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Canadian Open Round 1 3-Ball Bets (Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, and Mike Weir Paired in All-Canadian Group)

By Iain MacMillan

Adam Hadwin will be paired with Mackenzie Hughes and Mike Weir in the first two rounds of the Canadian Open.
Adam Hadwin will be paired with Mackenzie Hughes and Mike Weir in the first two rounds of the Canadian Open. / Andy Lyons/GettyImages
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We're less than 24 hours away from the opening tee shot at the 2022 Canadian Open.

We already have our pre-tournament bets locked in, which you can find in my betting preview, but now it's time to look at a few bets that are specifically for the first round.

3-ball bets are some of my favorite golf bets to place. They are wagers on one golfer to finish the round with the lowest score amongst the threesome that he plays in that day. Let's dive into my favorites for the opening round of the Canadian Open.

Best Round 1 3-ball Bets for the Canadian Open

  • Adam Hadwin +100 vs. Mackenzie Hughes/Mike Weir
  • CT Pan +140 vs. Adam Long/Luke Donald
  • Cameron Smith +180 vs. Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns

Adam Hadwin +100 vs. Mackenzie Hughes/Mike Weir

Let's place a little wager on the all-Canadian first round matchup. Let's be honest, Mike Weir is a non-factor in this threesome, so we can disregard the former Masters winner and just focus on this being a 1v1 between Adam Hadwin and Mackenzie Hughes.

With St. George's valuing accuracy, approach play, and short game, Hadwin's style of play fits fantastically for this course. He ranks 30th in strokes gained approach and 18th in strokes gained : around-the-green. His best approach shots come from shot range, which is where the majority of them will come from this week.

Hughes is a better putter, but ranking 122nd in approach play is concerning in this matchup. He also ranks T116 in first round scoring.

CT Pan +140 vs. Adam Long/Luke Donald

CT Pan's biggest weakness is his lack of distance off the tee, but that won't hurt him this week. I think he's a good play, and FanSided's Cody Williams agrees. He's backing him to finish in the top 10 this week, and this is what he had to say about him in his betting preview.

"While C.T. Pan might not be considered a widespread household name in the golfing world, those of us in the weeds know that he’s a short-course specialist who can show up on certain courses and be a factor. The data shows that Pan could be that here. He should be able to take full advantage of the five Par-3s on this course as he ranks 22nd on Tour in Par-3 scoring average and has gained 0.69 strokes per round over his last 24 rounds. I would perhaps be a little bolder with this if he wasn’t 163rd in Par-5 scoring but a Top 10 at these odds is quite attractive as a bet."

Adam Long has missed the cut in three of his last five starts, and Luke Donald ranks outside the top 100 in total strokes gained this season.

Cameron Smith +180 vs. Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns

This is the marquee matchup of the first two days, and I'm going to back Cameron Smith. He's my best bet to win this week, and he's an even better bet in the first round. He ranks first in the PGA Tour in first round average scoring average.

It's tough to argue too much against Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, but with Scheffler being the favorite in the group, and Burns ranking just 43rd in first round scoring, I think the Australian presents the best value in the group.

You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.

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