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A field of 88 is at Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters Tournament. The odds to win 2021’s first major range from +900 for defending champion Dustin Johnson up to +500000 for 1987 champion Larry Mize. Below, we highlight one prop bet for each of the favorites based on the 2021 Masters odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
Johnson has been the betting favorite since donning his first career green jacket in mid-November. He won the first-ever fall Masters by five strokes at a record 20-under par. He enters Masters Week No. 2 by the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings.
There have been fewer bigger risers than 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth, who opened at +6000 but now shares the second-best odds at +1100 after winning last week’s Valero Texas Open.
2021 Masters picks: How to bet the favorites
Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 7:27 p.m. ET.
Dustin Johnson (+900 to win)
Our bet: Top-10 finish (-115)
Johnson has an excellent chance to be the first back-to-back Masters winner since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002, as he seeks his fifth international win since last June. There’s no safer bet for the Masters, however, than backing Johnson for a sixth straight top-10 finish at Augusta National.
Bryson DeChambeau (+1100)
Our bet: Top-5 finish (+225)
DeChambeau closed as the pre-tournament betting favorite in the fall but finished just T-34. He now shares the second-best odds to win the tournament but still offers double-up potential with four places of insurance.
Jon Rahm (+1100)
Our bet: First-round leader (+2000)
Rahm is seventh on Tour in Round 1 scoring average for the 2020-21 season at 69.00. He and his wife just welcomed a baby boy last weekend, so he’ll look to come out strong. He also opened with a 3-under 69 in each of his last two Masters appearances.
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Jordan Spieth (+1100)
Our bet: Top former winner (+240)
Spieth’s second to Johnson (+175) in this pool, but he enters in the much better form off of his Texas Open win. He has four other top-10 finishes in his first eight events to start 2021.
Justin Thomas (+1100)
Our bet: Top American (+700)
Thomas is second in the Official World Golf Ranking but shares the second-best odds in this pool with DeChambeau, who’s fifth. He’s coming off his Players Championship victory against most of this week’s top competition.
Rory McIlroy (+1800)
Our bet: Top GB and Ireland (+275)
The former world No. 1 recently changed swing coaches ahead of his latest attempt at the career grand slam. He has been in bad form and isn’t worth an outright bet at +1800, but he’s a solid pick at nearly 3-1 in this 16-man group.
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Patrick Cantlay (+2000)
Our bet: Group B winner (+300)
Cantlay’s second by the odds in this group. He won the Zozo Championship in the fall against an elite and condensed field. He’s fifth on Tour and first in this group in total strokes gained on the field per round this season.
Xander Schauffele (+2200)
Our bet: To make the cut – No (+400)
Hasn’t missed the cut in four career appearances at the Masters and was a co-runner-up in 2019, but he’s coming off a missed cut at The Players. A $100 bet offers a $400 return if he misses the weekend again.
Brooks Koepka (+2500)
Our bet: To win (+2500)
My favorite pick to win the Masters, Koepka was as low as +1200 by the futures odds after winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Trust those odds amid injury concerns following knee surgery in mid-March.
Collin Morikawa (+2800)
Our bet: Top-20 finish (+100)
The winner of the 2020 PGA Championship, Morikawa is offering an even-money return with a top-20 finish after he tied for 44th in the fall. He should fare better in his second go-around at Augusta National and under more conventional conditions.
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