Best odds to win Masters 2024? Scottie Scheffler favored entering Augusta National

Scottie Scheffler is on green jacket watch at this week’s Masters golf tournament at Augusta National.

The 27-year-old former University of Texas men’s golf star won the 2022 Masters and has been on a tear since. This season, the Dallas native won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship in back-to-back weeks before a runner-up finish at the Houston Open.

Scheffler did not play at the Valero Texas Open this past weekend. He played a Masters practice round Sunday in Augusta with his sister, Molly.

Here’s a closer look at Scheffler and former UT standout Jordan Spieth’s odds at the Masters.

What are the odds for Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters?

All odds are from BetMGM.

Scheffler has +400 odds to win the Masters tournament. Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy is next with +1000 followed by defending champion Jon Rahm at +1200.

The last four Masters tournament winners were first-time champions, including Scheffler in 2022.

Scheffler’s playing well enough to break the trend as he enjoys one of the best pro golf stretches in years. He has 87 top 10 finishes in 119 PGA Tour starts since joining the PGA Tour in 2018; 37 of those were top 5 finishes. He has won $54,058,464 on Tour in less than four seasons with eight victories, including two this season,

Winning multiple major championships is one of the few feats he hasn’t accomplished in that short span.

Why is Scottie Scheffler favored to win the 2024 Masters?

Scheffler is the 2024 Masters favorite largely because of the elite ball-striking season he’s having.

He is first or second on Tour this season in greens in regulation (No. 1, 76.3%), strokes gained (No. 1, 2.81), strokes gained off the tee (No. 2, 0.90) and strokes gained approach to green (No. 1, 1.34). Those numbers are where Scheffler really makes his money, and why he’s No. 1 on Tour in scoring average (67.3) and birdie average (5.5).

Yes, Scheffler missed a five-foot putt at the Texas Children’s Houston Open that could have made him a back-to-back-to-back winner this season. But switching to a mallet putter has improved his numbers on the green; he’s up to No. 97 in strokes gained putting (-0.014).

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Above all, Scheffler’s consistency makes him an easy Masters pick. He recorded top-12 finishes in 18 Tour starts last season, winning the Phoenix Open and The Players Championship, finishing runner-up in the PGA Championship and third in the U.S. Open.

With seven top 10 finishes in eight PGA Tour starts this season, he is almost assured to be somewhere near contention.

His humble approach to big-time golf doesn’t hurt his case either.

How many Masters has Scottie Scheffler won?

Scheffler won the 2022 Masters and has placed in the top 20 in three other appearances at Augusta National, finishing t-19 (2019), t-18 (2021) and t-10 (2023).

Scheffler's 2022 championship made him the second former UT men’s golf product to win the Masters in seven years, with Jordan Spieth winning in 2015.

More: Bohls: Fun or phenom, Scottie Scheffler returns to Austin as No. 1, yet humble as ever

What are the odds for Jordan Spieth to win the Masters?

Spieth has +2000 odds at the Masters, where he won in 2015 and suffered an epic collapse in 2016.

Spieth is looking for his fourth major championship. He only needs a PGA Championship to complete a career grand slam at the majors. He won the 2015 US Open and 2017 Open Championship.

More: Jordan Spieth's Masters debut came 10 years ago, and it hasn't been boring at Augusta for him since

The 30-year-old Dallas native has three top-10 finishes this season, including No. 3 at The Sentry, No. 6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and No. 10 at last week’s Valero Texas Open.

Spieth’s becoming known for his roller-coaster rounds. He stays in contention thanks to his putter, despite ranking No. 98 on Tour in strokes gained approach to green (-0.027) and No. 52 in greens in regulation (67.6%). His putting average (1.67) and putts per round (27.8) both rank No. 8 on Tour.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Scottie Scheffler odds to win Masters 2024: Why he's best bet in Augusta