2024 Masters Odds: Golf Betting Preview & Breakdown

by Joe Cistaro (joeycis) Last Updated 2024-04-08 16:35:57

This week, Joe Cistaro breaks down PGA golf betting tips for the 2024 Masters. You can use the PrizePicks referral code GRINDERS to claim a $100 deposit bonus today!

Golf fans and bettors have waited long enough. Spring officially starts as the 2024 Masters begins on April 11th at Augusta National Golf Club. The most exclusive club for professional golf will host the first major of the season. Jon Rahm returns to defend his championship after joining the LIV Tour ahead of the 2024 season. Scottie Scheffler comes in with great form. Also, some guy that has won a bunch will be in the field. You might have heard of him — Tiger Woods. Let’s preview betting odds and the course before previewing a few golfers for the week.

The Masters Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

At the time of this writing – April 6th – you can find these odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. The below list features all golfers priced at 50/1 or better.

Here are the recent winners of the Masters:

• 2023 – Jon Rahm (-12)
• 2022 – Scottie Scheffler (-10)
• 2021 – Hideki Matsuyama (-10)
• 2020 – Dustin Johnson (-20)
• 2019 – Tiger Woods (-13)
• 2018 – Patrick Reed (-15)
• 2017 – Sergio Garcia (-9)
• 2016 – Danny Willett (-5)

As of this writing, the field at Augusta National is just below 90 players. Stephan Jaeger claimed one of the last spots with his first career victory at Valspar. The winner of the Valero Texas Open will receive the final invitation if not already qualified. Akshay Bhatia will take the lead into the final round on Sunday and will debut at Augusta National if he can hold on to his victory.

The top 50 of the OWGR and several winners since last spring make up the field at Augusta National. Past champions are invited back as well as a handful of amateurs. Tiger Woods will play at the Masters and look to repeat his magical run in 2019. Several players from the LIV Golf Tour still qualify for the event. Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Patrick Reed played very well last year. Joaquin Niemann comes into the event in phenomenal form, while Cameron Smith has played Augusta National well in the past.

Scottie Scheffler is a considerable favorite. Scheffler is listed at +400 and won’t budge much when the odds reset on Monday morning. The world’s top golfer is on a remarkable run and could run away with his second green jacket. Will the LIV golfers be able to add enough strength to the field to slow Scottie down? Can Rory McIlroy finally complete the career Grand Slam? The Masters comes with so many storylines that will be discussed at length over the next week. Let’s break down the course before previewing a few golfers.

2024 Masters Betting Preview

• Course: Augusta National
• Date: April 11- 14
• Par: 72
• Yardage: 7,545
• Greens: Bentgrass

Augusta National Golf Club remains a tough test for golfers, as the club continues to modify the course to test players. This year, the course added a few yards to the second hole. At more than 7,500 yards, the course is plenty long to adapt to today’s game. As seen with the list of previous winners, we should not expect a birdie fest. Instead, we should expect to see players look to maintain throughout the week and look to attack the par 5s.

Length will be of import as players walk the undulating, picturesque holes. There is not much rough to speak of, but players must find the correct position to approach the complex greens. Dog legs around azalea-lined corners will test shotmaking. If the weather acts up and it rains, the course could play even longer. While Augusta National features the most state-of-the-art sub-air system on the PGA TOUR, a wet course means a long course.

SG: Approach is supreme at this event. Fairways are wide with no rough to bother players. However, players must attack the proper tier of greens. We have seen for years that a misplaced iron shot can lead to a terrible time putting on lightning-fast, bentgrass greens.

Speaking of the greens, experience is crucial to conquer the aforementioned challenging greens. Creativity around the greens with wedges and the putter will keep players above water as they look to create opportunities on the scoring holes. Strokes gained around the greens will be a statistic that we include in this week’s model. When players miss greens, getting up and down for par will keep golfers in the running for the weekend.

Amen Corner are three holes that could make or break the entire tournament for players. No lead will be safe on Sunday until the leaders complete holes 11, 12, and 13. The par 3 12th will be a sight to behold and players are forced to decide on attacking the pin or playing it safe with a weekend pin position. If winds pick up, these three holes will be treacherous.

Strokes gained on par 5s must be included in any modeling effort for the Masters, as the four holes represent the best opportunities to score on the course. Eagles are available, but birdies will be necessary for anyone making a run at the green jacket.

The top 50 players and ties will play on the weekend. With so many older players and amateurs taking up spots in the field, making the cut won’t be a challenge for the better players in the event. We have seen big names miss the cut though, with big numbers available all over the course. Who will make the cut? Who will adorn the green jacket on Sunday evening? Let’s highlight a few players.

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Golfers To Watch This Week

Unless mentioned otherwise, all Strokes Gained statistics will be referenced over the player’s previous 24 rounds on the PGA TOUR.

Scottie Scheffler +400

Scottie Scheffler being featured as the top golfer this week feels required at this point. Readers of our weekly previews and betting picks know that my future total has been building for weeks, and I plan on hitching my entire wagon to Scottie next week. Attending my first Masters, on Sunday no less, nothing would be better than watching Scottie down the stretch claim another victory.

For bettors that have not made any future bets with promotional bets or their bankroll, 4-1 is a very, very tricky number to bet. Perhaps betting on Scottie in a matchup or playing him in a one-and-done is the exposure that is slightly more cost-effective. With that being said, nobody will be surprised if Scheffler wins his second Masters considering his remarkable run in 2024.

Viktor Hovland +3500

The reigning FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland has not gotten much going in 2024. One of the better ball strikers in the world, Hovland has finished better each year at Augusta National Golf Club. In 2023, Hovland finished in 7th place. Against the better competition on the PGA TOUR at the end of last season, Hovland thrived and won the Tour Championship.

Hovland ranks 3rd in the field in SG: OTT and surprisingly 9th in SG: Putting. Where he lacks is around the green, and the Augusta complexes will test him. With that said, with no rough, Hovland can use his putter in many situations as well as play bump-and-run shots instead of taking the ball up in the air. For Viktor, we would consider an outright bet because he beats everyone with his irons.

Regardless, 35-1 is a bit startling. When the odds board resets on Monday, this number could be attacked heavily because of his pedigree. If you are interested, jump on Hovland before the masses.

Sahith Theegala +4500

Theegala was 60-1 a few weeks ago, but his strong recent form has his pre-Masters number a bit shorter. When numbers reset on Monday, we could get a juicier number on the budding star. I cannot imagine his number getting shorter.

Theegala possesses the moxie and creativity to play very well at Augusta National. He is ranked sixth in total strokes gained ahead of the event and finished in the top ten as a debutant in 2023. Driving accuracy can plague Theegala, but the wide landing areas at Augusta National should help mitigate that concern. He is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour and should be able to measure up against the field on the tricky greens.

Theegala might be worth an outright if he climbs back to 50-1 before the tournament. He would be a very sneaky one-and-done selection, especially since many players would have already used him earlier in the season.

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