U.S. Women's Open First Round Leader Odds and Prediction

Bet on Minjee Lee to be the first round leader at the U.S. Women's Open

Sep 10, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Minjee Lee, of Australia, hits an approach shot on the 17th hole during the 2023 Kroger Queen City Championship in at Kenwood Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare-USA TODAY Sports / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

The U.S. Women's Open is set to begin Thursday at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania.

As expected, Nelly Korda is a massive favorite to win her second Major of the year after having won five of her last six starts. If you want my best bets to win this weekend, you can find my full betting preview here.

In this article, we're going to focus on the opening round. If you don't have the patience to wait for all four rounds to see if your bet is going to win, consider betting on the "First Round Leader" market. It gives us something to cheer for on Thursday so can make the opening round more exciting.

Let's take a look at the first round leader odds and then I'll break down my best bet.

U.S. Women's Open First Round Leader Odds

The top 10 odds listed below are via BetMGM Sportsbook

• Nelly Korda +1200
• Atthaya Thitikul +2800
• Rose Zhang +2800
• Jin Young Ko +3300
• Ayaka Furue +3500
• Brooke Henderson +3500
• Charley Hull +3500
• Hae Ran Ryu +3500
• Hannah Green +3500
• Hyo Joo Kim +3500

U.S. Women's Open First Round Leader Prediction

Minjee Lee +3500

When targeting a golfer to lead after the first round, we want someone who can rack up birdies in a hurry who maybe we don't trust to do it all four rounds. Minjee Lee fits that description perfectly. She leads the LPGA in strokes gained approach (+1.69) but her short game is bound to let her down at some point during the tournament, which keeps her from the winner's circle.

Lee has also had her best stuff in the opening round this season. She's seventh on the LPGA in total strokes gained in Round 1.

Finally, she has historically excelled at the U.S. Open. She won this event in 2022 and finished T13 at the U.S. Open last season.

I'll back her to be the first round leader at 35-1.

---

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!