Masters Time: What Are the Best Bets for Golf’s First Major?
Golf’s majors season begins in April when the 2024 Masters will tee off at Augusta’s National Golf Club. The drive down Magnolia Lane or a quiet walk around Amen Corner to the sounds of Rae’s Creek make this tournament slightly different from other competitions, majors included.
From the opening tee shot being struck by a legend to the green jacket presentation in the Butler Cabin on Sunday night, the anticipation ahead of the Masters is greater than other major. The Masters is the first of four majors each season, and excitement levels are heightened as fans have waited for the best part of eight months for the top golfers to light up our screens again.
Jon Rahm receives his green jacket from Scottie Scheffler following the final round of the 2023 Masters. Scheffler is favourite to regain his title in 2024 ©GettyImages
This article looks at the favourites to don a famous green jacket after 72 holes of enthralling action. We will also delve into the Masters betting markets using UK bookmaker prices, suggesting five nicely priced contenders that could win the 2024 Masters tournament – considering why they might do so.
Can one of the market principles get the job done? Will Rory McIlroy, priced 10/1 with most golf betting sites, land the Grand Slam? He needs the green jacket to complete the quartet of major wins. The Northern Irishman has been close before, most notably in 2011 when he led after the first, second, and third rounds.
McIlroy held a four-stroke lead heading into 2011’s final day, but a triple bogey on the 10th and a four-putt double bogey on 12 saw his chances evaporate as the then 22-year-old carded a final round 80. Fourth in 2015, his best Masters result came in the 2022 edition when he finished second, three shots adrift of Scottie Scheffler.
Five Outside of the Big Four That Could Thrive in the Masters
2023 Masters form study shows us the tournament ended up being a two-horse race between two of the world’s best golfers: winner Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. Their defection to the LIV Tour means neither can play on the PGA Tour. However, they can compete in golf’s four majors as these tournaments are governed by entities independent of the PGA Tour.
Masters betting sites have positioned Rahm as the 12/1 third favourite this time. Koepka is fourth on the lists, quoted on 20/1. It is Scottie Scheffler that the bookies favour. The 2022 Masters champion, who tied for second in the 2023 PGA Championship and finished third in the 2023 US Open, is top-priced 9/2 by William Hill bookmakers.
So, who might thrive at the 2024 Masters at Augusta National from April 11 until April 14 and take a significant slice of the $18 million in prize money that is on offer? If you love a story, 125/1 shots Phil Mickelson and comeback king Tiger Woods – with eight Masters titles between them – could be for you.
However, we have identified a handful of golfers with the credentials to claim the $3.24 million winner’s prize. Here, in our expert opinion, are five golfers who could land the title and reward punters at significant double-digit prices. Our strategy is to back all three for micro stakes.
Wyndham Clark
Wyndham Clark’s Masters betting price of 28/1 proves his stock is rising fast on the PGA Tour. The 30-year-old is now in the top five of the world rankings. His position comes courtesy of winning on championship courses like Quail Hollow and Pebble Beach, alongside his US Open major win at LA Country Club.
Recently, Clark was runner-up at Bay Hill and suffered a near miss to Scottie Scheffler, which would have seen him add the Players Championship trophy to his resume. His collegiate background at Oklahoma State has some serious pedigree behind it, and he is known as the ‘big game hunter’ by his friends.
His big-hitting and stellar short game stands out most about the American. He is a feisty competitor who said he felt entitled to continue his winning form from college as soon as he got onto the PGA Tour.
Clark sought some sports psychology work and is now getting to grips with that side of the game. We saw in the Players Championship that the American has no fear of the field or the occasion, so it would not surprise us to see him make a bold showing in Augusta despite his lack of experience there.
Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki Matsuyama is one of the four faders of the golf ball to win the last four editions of the Masters – truly putting paid to the notion that drawers of the golf ball (or right-to-left players) have a significant advantage around Augusta.
There was a historic golfing moment when Hideki’s caddie bowed to the pin on the 18th hole in 2021. Both Shota (the caddie) and Matsuyama may have a chance of history repeating itself at the 2024 Masters. Golf betting sites have Hideki priced on 28/1 to win his second major title.
The Japanese player is in fine form, winning the 2024 Genesis Invitational when shooting a nine-under 62 on the final day. It was a performance of old from Hideki – on a Riviera course with several similarities to Augusta. It appears the 32-year-old, the winningest Asian golfer on the PGA Tour with nine victories, has put his injury woes behind him.
Sam Burns
Sam Burns has yet to catch fire this year. As a result, he appears underrated by the golf betting markets. He is on offer at 50/1 – an excellent each-way price for a player near the top of the stats for strokes gained off the tee and putting from the short to mid-range.
27-year-old Burns has won on the PGA Tour five times, including a World Golf Championship. He appears to be progressing, with four top 10s in a row before the Florida swing. Eagle-eyed punters will have noted that he had carded a third-round 65 at TPC Sawgrass, suggesting that his best form is approaching.
This will be Burn’s third appearance at the Masters. The American is one of the bigger hitters on the PGA Tour, so he has what is required to pick up a green jacket at Augusta National.
Sahith Theegala
66/1 in the Masters betting, Sahith Theegala could surprise the bookies. He closed out his Masters debut at Augusta in 2023 with a round of 67 for a total of five under over the 72 holes. It secured Theegala, who won the Fortinet Championship at the back end of 2023, a top-10 finish, and he took top rookie honours.
Theegala has a solid amateur pedigree – one of the few players to win the Fred Haskins Award, the Ben Hogan Award, and the Jack Nicklaus Award for Player of the Year in the same year (2018). Sahith follows in the theme of recent Masters winners with his preferred big booming fade. He is also hitting form, with three top 10s in his last four events, plus a top 10 in the Players Championship.
Bryson DeChambeau
LIV golfers might be worth a few each-way golf bets at the 2024 Masters. Bryson DeChambeau is coming into form on that tour, and he is around 40/1 in the Masters betting with the best golf betting sites.
The American has previously shown that he is an excellent fit for Augusta. Bryson was the first-round leader in the 2019 Masters, and he has given us glimpses of his suitability for Augusta National on several occasions. Top-six finishes in the last two LIV events mean he is the third favourite for LIV Golf Miami, which starts a week before the Masters.
Since Bryson gained his length off the tee, he has been trying different things with the driver at Augusta to give him an even further advantage. He has used different lofts and longer shafts.
Unfortunately for ‘The Professor’, this has resulted in him spraying the ball all over the place from the tee and finding all sorts of trouble, mainly in the form of bushes and trees that not many players have contended with. Extra distance is no use without a degree of accuracy at Augusta National!
In 2020, when he was one of the short-priced market leaders, DeChambeau was ill and did not perform as expected. Bryson has since lost some bulk and dialled back the power-hitting. He should now be more precise with his tee shots and find more fairways. We can expect to see precision with his iron shots too, and it will be interesting to follow him at the 2024 Masters at much bigger 40/1 odds.
A Masters Win Will Do for the Foreseeable
Winning the Masters will set any golfer up nicely for the foreseeable future. As well as unlimited Masters starts, the winner gets a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour and five years of entries into the US Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship. The 2024 Masters winner also claims a spot in Hawaii’s Sentry Tournament of Champions.
The competition’s previous winners (with their pre-event odds) are: 2023 – Jon Rahm (9/1), 2022 – Scottie Scheffler (16/1), 2021 – Hideki Matsuyama (50/1), 2020 – Dustin Johnson (17/2), 2019 – Tiger Woods (14/1), 2018 – Patrick Reed (50/1), 2017 – Sergio Garcia (30/1), 2016 – Danny Willett (50/1).
As usual, dedicated golf betting sites, live streaming sites, and betting exchanges will all offer outstanding betting value and bonus offers on the Masters. One of the finest spectacles in sport, the Augusta action starts April 11 and can be watched on Sky Sports. We hope our Masters golf guide was of assistance.
