After a dominant Cam Young win in the Cadillac Championship at Doral, the PGA TOUR is headed to Quail Hollow for the 2026 Truist Championship.

This is a look at the best first-round leader bets to make for the event on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Truist Championship: First Round Leader Picks

The signature event run on the PGA TOUR continues with this week’s Truist Championship. Last year, the tournament was played at the Philadelphia Cricket Club due to the PGA Championship being held at Quail Hollow. In 2026, the tournament is headed back to its usual home at the iconic Quail Hollow Country Club. There are three relevant defending champions to discuss here. Sepp Straka is the defending Truist Championship winner, but it came at a different course. Scottie Scheffler won the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, but he will not be in the field this week. The last time the Truist was played at Quail Hollow in 2024, Rory McIlroy won the tournament. McIlroy is the favorite to win it again this week.

Quail Hollow is a par-71 course that ranges 7,583 yards. Since it is a Signature Event, there is a limited field, and there will be no cut. The course requires both power and precision. It is an extremely long course, but it also typically has very difficult scoring conditions. Scottie Scheffler won with an exceptional -11 for the tournament at the PGA last year, but the second-place finishers only made it to -6. The fairways are lined with trees, there are strategically placed hazards, and the greens require precision to avoid landing in a potential three-putt zone. Often, the best players in the world, such as Scheffler and McIlroy, are the ones who rise to the occasion at Quail Hollow.

Cameron Young FRL (+1900)

I can’t get enough of Cameron Young at the moment. He has been having a sensational season on the PGA TOUR, doing so with dominant grace. Young was my top pick to be the first-round leader last week at the Cadillac Championship at Doral. He not only led after the first round, but went on to win the tournament in dominant fashion. Over his past six tournaments, Young has finished T-7 at The Genesis, T-3 at Bay Hill, T-3 at the Masters, T-25 at the RBC and won both THE PLAYERS and the Cadillac. Currently, Young, Matt Fitzpatrick and Scheffler are on their own tier as the top-three in the FedEx Cup standings. This week, I can’t resist going back to Young to lead after the first round once again.

Cameron Young seems to be a great fit anywhere at the moment, but Quail Hollow is a course that sets up brilliantly for him. Young has the length off the tee needed to give himself realistic approach shots, but he also stays out of trouble. He ranks fourth in SG: Off The Tee this season. Young has been incredible with his irons, ranking third on the PGA TOUR in proximity this season. He also ranks sixth in scrambling in 2026, meaning he can get himself out of trouble if he finds any. Young finished T-7 at last year’s Truist, although it came on a different track. He doesn’t have any standout results at Quail Hollow, but this is a different Cam Young in 2026 who seems unstoppable at the moment.

Taylor Pendrith FRL (+5900)

Taylor Pendrith is the best value play on the board to lead after the opening round. Pendrith has not had a great season on the PGA TOUR, but he loves Quail Hollow. Pendrith finished in fifth place at last year’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. At the 2024 Truist Championship at Quail Hollow, Pendrith finished T-10. So, he has top-10 finishes in each of his past two starts at the prestigious course. Pendrith has been solid off the tee this season, despite his other struggles. He ranks 31st in SG: Off the Tee. Pendrith also ranks 25th in GIR%. His biggest problem has been with the flat stick. However, that is also the thing that can flip out of nowhere in any given round. If Pendrith can roll in a few putts, he has the pedigree to get hot and shoot the lowest score of the day on Thursday at Quail Hollow.