The Masters is bearing down, so let’s start seriously looking at the odds for the field at Augusta National.
The golf world’s attention is a short four-hour drive south from Augusta National for The Players Championship this weekend. But we’re just four weekends out from our first real major of the year.
The 2019 season has been one for the superstars so far, and we’re getting that again at The Players. In the first couple months of the year, we’ve already seen worldwide wins from Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Francesco Molinari, Matt Kuchar, and Justin Rose. Some on that list have major championships, others don’t. But it’s been a run of players with established resumes and at the top of the world rankings. Those names are not sneaking up on anyone at Augusta and you’re probably not getting great value.
The Players leaderboard has us set up for another “name” winner in what is the biggest event of the year to date. We have Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm, both in the top 15 in the world, in the final group. Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, two likely Hall of Famers, are playing in the penultimate group. It’s a loaded leaderboard that’s just going to, in all likelihood, throw another “trending” pick into the Masters favorites hat.
If you’re looking for a good value, you’ll be hard pressed to find it among one of the favorites. In golf, that value simply does not exist when you’re assessing a 100-man field that almost anyone can win.
As for the favorites, despite lacking a win, there’s been no one better to start 2019 than McIlroy. He’s consistently been in contention — with five top-six finishes in five starts to begin the year. He’ll start Sunday on the leaderboard along the First Coast this afternoon, and you can be sure he’ll leap over Dustin Johnson as the current favorite if he’s able to seal the deal at TPC Sawgrass. Recent history, of course, says that might be easier said than done for a McIlroy that’s struggled to close the deal late.
After Johnson, yes, it’s Tiger Woods sitting tied with McIlroy and Justin Rose for the second lowest odds to take home another Green Jacket. That might seem a little overblown considering his forgettable performance yesterday in Ponte Vedra, but it’s not super far-fetched. Big Cat’s played relatively well for the start of the 2019 season, turning in all top-20 finishes for the start of the year. There’s few places he’s more comfortable than Augusta, even if he has not won there in almost 14 years. The public money rushing in on Tiger will always make him one of the favorites. The sportsbooks simply can’t have that much exposure so Tiger’s odds from a bookmaker, compared with his actual chance to win compared to other stars, will always be a little lower than you think. He’s 12/1 now with about a month to play and probably just one more start (WGC Match Play) between The Players and The Masters.
Want a quick longshot pick based on recency? How about Ollie Schneiderjans? He’s still sitting at 500-1 after shooting up the leaderboard on moving day at The Players. There’s certainly a risk with Ollie not yet, uh, in the field. But he can still play his way in and a strong finish this week at The Players will certainly help that attempt to climb up the world rankings. At 500-1, you’re looking for longshot value in a guy that can get hot for one week and actually win.
Here are the full betting odds for the Masters field as it stands at the start of Sunday at The Players.
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