Valero Texas Open First-Round Leader Tips: Make it Martin at 80/1

• 80/1 Ben Martin has been starting fast

• 100/1 Kevin Chappell has happy memories here

• 80/1 Trey Mullinax is the course record holder

Weather forecast for Thursday: After strong gusts in the build-up, it eases a little for round one although wind will still be a factor.

The morning starters have winds of around 9-12mph while it should be 15mph in the afternoon. The p.m. golfers have warmer conditions - 80 degrees compared to early 60s for the very early starters.

There's a slight trade off in wind and warmth and a threat of t-storms in the afternoon could also affect things. Overall, I'll take two from the a.m. bunch.

Ben to burst out of the blocks

Ben Martin was the first-round leader at the Corales Puntacana last week, repeating the feat he managed there in 2022.

The American has been finding early birdies easy to come by of late and was also eighth after day one at Pebble Beach and 12th following the opening lap of the Valspar Championship.

Those strong starts have helped him bank a fifth, an eighth and a 13th in his last five outings so confidence is high.

Martin was 18th after the first round of this event last year while prior to that he was in the top eight after 18 holes of two of his four previous starts in Texas.

His ball-striking looks strong right now and that bodes well for TPC San Antonio where he's made five of his six cuts.

Martin, who tees off at 07.52, is 80/1.

Choose Chappell

Kevin Chappell has very happy memories of this course and this event after making it the scene of his first PGA Tour win in 2017.

It was no surprise it came at TPC San Antonio as he'd finished runner-up in 2011 and fourth in 2016.

Chappell has fallen way down the world rankings in recent years but he still managed 18th here last year, shooting a 65 in round two.

And after more struggles, he's suddenly found some more form in the last few weeks with a run of 29-15-16 at the Honda Classic, Puerto Rico Open and Corales Puntacana.

Chappell once led a major after 18 holes and he has four first-round leads on the PGA Tour.

In his current form and at one of his favourite venues, he's worth a punt at 100/1 to go low from his 07.52 tee time.

Mullinax can hit the heights

Trey Mullinax won't win awards for consistency but he has spikes in form that make him an attractive bet in a market like this.

In the last 18 months, he's been the first-round leader at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, the Mexico Open and the CJ Cup, shooting 63, 64 and 65 respectively in those openers.

Then there's Mullinax's record in this event: three missed cuts and a second place!

He shot a stunning course record 62 in the 2018 edition while his most recent start in Texas resulted in a fourth place at November's Houston Open.

A mad 85 at The Players Championship two starts ago highlighted his inconsistency but a week earlier he'd finished eighth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Mullinax, an afternoon starter at 13.09, could shoot anything but if he's on one of his good weeks, the American can make his mark at 80/1.