Some of the best golfers in the world will take to the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort for the 2023 Valspar Championship. One of the hardest courses on the PGA Tour, the players will face challenge after challenge in their quest to come out on top. Justin Thomas is the +1000 favorite to win at Caesars Sportsbook, followed by Matt Fitzpatrick (+1200), Jordan Spieth (+1200), and Sam Burns (+1600). 

Before you consider your Players Championship picks and who will lead the tournament after the first round, you NEED to see what Sia Nejad has to say. 

Nejad is a golf and NFL betting and DFS expert who has had incredible success in the first-round leader market. While those markets tend to be highly volatile, Nejad managed to hit six first-round leaders in a 12-week span last year. He utilizes the inherent volatility in the market to identify value with golfers more likely to spike in one round versus a full tournament. He maintains that proper bankroll management is centered upon head-to-head matchups and the top 20 and top 40 markets but has been exceptional in spiking bankrolls via first-round leader cashes.

In 2022, his first-round leader hits included Danny Lee (150-1 at the American Express), Kevin Na (40-1, Sony), Tom Hoge (80-1, Players), KH Lee (85-1, Phoenix), Jhonattan Vegas and Adam Hadwin (70-1 and 100-1, Valspar). He also hit a handful of outrights and live outrights, including Cameron Smith (28-1, Tournament of Champions) and Sam Burns (80-1 after Round 1, Charles Schwab Challenge).

Last month Nejad correctly hit Max Homa (+1750) to lead after the first round of the Genesis Invitational and Joseph Bramlett (+2000) to lead after the first round of the Honda Classic in back-to-back weeks.

Now Nejad has identified his first-round leader picks for the 2023 Valspar Championship.

One shocker: Nejad is high on the chances of Jhonattan Vegas (+7000) to lead after the first round. Vegas has the ability to "flash at any given moment," Nejad tells SportsLine.

However, Nejad also likes one golfer who's "smart enough to club down and play position golf like this course calls for." You ABSOLUTELY need to see who it is before entering any Valspar Championship 2023 picks.

What players offer the best value to lead after the first round of the 2023 Valspar Championship? And which smart golfer is a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine now to see Sia Nejad's top predictions and analysis for the 2023 Valspar Championship, all from the golf expert who recently hit in back-to-back weeks!