Best Masters Bets
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Best Bets for a top five. To say Chase Elliott (+1000) has struggled at Daytona would be a gross understatement. In 10 starts on this track, he has been slowed or sidelined by damage at least.
It’s a tradition (on For The Win) like no other.
Each year, we get members of the site staff throw in their picks with odds for the Masters. With the action teeing off at the 2019 event at Augusta National on Thursday, it’s time for us to give another bunch of choices in the hopes it’ll win you some money.
As a reminder: We pick one player with short odds (up to 20/1), medium odds (21/1 to 99/1) and we dive deep to take one longshot (100/1 and above) who could come out of relative obscurity (hello, Danny Willett in 2016!) and get a green jacket.
All odds courtesy of PointsBet:
Short odds
Dustin Johnson, 10/1
I don’t like picking against Rory McIlroy when he looks in the zone, but I keep getting this weird feeling that DJ will take it home this weekend. He crushes the ball, he’s had experience now with Augusta, and the last three times he’s played the Masters (other than 2017 when he had that freak injury falling down the staircase) he’s T6, T4, and T10. It’s his time. — Nate Scott
Justin Rose, 12/1
That’s right, we’re going right back here again until he wins it. With a history of near-wins and consistent results at Augusta (did you know he’s finished outside of the top 25 just twice in 13 Masters appearances and hasn’t missed the cut once?), along with good form (eighth place at The Players Championship last month), he’s a lock to contend for a green jacket. He’s an all-time ball-striker. What more do you want? — Charles Curtis
Jordan Spieth, 16/1
Jordan Spieth is having a bad season, and the three-time major champion is struggling with multiple facets of his game. Spieth is an alarming 172nd on tour in strokes gained tee to green, and 70th in strokes gained putting.
Still, there’s something special about Spieth at Augusta. In five starts, he’s never finished worse than a tie for 11th, and he’s posted four top-3 finishes. I have little doubt that Spieth can be mediocre everywhere else, yet show up at Augusta National on Thursday and shoot a 67. He’s going to be a contender over the weekend. — Nick Schwartz
Tiger Woods, 12/1
I did not realize I was working with cowards. If nobody else is going to take the plunge, I guess I will: I’m going with Tiger. His 2019 numbers aren’t impressive, but we know he has a game suited for Augusta, as evidenced by the 65 (!) he shot at a practice round this week. There better players you can put your money on, but betting is supposed to be fun and you’re not going to have more fun betting on another guy. And what if he wins!?!? — Steven Ruiz
Medium odds
Brooks Koepka, 22/1
Koepka at +2200? What am I missing here? A win here and he would pass Jordan Spieth on the career majors list. He would tie Rory. He’s coming off a PGA Championship win, a PGA Tour Player of the Year award last year, and it’s not like he’s been bad at Augusta – he finished T11 last year. He’s entering the tournament ticked off at the lack of coverage and respect he’s getting. This is my favorite pick. — NaS
I’m with Nate here. This is probably the best bet to make this weekend. And, sure, it’s a boring pick, but I’ve already used my fun pick on Tiger Woods. Here’s my advice: Bet on Tiger for fun and back it up with a bet on boring old Brooks.
A bonus pick: Hideki Matsuyama (33/1). He ranks third in strokes gained tee-to-green and has already racked up three top-10 finishes this season. — SR
Francesco Molinari, 22/1
Come on aboard! There’s plenty of room on this bandwagon. The 36-year-old Italian who’s one half of Moliwood had an unbelievable run since last June: He won three times (including the British Open) last season, blew away everyone at the Ryder Cup and bested the field at the Arnold Palmer just a month ago. He’s on fire and the buzz is too much to ignore, especially at those odds. — CC
Tommy Fleetwood, 28/1
Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm and Rickie Fowler are wrestling for the title of best player without a major, and it’s just a matter of time before all three break through. Fleetwood doesn’t have much experience at Augusta – he’s missed the cut and finished T17 over the last two years – but he’s one of the best drivers and ball strikers in the field. The only thing holding Fleetwood back is his putter, but if he can get hot for a few rounds, this could be his weekend. — NiS
Long Odds
Charley Hoffman (100/1)
Every year we do this. Every year we discount Hoffman’s track record at the Masters, and every year we glance at the leaderboard on Day 3 and see Hoffman in fourth place, or, in that one glorious year in 2015, leading the tournament. He’s never finished outside of the top 30 at Augusta, has a top-10 and a T12 last year. For a long shot, why not put a buck or two on the guy who clearly loves this course? — NaS
Si Woo Kim, 100/1
24-year-old Si Woo Kim posted a T24 in his second start at The Masters last year, and he’s coming to Augusta just a few days removed from a T4 in Texas last weekend. Kim, the 2017 Players Championship winner, has proven he can deliver on big stages, and the stats say Kim has the game to contend. On the season, Kim is 47th in strokes gained tee to green, 9th in strokes gained around the green, 31st in strokes gained putting. — NiS
Matthew Fitzpatrick, 100/1
A bit of a Captain Obvious pick given his near-win at Bay Hill. But he’s played well at the Masters (T7 in 2016) and was T12 at the 2018 U.S. Open. Putting wins at Augusta, and if he hits well on the lightning-fast greens, look out. — CC
Charles Howell III, 100/1
Chuck Three Sticks! Howell has had a hard time qualifying for the Masters — this will be his first appearance since 2012 — but the hometown kid knows the course, which is enough for me to take a chance on him. The last time he played in the tournament, he finished in the top-20. — SR
Players and fans alike waited seven months from its traditional April dates due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but now the 2020 Masters is finally here.
Hopefully, the wait pays off.
But while fans wait for the first round to begin Thursday, there are many bets that can be made so the Masters can pay off in another, more fiscal way.
Best Masters Picks 2020
BetMGM’s Vice President of Trading Jason Scott, from Brisbane, Australia, spoke with Golfweek about the biggest questions when it comes to betting on the Masters, the most interesting storylines to capitalize on and what, if anything, has COVID-19 done to betting odds.
Below are a few of the best storylines entering the 2020 Masters and how they could relate to your bank account.
Tiger repeats
He successfully defended his title at Augusta National before, but can he do it again?
It was more than 18 years ago Tiger Woods defended his 2001 Masters title at the 2002 tournament. After winning his 15th major championship and fifth green jacket last April, Woods returns to Augusta National after holding the title of reigning champion for 19 months.
Woods, the most popular golfer to bet on in any tournament he plays, kept that reputation for the November Masters. But at the Masters, Woods has 40-1 outright odds for defending his 2019 title.
Those odds haven’t changed how many people are betting on the Big Cat this week.
Masters 2020 Best Bets
“We’ve written more tickets on Tiger than any other three players combined,” Scott said when he spoke Tuesday with Golfweek.
Betting on Woods as the outright winner isn’t the best bet, so if fans want to put money down on Woods, there are other, safer bets. Scott said a few suggestions for betting on Woods other than outright are Woods finishing in the top 10 or, more realistically, making the cut or not.
Best bet for first-time winner
Some of the best Masters Tournaments have ended with a player grinning from ear to ear as they put on a green jacket for the first time. A few of the favorites in this week’s field are winless at Augusta National.
2020 Masters Predictions
Between Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, Scott picked his favorite for first-time winner.
Koepka is fresh off his knee and hip-related injuries, so his outright odds are 16-1. DeChambeau, who has historically not played well at Augusta National with a best finish in 2016 (21st), has odds of 15-2. Dustin Johnson, who won the Tour Championship and finished T-2 at last week’s Vivint Houston Open, is Scott’s favorite to win with 9-1 odds.
Out of these three favorites, Scott picked DJ. Johnson played at Memorial Park last week after finishing isolation due to testing positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 13.
“He’s had good form. He played last week with his chin up. I thought he hit the ball well last week. His putting was just a bit off. … I was probably nervous about (his positive COVID test) last week and thought he was a good risk last week but … I think he’ll be fine this week.”
Why Koepka, Bryson and DJ headline the potential time winners, there are a few sleepers Scott pointed out.
“I think Hideki Matsuyama has been good the past few weeks. I think 25-1, he has some interest to me,” Scott said. “The other obvious one is (Jon) Rahm who’s been playing well for a long time. … He finished top-10 last year at Augusta and the year before he was competitive as well so his form around the course is good.
“What’s interesting is Bryson’s isn’t. Bryson’s played four times, sixteen tournaments and only broken 70 once. I think he’s odds probably should be a little bigger.”
In addition to his 21st place finish in 2016, DeChambeau has finished the Masters 28th and 29th respectively over the past two tournaments. One thing that’s changed since DeChambeau last visited Augusta National is his major, 30-pound muscle gain and his first major title at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
Best Masters Bets 2020
This time may be different.
“It’s always been putting and chipping around Augusta. But yeah, the extra yards are certainly going to help,” Scott said. “He was a different player last year. But if you look at the courses he’s preformed well this year, he had (performed) well there previously.”
Young guys and Augusta National
One of the (few) highlights of 2020 has been watching the young stars play and compete with the world’s top ranked players. Which one should bettors keep their eyes — and potentially bets — on?
“I’d be on (Matthew) Wolff,” Scott said. “It always favors the long-hitters and he proved it at the U.S. Open he can compete when he ran second to Bryson.”
The most impressive young stars in the field are Matthew Wolff, who won his first Tour title at the 2019 3M Open and finished second at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot; Viktor Hovland who won the Puerto Rico Open last season and has three top-25 finishes in the first four events of the season; and Collin Morikawa won his first major at the PGA Championship, his second Tour title of the year and third overall.
Has COVID affected betting odds at the Masters?
What has COVID affected at the 2020 Masters? Try everything.
No fans on site, no in-person Masters shop, no Par 3 contest. The list goes on and on. But has it affected betting odds? Scott says not really.
“I think really minutely (odds have been impacted,)” Scott said. “The players at the disadvantage are Tiger and Phil (Mickelson) and Rory (McIlroy) and DeChambeau, the ones that have huge, big galleries that bounce off them and keep the ball from going in the rubbish. So that’s always been a big advantage for those guys.
“I’ve spoken to caddies and I know for a fact sometimes they’ll overclub because they know if they go too far, it’ll hit the crowd.”
Despite some of the disadvantages to now having a crowd and the irregular golf atmosphere, Scott said not to read too much into it since players are largely used to it since golf’s restart in June.
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