The 2020 Northern Trust Picks and Odds for First Round Leader

• The Northern Trust tees off Thursday, August 20th from TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts
• Tournament favorite Bryson DeChambeau is the slight favorite to grab the first round lead over Justin Thomas
• See the best bets and odds to grab the first round lead in the article below 

The first leg of the three-part FedEx Cup Playoffs tees off at TPC Boston this week with the top 125 players competing to determine who will be crowned the season-long champion and receiver the $15 million prize.

This course used to host the Dell Technologies Championship every year, but took a break on the schedule in 2019 and it’s back in fine form, with Patrick Reed the defending champion of the Northern Trust, but tournament favorite Bryson DeChambeau the last to win on this track in 2018.

In this article we’ll explore which players have the best chance of being the leader after day one of The Northern Trust, which to nobody’s surprise is expected to be DeChambeau or Justin Thomas.

2020 The Northern Trust First Round Leader Odds

Odds taken August 17th

The forecast is expected to be sunny throughout the day with a temperature high of 82 degrees and no chance of precipitation with little wind that’ll only get as high as 10 MPH.

The only potential benefit from playing in the morning is the exact same as it is every week – less bumpy greens with fewer players chewing them up. Tee times are typically not released until later in the day on Tuesday.

Two-Time Champ Patrick Reed a Strong Play

Patrick Reed just knows how to elevate his play in the grandest stages, having won this tournament twice (2016, 2019, not on this golf course), to kick off the FedEx Cup Playoff schedule.

He’s also been very strong at this track in the past when it was the Dell Technologies Championship with a T-4th in 2015, T-5th in 2016, T-6th in 2017.

With his victory at the Northern Trust, Patrick Reed moves from No. 50 to No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings and secures a spot in the Tour Championship. 💪pic.twitter.com/SSoqQ00ui2

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) August 11, 2019

In 17 starts this season, he hasn’t scored worse than 72 in any of his opening rounds. Ranked T-29th in first round scoring, Reed opened with a 65 at last week’s Wyndham Championship and a 68 the week prior at the PGA Championship. He’s playing his favorite green surface, gaining strokes on the field in 18 of his last 20 rounds on Bentgrass.

Pick: Patrick Reed (+3100)

Tony Finau the King of Starting Tournaments Hot

Nobody has had more excruciating time trying to win after a slew of top finishes than Tony Finau. In three of his last four events, he’s been right in the thick of things after day one. At the Memorial, he was the first round leader, the 3M Open he was T-3rd and he was two strokes behind after 18 holes at the PGA Championship.

Tony Finau on Friday: "I think if we were all to tee up four or five golf balls on the range and just let loose, I have a hard time believing someone is going to hit it further than I am."

Tony Finau's ball on the left. Bryson DeChambeau's ball on the right. Both smashed driver. pic.twitter.com/Bm2V69hgxM

— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) August 9, 2020

He’s T-6th in first round scoring average, having shot in the 60’s in seven of his eight opening rounds since the restart (other round was a 70).

He finished T-4th in 2018 on this track so he’s had success around TPC Boston. and he’s gained strokes on the field in 27 of his last 31 rounds on Bentgrass.

Pick: Tony Finau (+4200)

Abraham Ancer Has Nearly Won on This Course

At this venue in the 2018 Dell Technologies Championship, Abraham Ancer was in second place after day one and held the 54-hole lead before a tough Sunday dropped him into a tie for seventh. He’s been knocking on the door since then, including a runner-up finish at this event last year.

From way downtown! @Abraham_Ancer pic.twitter.com/aqoegoxuhd

— FootJoy (@FootJoy) August 9, 2020

Ancer has made 17 straight cuts around the world, including a pair of second place results. He’s shot in the 60’s in five of his last six opening rounds, and is a respectable T-32nd in first round scoring.

His calling card are his tee shots (26th in strokes gained off-the-tee), and that will come in handy to go low at a course that yields birdies.

Pick: Abraham Ancer (+5500)

Zach Johnson an Intriguing Long Shot

At first blush it would appear highly unlikely that Zach Johnson could take the first round lead, considering last week’s Wyndham Championship was his first worldwide top-10 in two years (T-7th). However, the two-time major champ has been quietly turning a corner in his game in the last month.

He had posted some decent tournaments (T-11, T-31, T-58), before getting within a shot of the lead after the opening round of the PGA Championship.

Watch as an emotional and surprised Zach Johnson learns he is the recipient of the Payne Stewart Award presented by @SouthernCompany. pic.twitter.com/CS1pgMJmOI

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 12, 2020

The following round was disastrous which led to a missed cut, but for opening rounds, it’s hard to do much better than ZJ. He’s fourth in first round scoring with an average of 68.94 shots, where he’s posted 67 or better six times this season.

That strong result at the Wyndham got him into the playoffs, and signs point to him returning to form, and at +10000 odds, it could be a huge opening round pay day if he grabs the lead.

Pick: Zach Johnson (+10000)