The plot thickens.
FanDuel Sportsbook already had two big names – Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau – atop its list of favorites for this year’s Masters, which tees off at 8 a.m. Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
Johnson crushed the field in last fall’s rescheduled Masters en route to a final score of 20-under par. And DeChambeau has been successful seemingly everywhere else, racking up nine top 10 finishes in the 2020 PGA season.
But last Sunday, another big name, Jordan Spieth – a former’s Master’s champion himself – supercharged his season by winning the Valero Texas Open with a score of -18, good enough for a two-stroke win.
Can Spieth win two in a row?
Now, Spieth seems like he has a better shot at the Masters as well. FanDuel’s futures odds for Spieth are +1100 at Augusta and he poses the biggest liability for the sportsbook as well.
One bettor placed a $200 wager on Spieth in January at +5000 odds. Another player bet $2,000 at +1300 odds while Spieth was leading the Valero Open last weekend.
With the Masters nearly upon us, the field for this year’s tournament is filled with plenty of intrigue. FanDuel has DJ and Bryson as the favorites at +950. Spieth has momentum and some exposure for PA betting apps at +1100.
In fact, according to statistics provided by FanDuel, Spieth leads all golfers with 14% of the handle at FanDuel Sportsbook. Justin Thomas, who has the same futures odds as Spieth (+1100), is next in handle at 8.5%.
It’s a similar story at BetRivers Sportsbook app with Spieth attracting 14% of handle to win and 8% of outright winning bets. He is followed by Thomas (8% win handle, 6% of win bets), DeChambeau (7% handle, 5% of win bets), and odds-on favorite Johnson (5% of win handle, 5% of bets).
2021 Masters odds at PA sportsbooks
Other notable players such as Jon Rahm (+1200), and Rory McIlroy (+1900) are near the top of the futures board as well. So it’s entirely possible that golf’s most prestigious tournament could feature a battle between some of its biggest names.
The complete list of the tournament’s top 20 favorites are as follows:
- Dustin Johnson: +950
- Bryson DeChambeau: +950
- Jordan Spieth: +1100
- Justin Thomas: +1100
- Jon Rahm: +1200
- Rory McIlroy: +1900
- Patrick Cantlay: +2200
- Xander Schauffele: +2500
- Brooks Koekpa: +2800
- Collin Morikawa: +2900
- Patrick Reed: +3200
- Paul Casey: +3500
- Tony Finau: +3500
- Viktor Hovland: +3500
- Cameron Smith: +3700
- Daniel Berger: +3700
- Sungjae Im: +3900
- Webb Simpson: +3900
- Lee Westwood: +4000
- Tommy Fleetwood: +4100
And if you’re looking to do a little more research before making your wager, this preview from TheLines might help you decide.
BetMGM has prop bets galore posted for the Masters Tournament
In addition to the Masters champion, bettors can also wager on golfers to finish in the top 5, top 10 or top 20 overall. According to data provided by BetMGM Sportsbook, Spieth (at +225) also has the highest ticket count for the top 5 prop bet. Johnson (at -120) has the most tickets for top 10 bets and Paul Casey (at +110) leads the top 20 prop in ticket count.
“The Masters is the most bet on golf event each year and prop bets are a big part of BetMGM’s handle on the event,” said Seamus Magee, a sports trader at BetMGM. “Finishing position of golfers, will there be a hole-in-one, and will there be a playoff are among the most popular props with bettors.”
Other interesting prop bets include the winning margin and the leader after the first round.
And unlike some of the other wagers, the first round leader prop bet pays off after Thursday. Spieth has the highest ticket percentage on that bet at 10.2%. Justin Thomas has the highest handle percentage of that wager at 13.5%. And altogether, Spieth, Thomas, and Collin Morikawa (who has 7.3% of the first-round leader handle) present the biggest liabilities for BetMGM.
Will Tiger Woods play the Masters again?
One other storyline surrounding this year’s Masters centers around a golfer who is not playing – Tiger Woods. Even past his prime, Woods remains the biggest draw in golf and often generates prop bets and action based on his own individual performance.
But after a car accident in February, Woods is out of the Masters field this year and his entire career could be in jeopardy. But apparently, many golf fans still believe he can win at least one more green jacket.
According to a DraftKings poll that surveyed more than 1,000 fans, over half of the respondents believe that Woods will make yet another comeback and win the Masters again in the future.
It certainly won’t be this year, but that doesn’t mean this year’s tournament lacks any star power. There’s DJ and Bryson up top and a hard-charging Spieth right behind them.
DraftKings boosting the Masters action with 100-1 odds promo
And if it’s action you want, DraftKings has enhanced that effort with a $100k poll (including $50k to first), a $4 million daily fantasy contest (paying out $1 million for first place) and a promotion for new users that returns 100-1 odds for any golfer to finish inside the top 10.
So there’s plenty to play for.
And it was shaping up to be an intriguing tournament even before Spieth won last week.
Then, the plot thickened.
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
