The Masters Betting Preview
Golf’s first major tees it up later this week, giving bettors the chance to bet on the world’s best when they hit the fairways of Augusta National in the 82nd edition of the Masters.
The favorite to put on the green jacket at Bovada Sportsbook is Jordan Spieth at +900. Spieth, who won the Masters in 2015 and tied for second a year later, is still looking for his first tournament win of the season after a pair of top-three finishes.
Coming in close behind Spieth on the Masters odds at Bovada Sportsbook are Rory McIlroy at +1000 and Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson, both at +1100.
The Masters is the only major that McIlroy hasn’t won. His best career finish at Augusta came in 2015 when he was fourth. This could finally be McIlroy’s year as he posted his first win of the season just a few weeks ago in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Thomas has arguably been the best golfer on tour for the last year. In 2017 he posted five tour wins, including his first major victory in the PGA Championship. He already has a win under his belt this season at the Honda Classic. He’s only played in the Masters twice, with his best finish coming last year when he tied for 22nd place.
Johnson was the favorite heading into last year’s Masters, but he ended up pulling out of the tournament after injuring his back falling down the stairs. The world-ranked No. 1 tied for fourth at Augusta in 2016 and so far in 2018 he already has one win and a pair of second-place finishes.
The reigning Masters champion Sergio Garcia finally got his first major victory last year but he is considered a long shot to repeat at +2800.
The one golfer everyone will be watching closely this week is Tiger Woods. The four-time Masters champ has people believing again after his strong play recently, and the oddsmakers agree and have listed him at +1400. If Woods can find his way back to the top of the leaderboard, it will be his first green jacket win since 2005.
If you’re looking for the odds on a few other former Masters champions, you can find Bubba Watson at +1400, Phil Mickelson at +1600, Adam Scott at +6000, Charl Schwartzel at +10000 and Danny Willett at +25000.
If you’re looking for value bets this week, two options could be Justin Rose and Jon Rahm. Rose, listed at +1400, finished second last year and was also runner-up in 2015. Rahm, the No. 3-ranked player in the world, is listed at +2000 and would continue the streak of a first-time major winner taking the green jacket for the fourth straight year.