancer | BMW Championship | Bryson DeChambeau | Dustin Johnson | FedEx Cup Standings | golf | Hideki Matsuyama | Kevin Kisner | Patrick Cantlay | PGA Tour | Rory McIlroy | Tiger Woods | Tony Finau | Tyler Duncan | Viktor Hovland