The PGA Tour stays in Florida this week for one of the most prestigious events of the season. The Tour’s Flagship event features an incredibly deep field, with a host of star names with designs on taking home the biggest winner’s check in the sport.

Alongside Matt Vincenzi’s outright bets, here are my best bets on the props markets

Shane Lowry – Without Hovland, Morikawa, Rahm, Thomas +2600

Shane Lowry – First Round Leader +5500

Shane Lowry – to be in the top-5 after round one +900 

There is an awful lot to like about Shane Lowry this week, and as soon as there was even the hint of a forecast of wind and/or rain, his name had to come to the fore.

The Irishman doesn’t need poor conditions to thrive, but an overall record that includes wins at the Irish Open (when an amateur), The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, Portugal and Abu Dhabi are, on their own, to give the evidence needed.

Of course, a top-10 at Chambers Bay followed by a runners-up finish behind DJ at Oakmont is enough to show he’s up to the very best, and if we were to need proof of current welfare, it’s there in abundance with the latest 2nd place at PGA National something of a ‘mugging’.

In his last four outings that combine the DP World Tour, Asian, and PGA Tours, the 34-year-old has ranked top-12 tee-to-green courtesy of his iron play, a stat that both Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas led on their way to victory in 2019 and 2021.

Current form is a tick, a 3rd and 9th at Harbour Town is enough Dye form, and, of course, a 16th and latest 8th place finish here works nicely.

Take the best players in the world out of the equation, and Lowry appeals an awful lot.

The addition of the ‘first-round leader’ bet comes via those two top finishes here.

On his second effort around Sawgrass, Lowry finished 16th but was 2nd after both rounds one and two, whilst last season he shot 68 to lie 3rd after day one. With a morning tee-time this week, he looks ripe to take advantage of the likely better conditions.

Gary Woodland – Top-10 finish +700 

After recent top-5 finishes, I expected the odds to be a tad tighter about the former U.S Open champion, but that means a bigger price on all related markets.

There is little to add to the recent form, a closing 5th at the Honda Classic followed by what should have been better at last week’s API.

After a superb weekend that saw him improve his tee-to-green stats, he ended the event being ranked in the top-10 for par-4 performance and in 4th for the longer holes, efforts that will reap the rewards this week. It was, of course, his eagle at the final par-5 that set him up with a grand chance to win before the difficult par-3 17th took it back again.

The assumption is that his course form, three cuts from 11 starts and a best of 11th in 2014, isn’t enough to give much hope, but it’s there if looking deeper.

The 37-year-old had round-by-round figures of 4/4/5/11 back in ’14, whilst his next best finish of 28th again disguises his play through the first couple of rounds, where a 67/68 had him 13th and 6th, respectively.

He won’t be alone in nursing missed-cuts around Sawgrass, but last season’s weekend off came after a run of three m/c’s and a best of 43rd. Even so, he was 11th after a first-round 70, giving hope that this season’s revived Woodland can take something from those better rounds.

Cameron Young – First Round Leader +9000

Cameron Young – to be in the top-5 after round one +1800

Winning at Sawgrass on debut isn’t a regular thing, so despite the American’s recent current form, lifting the trophy will be tough.

However, thoughts turn to fellow youngster Will Zalatoris and his debut at Augusta, when lying fourth after day one, he eventually finished sole second to Hideki Matsuyama, prompting the question why a similarly talented mid-20 youngster can’t do the same?

Back-to-back winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, his second win at the Evans Scholars Invitational was at the same course that saw Scottie Scheffler’s maiden victory and led to his PGA Tour card for the 2021/22 season. Both events, incidentally, came in an all-the-way fashion.

In just his second start, the 24-year-old was runner-up to in-form Sam Burns (fancied this week) at the Sanderson Farms and has finishes of 40th at the Dye-related American Express, 20th at Torrey Pines, 2nd at Riviera and a couple of top-16s at the Honda and Bay Hill.

Despite the quality results at classic tracks, for this play, we need to look closer at his round-by-round efforts.

In 11 starts, Young’s opening rounds have seen him rank 7th at the Sanderson, 3rd at PGA West, 9th at Torrey Pines, 2nd at Riviera and 10th at PGA National.

Extremely long off the tee, the American should be able to club down where it matters whilst also being able to attack the par-fives, something most of the recent winners have taken advantage of.

Sure, he has an afternoon tee-time, but there has been an AM/PM split in three of the last five years, and with the upside, I’ll take the chance.