I know of at least 3 people who will find this worth reading and that’s enough for me.

Day 1 of the runyourpool contest has these 3 people ahead of me in the standings. Bud sits at 1 stroke ahead in 15th place with the strong trio of McIlroy, Hoffman, and ZJ. Adam Scott is not going to help the squad and Casey has plenty of time. Cantlay on the bench could be the saving grace.

Jeff got a huge break with Finau. I honestly thought he was a WD. If you watched what happened, you’d have to think the same thing.

Tony Finau is tied for the lead after shooting 68 at #TheMasters a day after injuring his ankle pic.twitter.com/GmH2iW81FW

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 5, 2018

Still, with Sergio eliminated from his team, he’s going to have to rely heavily on Finau and Poulter. -7 is currently in 5th place. We both own Louis and Cameron Smith which obviously will not help me gain ground.

Sam has managed a 2nd place start with a -10. I watched him pick his team last night with about as little research as possible. He went to the odds which is a great place to start. With his limited knowledge, he was banking on Kaymer and Schwartzel (who played great), and I said you may want to check their current seasons. He moved to DeChambeau, Hadwin, and Phil which went well with his core of McIllroy, Kuchar (great pick, his consistency is unmatched with still positive upside ((he will win at some point)), and Steele who is +4 but on the bench.

The guy in 1st place is benefiting from Fred Couples which will not last. My position is 10 back with Louie, Stenson, Casey, Bubba, Cameron Smith, and DeChambeau. The team is different than most and hopefully day 2 will be a position day.

People I know reading this should have done this pool. It’s fun and lasts all 5 majors.

Bets

Where to begin. I have about 10 lineups in DK that cost about $150 worth of action. Lineups are all over so I have to wait until more holes get played to comment. I’m currently winning $12 dollars.

I have a $10 bet on Louis at 66-1 to start the tourney. I have another $15 bet on Louis at 40-1. I’m also backing Day at 20-1 for $10 and $5 at 100-1. I have $10 on Stenson at 33-1. $5 on Frittelli @ 250 to 1 which is burnt. This is $55 dollars spent that has good return if it can start shaping up differently.

Outcome

Spieth was amazing. His iron game was so good that he didn’t even need to use his awesome putting game.

These shots are sticking. To say that his current odds at 2-1 is ridiculous would be an understatement. 25% of this tournament is over. His lead is 2 strokes. This may be incorrect but if you watched that video, it couldn’t get much easier for him. Can you keep that up for 54 holes? No way.

This leaves for opportunity in players only a few strokes back to win some money. My take:

• • • Finau – Regression
    • Kuchar – Can hang. Win? I don’t know.
    • Stenson – I expect big things. His game is clicking and he won the British last year. He has the ability which is great at 16-1.
    • Hoffman – led after round 1 last year after shooting 65. That’s…good. At 40-1, he’s not expected to hang but I feel like his chances are better than that. How can you not like the guy after this exchange.

  NEVER seen this@hoffman_charley buried in the bunker–gets relief from a concrete liner in the bunker.@Kevin_Chappell not liking it: pic.twitter.com/apryOt87IL

  — Ben Murphy (@BenMurphyTV) July 30, 2017

  • Hadwin – I like his game and spot. Probably not ready for a win. The books have him at 50-1 which is a long shot at this point.
  • Reed – Tough. Not sure where he struggles with his complete game because I don’t watch enough. At 25-1, it seems to me that he has upward momentum.
  • Li Haotong – Don’t think so.
  • Rory – Pick a better spot for a guy who has “the best player in the world” potential. He won the Fed Ex Cup last year and is coming off a victory 2 or 3 weeks ago. Rory is a bomber off the tee and has game that exceeds standards. HOWEVA, at 5.5-1, I’m not sure he’s worth backing because if you wait a round, it’s only going to get to 3 to 1 even if he dominates.
  • Cabrerea Bello – Not sold. 40-1 and I wouldn’t touch it.
  • Weisberger – Good luck staying above 11th. 100-1.
  • ZJ – Not long off the tee but experienced. I don’t see a win but solid finish. 50-1
  • Leishman – Sort of like the game. Not certain. 40-1.
  • Rickie – Game potential is there. At 20-1 it seems like he’d be worth chasing. His win is going to come sooner rather than later.
  • Phil – I’m not getting the vibe that he can compete. 4 bogeys and 6 birdies is not the type of round that instills hope. I like the 4 birdies, 0 bogey round if I’m looking at a guy who can win. 14-1 seems to pray on the public.
  • Vijay – Dropping. 300-1
  • Kodaira – Never heard of him.300-1
  • Cameron Smith – One of my horses. Young player from Australia who is an excellent putter. 150-1.
  • Xander – Stretching it at 80-1 even though I know he’s capable of winning.
  • Louis – 6 birdies which is usually fantastic except he coupled it with 5 bogeys. With a guy who I want to WIN the tournament, I like the volatility. 50-1. As always, i’m on board and will feel horrible if I don’t get it when it hits. Did you see this putt!?!?

“There’s something special about Louis Oosthuizen on 16.”@Louis57TM Birdies No. 16 with this sharp-breaking 30-foot putt. #themasters pic.twitter.com/Q443WgiCUl

— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 5, 2018

He got to see how Spieth played the course and he’s ready to pounce.

That is the top 21 on the leader board. I’m sure you didn’t read it. I didn’t even touch on DJ, Day, JT….TIGER. This tournament is far from over. Can’t wait for Day 2.