Draws and Fades: Look for rookie Ben James to build upon early momentum in Utah

The Bank of Utah Championship is underway, with Zach Bauchou (+850) posting a fantastic 9-under 62 while gaining 6.09 strokes on the field on Thursday. He did most of his damage with the irons, gaining more than three strokes on approach. Honestly, the round could have been even better considering he gained just 0.35 strokes putting.

Bauchou holds a one-stroke lead over eight golfers, but we learned something pretty quickly about Black Desert Resort. If you can find fairways, you have a chance to go incredibly low.

Throughout this tournament, I want to attack golfers who are long off the tee, aren't spraying it everywhere and can make birdies in bunches. I also think birdie-or-better markets are worth watching. If you're finding numbers around 5.5 at roughly -110 for golfers who consistently put themselves in the fairway, those are bets I would strongly consider because this field absolutely blitzed the golf course Thursday.

The scoring average for the opening round was 2.90 strokes under par, and there wasn't much of a wave advantage. The morning wave played 2.82 strokes under par, while the afternoon wave came in at 3.01 strokes under par.

Normally, this is where I would start looking for golfers who gained a ton of strokes on approach or on ball-striking but couldn't get anything going with the putter. There are definitely a few of those guys available.

At the same time, this feels like a momentum-heavy golf course. If you played well in Round 1, I have a hard time believing that success can't carry into Round 2 and potentially throughout the weekend.

There are certainly golfers near the top of the leaderboard you could look to fade. Maybe it's Bauchou. Maybe it's Kevin Roy. Find guys whose opening rounds don't feel sustainable.

The two golfers I'm targeting, though, are almost the opposite. One didn't have his best stuff and still found himself firmly in contention. The other played tremendous golf but still left strokes on the course.

Ben James, Top 10 including ties (+130)

This price doesn't make much sense to me.

Typically, when I'm looking for a rebound spot after Round 1, I want someone who gained significantly through ball-striking but lost strokes putting or around the green. Ben James (+1500) doesn't exactly fit that profile because he actually gained more than two strokes putting.

For me, this isn't about his putting. It's about how much better he can be everywhere else.

James lost nearly 1.5 strokes on approach, and the driver wasn't particularly sharp either. He caught a couple of bad breaks, which happens at a course like this, but there were stretches where it felt like nothing was going his way.

Watching the round, I kept waiting for one good swing or one great approach shot to completely flip the momentum. It felt like the type of round where James easily could have walked off the course at 2-under because he never really had anything going.

Instead, he somehow shot 6-under and finished the day tied for 17th.

That's exactly the type of golfer I want to back early in a tournament. He didn't have his best stuff and still produced one of the 20 best rounds of the day.

Look at what James has done across his recent starts. He finished runner-up at the Biltmore Championship Asheville to begin FedExCup Fall and third at the Wyndham Championship to end the regular season. The Rocket Classic and 3M Open weren't his best events, but he showed how great he could be with a T4 at the Corales Puntacana Championship. He was realistically in that tournament until the 18th hole.

I expect positive regression in the ball-striking numbers, especially with his irons. He's simply too good of a ball-striker for what we saw Thursday to continue.

No, I'm not expecting him to gain another two strokes putting every round. He doesn't need to.

If James gains 1.5 strokes on approach and another stroke with the putter in Round 2, suddenly we're talking about a golfer pushing toward the top five. From there, it's just about sustaining it over the weekend.

At +130 at DraftKings with ties included, I'm willing to bet on that happening.

Michael Brennan, Top 10 including ties (-110)

Playing the outright favorite in a top-10 market after Round 1 probably feels a little cheap, but I don't care.

When I started working on this article, Michael Brennan (+850) was +110 to finish inside the top 10. Roughly 30 minutes later, he was already down to -110. The number moved quickly, but not enough has changed for me to think all the value is gone.

What we've learned about Brennan is that this level of golf appears to be here to stay.

He's contended in big tournaments. He's proven he has everything in the bag. And when the putter cooperates, he's one of the best golfers in this field.

Yes, it helps that he's one of the tournament favorites. It helps even more that he's the defending champion and has already proven he can win at Black Desert.

But this goes beyond course history.

Brennan has always had the ability to separate himself in individual areas. On any given week, he can be the longest player in the field. His irons can be as good as anybody's. He can also gain multiple strokes putting.

What has changed as his game has developed is that he doesn't need one part of his game to completely carry him anymore. He's becoming a much more complete golfer.

His opening round was a perfect example.

Brennan went out in 30 and was 5 under through his opening nine. Then he made a double bogey on his 11th hole, the type of mistake that can completely derail a round.

Instead, he responded with four birdies coming home.

Are you kidding me?

That's what makes this bet so appealing. Brennan didn't just play well. He showed he could absorb a massive mistake and immediately start making birdies again.

He also lost significant strokes around the green. If that part of the game had simply been average, we're probably talking about Brennan as the first-round leader.

The course fits him perfectly. His distance gives him an advantage, his ball-striking is strong enough to create birdie chances all day and he's already proven he knows how to win here.

And you're telling me I can get -110 for him to finish inside the top 10, ties included?

Sign me up.