And just like that, we’re back at Augusta National.
The Masters is one of the biggest gambling events of the year. Bettors around the world will get action at the sports book, on DFS platforms, in pools at their local pubs or all of the above. This is the tournament where casuals, people and everyone in between get together to keep a flutter on the golf course. It’s a beautiful thing and it’s going to be a fun week.
Here’s the bet for the 2021 Masters. (Spoiler alert: there are some notable differences from what we were dealing with in November.)
The favorites
Dustin Johnson may be the favorite at +950 ($ 10 bet wins $ 95), but Jordan Spieth is the story of the chance board after his victory in the Valero Texas Open. Spieth, who was +7 000 at Augusta just two months ago and only +12500 at the waste management, was at +1150 to win his second masters title thanks to a series of forms that included a win, four top-five finishes and five top-15s in his last six starts.
Mix that scorching piece of golf with the Texan’s dazzling course history – he started a win and four top-3 finishes in seven at Augusta – and you’re in for a perfect storm for speculators. Spieth is arguably the most popular bet this year, and a second Green Jacket for the 28-year-old will be terrible news for the bookies.
Although Spieth is definitely the story this time around, we did not all wonder if Bryson DeChambeau (+1150) would chew Augusta and then spit it out. That did not happen when DeChambeau withered to a T34 in November, but there is very little reason to be skeptical about his chances this week, as he will claim a win and start a T3 in his last two.
Justin Thomas (+1250) is also a popular play that achieved its victory at THE PLAYERS. It feels like it’s a matter of time for Thomas to win a green jacket, but the same has been said about many other men in the past, and most of them are never suitable for the blue jacket. Thomas improved with every start at Augusta starting T39-T22-T17-T12-4 in his five times.
It’s been almost 17 months since then Rory McIlroy‘s last win, but the Northern Irishman is still waiting for +1900 much respect from the bettors. McIlroy is an interesting case because it’s not so uncommon for superstars to see their chance float when they’re in a field like this. (Heck, it was not so long ago that Dustin Johnson was praised in non-majors at +4500.) And yet it seems like bookmakers are tired of getting McIlroy’s chance too far from the top of the board.
We do not know how healthy he is, but Brooks Koepka hides in this range at +2800. Although he has not played since finishing second at the WGC Workday Championship, Koepka has a win and a T2 in the last two events he has been able to play. It will be interesting to see how the market on Koepka responds to this number, as there will be two camps of speculators this week: those who think Brooks is injured and will not come close to him, regardless of the number, and those who will get him at a longer than normal chance thanks to the injury that scares people off.
We will close the top of the board with another former winner, Patrick Reed by +3500. Reed is a unique player for several reasons, but for the gamblers, he stands out because the 30-year-old is perhaps more dangerous than any other golfer every time he steps on a golf course, regardless of his shape or course pace. . Reed is a 9-time winner on TOUR, has a green jacket and has a top 10 finish at each major. But because Reed is never really popular among casual bettors, bookmakers can afford it at 30/1.
While Reed is likely to fly under the radar, the same cannot be said Collin Morikawa by +3150. Morikawa, who was already a major champion, is just over a month removed from WGC Workday. At some point, he will find his way to the 1000 series and stay there. You can say the same about Viktor Hovland, which should have enough support at +3500.
The middle level
This is the part of the betting where you have to show self-control (or at least I do) because a field so deep will always place some enticing numbers on some fantastic players. It’s hard to look past Adam Scott by +7500 of Tyrrell Hatton at +5000, but you can not bet all.
Cam Smith (+3500), Abraham Ancer (+8000), and Sungjae Im (+4150) were all tied for second place after 54 holes in November, but with the way DJ played, it’s easy to forget that there were other players on the field that Sunday. Although no one from Smith, Ancer or Im won anything in 2021, they all showed up here or there and made popular bets at one time or another. I would imagine a lot of people are looking forward to betting on Smith as he has two top-5 finishes in four rounds to Augusta, but the number is pretty short for the Aussie.
We all know that course history and experience at Augusta matters more than most other tracks, but that may not be enough to deter betters from buying. Joaquin Niemann by +5500. The 22-year-old Chilean can sometimes get lost in the “Young Gun Shuffle” with the likes of Morikawa, Hovland, Im and Scottie Scheffler, but flying under the radar is never a bad thing when it comes to betting. Although he does not stand out, in 2021 (six times) Niemann finished just once outside the top 30 and had two runners-up to start the year.
There are many players who endorse the ‘Death, tax and commitment’ Bubba Watson by Augusta National ”theory. Bubba has two wins, a T5 and a T12 on his Augusta CV, but he has actually had more pedestrians than strong since his win in 2014. His recent form is not great, and if you mix that with his 57th place in November you can see why the two-time winner rose to +9000.
Speaking of former winners, Sergio Garcia play nice golf and hang out at +6000. Matt Vincenzi of GolfBet is pretty high on the Spaniard this week.
Tommy Fleetwood (+6000) is just one of the players, like Tony Finau, who apparently always wants people to bet on him or use him in DFS. Maybe it’s because he’s a pleasant man, or maybe because he supports Everton Football Club, do not know. What I do know is that Fleetwood has a good chance of finding people after him at any given time. The Merseysider started two top-20 rounds in his final three at Augusta and finished T10 on the Arnold Palmer in early March.
Langskote
It has not been a good start for 2021 yet Matthew Wolff but the young gun showed some signs of life during the WGC Match Play before bowing on the final day of the group stage. The most important thing was that Wolff showed that he is healthy to compete and that makes him an intriguing player at +10000.
Do not look now, but it seemed Gary Woodland (+12500) found something during the Valero Texas Open. Chris Murphy of GolfBet liked what he saw of the former US Open champion, and I can not blame him. I would not be surprised if the number drops as the week approaches.
It’s important to have a good short game at Augusta National, and that’s music. Kevin Nase ore. After all, she was her typical self in 2021 with a win at the Sony Open, a T12 at the WGC Workday Championship, a WD at THE PLAYERS and a viral moment during the WGC Match Play. Na is a player who never surprises you, because you already know that trying to predict what he is going to do is a fool’s errand. It makes him fun and furious, but he’s definitely worth a look at +17500.
If you were just paying attention to #GolfGamblingTwitter, you would think Si Woo Kim (+15000) is one of the most popular players in the world. And honestly, I think he deserves to be in that conversation. This is because the 25-year-old native of Seoul, South Korea can find his way to anywhere on the leaderboard in any given week. It’s electric. Kim has a win, a T9 at THE PLAYERS, three missed cuts and a WD in nine starts in 2021. This will be Kim’s fifth trip to Augusta and he showed a match here with a T21 and a T24 to his credit.
Do not forget Dylan Frittelli below at +17500. The South African advanced to the knockout stages of the WGC match two weeks ago and finishes T5 at the November Masters, so he is definitely someone to consider if you are looking for a long shot to warm your soul.
Max Homa (+10000) can also be interesting for those who like to throw a few arrows. Homa did not impress in his August debut, but that’s kind of what’s happening here. Where the Californian made an impression is basically everywhere in 2021. Homa has started three top-10 finishes, including a win, in his last five.
Here’s the full bet for the 2021 Masters (via DraftKings).
2021 Masters Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Dustin Johnson | +950 |
| Jordan Spieth | +1150 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +1150 |
| Justin Thomas | +1250 |
| Jon Rahm | +1250 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1900 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +2050 |
| Xander Schauffele | +2600 |
| Brooks Koepka | +2800 |
| Collin Morikawa | +3150 |
| Viktor Hovland | +3500 |
| Paul Casey | +3500 |
| Tony Finau | +3500 |
| Patrick Reed | +3500 |
| Webb Simpson | +3500 |
| Cam Smith | +3500 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | +4000 |
| Sungjae Im | +4150 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +5000 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +5000 |
| Lee Westwood | +5000 |
| Jason Day | +5500 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +5500 |
| Joaquin Niemann | +5500 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +6000 |
| Sergio Garcia | +6000 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | +7500 |
| Adam Scott | +7500 |
| Sal Zalatoris | +7500 |
| Abraham Ancer | +8000 |
| Corey Conners | +8000 |
| Billy Horschel | +9000 |
| Jason Kokrak | +9000 |
| Bubba Watson | +9000 |
| Max Homa | +10000 |
| Matt Kuchar | +10000 |
| Justin Rose | +10000 |
| Matt Wallace | +10000 |
| Matthew Wolff | +10000 |
| Brian Harman | +12500 |
| Shane Lowry | +12500 |
| Gary Woodland | +12500 |
| Harris Engels | +15000 |
| Marc Leishman | +15000 |
| Sebastian Munoz | +15000 |
| Victor Perez | +15000 |
| Ian Poulter | +15000 |
| Si Woo Kim | +15000 |
| Christiaan Bezuidenhout | +17500 |
| Dylan Frittelli | +17500 |
| Phil Mickelson | +17500 |
| Francesco Molinari | +17500 |
| Kevin Na | +17500 |
| Carlos Ortiz | +17500 |
| Ryan Palmer | +17500 |
| Matt Jones | +20000 |
| Kevin Kisner | +20000 |
| Robert MacIntyre | +20000 |
| Zach Johnson | +22500 |
| Cameron Champion | +25000 |
| Lanto Griffin | +25000 |
| Danny Willett | +25000 |
| CT Pan | +30000 |
| Brendon Todd | +30000 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | +35000 |
| Mackenzie Hughes | +40000 |
| Charl Schwarzel | +40000 |
| Stewart Cink | +50000 |
| Martin Laird | +50000 |
| Michael Thompson | +50000 |
| Henrik Stenson | +60000 |
| Brian Gay | +75000 |
| Jim Herman | +75000 |
| Bernhard Langer | +75000 |
| Robert Streb | +75000 |
| Hudson Swafford | +75000 |
| Jimmy Walker | +75000 |
| Fred Couples | +150000 |
| Vijay Singh | +150000 |
| Mike Weir | +150000 |
| Joe Long | +200000 |
| Charles Osborne | +200000 |
| Tyler Strafaci | +200000 |
| Larry Mize | +300000 |
| Jose Maria Olazabal | +300000 |
| Sandy Lyle | +500000 |