Masters betting, odds: Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm enter as favorites
Long shots have a pretty good record in recent Masters tournaments.
While players like Scottie Scheffler, Dustin Johnson and Tiger Woods have been among the favorites ahead of their Masters victories over the past six seasons, the other three tournaments in that span have been won by golfers with at least 30-1 odds.
That’s what Sergio Garcia’s odds were when he won the Masters in 2017 and Patrick Reed was +5000 to win the tournament ahead of his unexpected victory in 2018. After Woods won his most recent major in 2019 at +1400 and Johnson was at +850 to win the Masters in November of 2020, Matsuyama was +4600 ahead of his first major win in 2021.
This is also no ordinary year to bet a long shot, either. It’s just the second Masters since the formation of LIV Golf and 18 golfers from LIV are in the field. All of them have fairly long odds too. British Open winner Cameron Smith has the shortest odds of any LIV golfer at +2000 and Johnson is at +2500 but no one else from LIV has odds better than +3300.
Overall, PGA Tour regulars occupy eight of the top 10 spots on the board ahead of the tournament. Here’s a look at what you need to know to figure out who you want to bet on to win the tournament. All odds are from BetMGM.
Looking for their first Masters win
Rory McIlroy (+700)
A win for McIlroy would be his fifth major title and complete a career grand slam as McIlroy has wins in each of the other three major tournaments. As the co-favorite with Scottie Scheffler, McIlroy is well-equipped to get his first Masters win sooner rather than later. He finished second to Scheffler in 2022 after a final-round 64 and has three top-five finishes in his last five starts at Augusta National.
Jon Rahm (+900)
It’s slightly surprising that Rahm’s odds aren’t where McIlroy and Scheffler’s are, though he’s not too far behind. Rahm’s best Masters finish came in 2018 when he finished fourth and his run of four straight top-10 finishes ended last year with a tie for 27th after a third-round 77. Rahm has three wins so far in 2023 and it’s not going to be surprising if he gets his fourth this weekend.
Patrick Cantlay (+1800)
Cantlay is still looking for his first major title, though he won the 2021 FedEx Cup and also got a victory in the 2019 Memorial. He’s missed the cut in two of his six starts and his best finish is a tie for ninth in 2019. Like Rahm, Cantlay’s 2022 Masters went south in the third round. He shot a 79 on Saturday a year ago and finished in a tie for 39th.
Justin Thomas (+2000)
Thomas looks primed to take the next step at the Masters very soon. He’s made seven Masters starts and has finished in the top 25 in each of the last six. Thomas was fourth in 2020 and finished in a tie for eighth in 2022. Getting off to a strong start is key. Thomas has shot better than 73 just once in the first round in his Masters career. He’s probably not a guy you want to place a first-round leader bet on.
Collin Morikawa (+2200)
Morikawa has improved his finish in each of his three Masters appearances. He finished in a tie for 44th in his first Masters in 2020, tied for 18th in 2021 and then was fifth a season ago after he shot a final-round 67. His iron play could be exceptionally dangerous with soft and receptive greens from the rain forecast over the final three rounds.
Xander Schauffele (+2200)
Schauffele finished in a tie for second in 2019 and tied for third in 2021. He missed the cut for the first time in 2022 after he opened with rounds of 74 and 77. It was just the second time in five starts that he failed to break 70 in either of the first two rounds.
Going for another green jacket
Scottie Scheffler (+700)
Scheffler did exactly what he needed to do to clinch his first Masters title a season ago. He was 8-under through the first two rounds before shooting back-to-back 71s over the weekend to win the green jacket. He’s one of the three best all-around golfers in the world at the moment and would be the fourth golfer to win back-to-back Masters titles with a win in 2023.
Jordan Spieth (+1800)
The 2015 Masters champion has a second and two third-place finishes since his win. He missed the cut in 2022 after shooting 74 and 76 over the first two days, but his game looks to be in a very good spot ahead of this year’s tournament. If he’s making putts, watch out.
Dustin Johnson (+2500)
If DJ makes the weekend he’ll probably be near the top 10. After missing the cut in 2014, Johnson reeled off five consecutive top-10 finishes culminating in his 2020 win. He missed the cut in 2021 but tied for 12th in 2022.
Hideki Matsuyama (+4000)
Matsuyama has been dealing with a neck injury for a while now and doesn’t seem to be at 100%. He finished in a tie for 14th a season ago as he defends his title and has finished in the top 15 in six of his 11 starts at Augusta.
Tiger Woods (+6600)
If you’re betting on Woods to win the tournament you’re making a bet rooted in sentimentality more than anything else. The legend is capable of making all the shots needed to win at Augusta and if walking the course wasn’t a major aspect to professional golf, Woods’ odds would be a lot lower. But his surgically repaired right leg is the big variable here. We’ll be stunned if Woods doesn’t shoot in the vicinity of 70 on Thursday.
Phil Mickelson (+20000)
The three-time Masters winner became the oldest player to win a major when he won the 2021 PGA and would re-set that record with a fourth Masters win. There’s no reason to think that win will happen this weekend, however. Course familiarity only goes so far and Mickelson’s game hasn’t come close to where it was at Kiawah since that win.
LIV golfer aiming for another major
Cameron Smith (+2000)
The 2022 British Open champ seems like LIV’s best opportunity to get a win and steal the show over the weekend. Smith is a phenomenal putter and can bomb it with the longest drivers in pro golf. Smith has four top-10 finishes in six starts at Augusta and tied for second in 2020 and third in 2022.
Brooks Koepka (+3300)
Koepka got a win in LIV’s most recent event in Orlando and may be fully healthy again. A player who has thrived on competition, LIV has always seemed like an awkward fit for the guy who emerged as a majors force in the 2010s. After tying for second behind Woods in 2019, Koepka tied for seventh in 2020 and has missed the last two cuts.
Bryson DeChambeau (+10000)
A top-20 finish would be DeChambeau’s first at Augusta. He’s never really figured out the course after finishing in a tie for 21st as an amateur in 2016. Since then he’s finished no better than 29th and missed the cut in 2022 after shooting a 76 and an 80 in his first two rounds.
