Tag: outright winners

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It’s been a year of underdogs winning on the PGA Tour this season, but this week features the strongest field in golf. The 2024 Masters is here as the world’s best descend for the 88th time upon Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., for the 1st major of the year. The 1st round begins on Thursday morning.

Below, we look at the 2024 Masters odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.

Jon Rahm will look to defend his title and earn a 2nd green jacket in his 1st major start since joining LIV Golf, while favorite Scottie Scheffler (+400) is seeking to win his 2nd Masters in 3 years. Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka are among the favorites trying to win their 1st green jacket, as well. Past champions teeing it up at Augusta include Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.

Oh, and 5-time champion Tiger Woods is in the field, too.

Augusta National is a par 72 and will play at 7,555 yards, 10 yards longer than last year. All of the par-5s offer terrific scoring opportunities but with undulating greens and a number of false fronts, players must be accurate with their irons to hit the proper sections to stay close to the strategically placed pins. The winning score has been between 8-under and 18-under each year since 2010 with the exception of Danny Willett’s win in 2016 when he was just 5-under par.

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Masters – Expert picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 11:01 a.m. ET.

Jon Rahm (+1200)

Repeating as the Masters champion is incredibly difficult. Only 3 players (Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldon, Woods) have ever accomplished it, which shows how tough it is to do. Yet, no one should be surprised if Rahm pulls it off. His odds are longer now than they were pre-tournament last year when he was at +900, and that’s strictly because the exposure to him has been lessened by his move to LIV. Rahm is still a world-class player who has finished in the top 10 in 4 of his last 5 starts at Augusta.

Brooks Koepka (+2000)

Koepka was in the driver’s seat here last year before a final-round 75 dropped him out of 1st place and gave Rahm the green jacket. He’s the best big-game hunter in the world, almost always performing well in the majors no matter his recent form in smaller events. Even after finishing T-45 (out of 53) in LIV’s Miami event, Koepka is someone to back this week in Augusta. The move to LIV obviously hasn’t hurt his game either, considering he won the PGA Championship last year.

Hideki Matsuyama (+2000)

You could find Matsuyama at around +2500 before his 7th-place finish in San Antonio this past week but he’s still a good bet at +2000. He’s a past champion and one of the best players in the world around the greens, which is always beneficial around a place like Augusta where you’re bound to miss greens all week. He’s notched 4 straight top-12 finishes this season, including a win at Riviera, so he’s in excellent form entering the Masters.

Will Zalatoris (+2800)

Zalatoris was forced to withdraw from the Masters last year, which was extremely disappointing given that he had finished 6th and 2nd in his 1st 2 starts at this great event. Now that he’s gone to the broomstick putter, he’s gotten more reliable on the greens. And he still ranks 21st in strokes gained: tee-to-green this season. He doesn’t need to putt magnificently this week, but he just can’t give away strokes on the greens because he’s one of the best ball-strikers in the field.

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Masters picks – Contenders

Sahith Theegala (+4000)

Theegala’s odds have been on a steady climb all season thanks to his 5 top-25 finishes in 9 starts this season, including a quartet of top-10s. He finished 9th in his Masters debut last year, largely thanks to a final-round 67, so maybe he’s figuring Augusta out in the little experience he’s had here. Now that he’s gotten over the “debutants rarely win the Masters” hurdle, he’s a good bet to contend again this week.

Corey Conners (+6600)

Conners surprisingly missed the cut last year, but he finished 6th, 8th and 10th in his previous 3 starts at Augusta prior to that. This is a 2nd-shot course and Conners is one of the best iron players around, which has helped him have so much success here in the past. He ranks 4th in SG: approach and 11th in SG: tee-to-green this season, to give you an idea of his ball-striking numbers.

Shane Lowry (+4000)

Lowry skipped the Texas events before the Masters after a successful Florida swing, but that’s no reason for concern. He heads back to Augusta ranked 5th in SG: tee-to-green and 3rd in SG: approach, so his ball-striking has been phenomenal all year. He’s finished inside the top 25 at the Masters in each of the last 4 years, with a peak in 2022 when he finished 3rd. If the putter cooperates, expect to see him in contention on Sunday.

Masters picks – Long shots

Akshay Bhatia (+10000)

Bhatia held off Denny McCarthy on Sunday at the Valero Texas Open for his 2nd PGA Tour win, earning him a spot in the Masters for the 1st time. The 22-year-old is on the verge of a major breakout and he looked every bit like someone who can make some noise at Augusta. He was hitting 350-yard cuts down the middle of the fairway at TPC San Antonio and his wedge game was excellent, as well. He’s made 6 cuts in 10 starts this season and finished in the top 20 each time he played the weekend.

Nick Taylor (+15000)

Taylor is a better player than these odds suggest, winning twice in the last 2 seasons – including this year’s WM Phoenix Open, a signature event. He finished T-29 in his Masters debut in 2020 when it was played in the fall, so at least he’s seen the course before, which takes the pressure of being a debutant out of the picture. He’s a terrific iron player, ranking 13th in SG: approach, and his putter is hot (19th in SG: putting), so he could put it all together this week and contend at Augusta National.

Stephan Jaeger (+12500)

Jaeger has the length to play well at Augusta and he clearly isn’t afraid of the big guns after taking down Scheffler in Houston, but this will be his Masters debut, which puts him at somewhat of a disadvantage. He doesn’t rank lower than 70th in any strokes gained metric and is 23rd in tee-to-green. Even his putting (69th) hasn’t been terrible by any stretch. He has 4 top-25s, including a win, in just 9 starts this season.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Golfweek:

• Master Survey 2024: These are the most annoying things about playing in the Masters
• Custom Masters eclipse solar glasses handed out Monday at Augusta National

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