Steve Palmer's Barbasol Championship first-round preview and free golf tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the first round of the Barbasol Championship at Keene Trace.

When to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 9pm Thursday

Best bets

Julien Brun top Frenchman
2pts 7-2 bet365

Austin Cook to win 6.38pm threeball
2pts Evens BoyleSports

Taylor Pendrith to miss cut
1pt 12-5 bet365

First-round preview

Julien Brun has plenty of Stateside experience from competing in college events when at Texas Christian University and the 30-year-old seems by far the most likely Frenchman to make a serious impact in the Barbasol Championship.

Brun for top Frenchman appeals as a good value 7-2 chance for a weak section that will probably not take much winning. Brun has won three times on the Challenge Tour and has played some decent golf on the DP World Tour this year.

Austin Cook, fourth in the 2019 Barbasol and 16th in the John Deere Classic on Sunday, is an attractive first-round threeball option against Ted Potter and Josh Geary (6.38pm).

And Taylor Pendrith is worth chancing at 12-5 to miss the cut. The Canadian has not competed since the Players Championship in the middle of March. Having recovered from a fractured rib, he was due to make his comeback last week, but tested positive for Covid. It is reasonable to expect a rusty return.

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