Anyone checking out The Masters odds for this week would have to be living under a rock….a very, very big rock….to not realize what the major storyline coming into this tournament would be. The Masters is a big enough deal as is, but when the world’s No.1 player returns after a five-month scandal, you can bet that The Masters will be the most-watched tournament in recent memory, if not, in history.
The Masters Odds – Thursday, April 8
Tiger Woods (+400)
We won’t even go into what happened to Woods if you haven’t heard yet, but what you do need to know is that he essentially owns a deed to Augusta National. Woods has four wins here, he owns the course record with his demolition of the field in 1997 at age 21, and last year’s T-6 was his worst result at Augusta in his past five trips there. As for the time off, Woods doesn’t play that much anyway, so we know he can win a tournament cold.
Phil Mickelson (+1000)
It’s a wonder that Mickelson has sports betting odds as good as this, because “Lefty” has struggled this year, and especially on the weekend. But again, given his history at Augusta, you have to count Mickelson in the hunt. He has two wins here, and since 1999, he has fallen out of the top 10 just once. Still, Mickelson will have to put together four good rounds together to have a chance.
Ernie Els (+1100)
Els should definitely be ahead of Mickelson in your sportsbook with his two wins this season, that is, until you look at his history at Augusta. From 2000 to 2004, Els didn’t finish lower than T-6. Since then, he hasn’t finished higher T-27 and has missed the cut here three straight years. He should fare better this week, but we’re not too confident that he’ll break through for the win.
Paul Casey, Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas (+2500)
Kim and Villegas have both won this year, while Casey had to withdrawal from his defense of the Shell Houston Open crown (which Kim won) due to a bad shoulder. Villegas finished T-13 here last year, while Kim was T-20 in his first trip to Augusta. Casey also finished T-20 last year, and that’s in addition to three previous top-10s he had at Augusta. At least one from this group should challenge, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it was Casey.
Pick: Our pick for the week is Retief Goosen at +2200, because he offers some value to players, but he’s also excellent at Augusta, even though he missed the cut last year. Goosen has five top-six finishes in seven events this season, but he still has to be more consistent with the putter. In NBA betting terms, Goosen would be Orlando: other teams (Cleveland, Boston) get the attention, but they’ll be there down the stretch. Go with Retief Goosen.