The Masters 2022: Betting Preview

The biggest event on the golfing calendar will tee off this Thursday at the Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta Georgia, and we’re already in the swing of things. The Masters 2022 is the master of all four major PGA Tour tournaments, eclipsing the others for its prestige, its prize money, and its incredible perks.

The winner of this and each previous Masters tournament achieves a “but wait – there’s more!” status that goes beyond the legacy honorifics in other sports:

• Several million dollars in prize money
• A gold medal
• A lifetime invitation to play in all subsequent Masters tours
• A five-year standing invitation to play at the other three PGA majors

It’s a package that few other disciplines can compete with. And with just days to go, we’re taking a look at what makes this tournament so special and which players have the best Masters 2022 betting odds at Bodog.

The Betting Favourites

Being the one-to-win golfing event of the year, claiming a Masters title is a career-affirming goal for any golfer with skin in the game. That’s why the best play, and only the best play. As always, we’ll see a mix of big names and up-and-coming talent take to the greens. Of the nearly 100 that will take part, few are likely to go all the way. These are the favourites: the five strongest golfers for the Masters betting.

Jon Rahm (+1200)

Jon Rahm has been one of the most polished golfers touring in the last couple of years. He claimed the world No. 1 title in June 2020, and achieved his first major championship win last year at the U.S. Open. His best finish in The Masters is currently 4th, but with golf betting odds of +1200, he could well change those down this week.

Cameron Smith (+1400)

Next up is Cameron Smith, an Australian golfer who currently sits 6th in the Official World Golf Ranking. His best finish in a major championship was second in the 2020 Masters, so he’s set a high bar for himself this time round. Smith has won two tournaments so far this year, so he’s in a solid position to build upon this momentum at Augusta.

Justin Thomas (+1400)

Former world No. 1, Justin Thomas, managed his best major tournament finish in 2017 when he won the PGA Championship. The closest he’s got since was fourth in The Masters in 2020. This season, he’s had two third-place finishes and five top-10s, showing he’s able to cut it with the best.

Brooks Koepka (+1600)

With four major tournament wins to his name, Brooks Koepka is the most decorated golfer of the top five Masters 2022 betting favourites. So far, his best finish at the event is second, but he’s proven he has what it takes to beat off the competition and his odds of +1600 reflect this.

Collin Morikawa (+1800)

Originally from LA, Collin Morikawa is the world No. 2 thanks to victories at the 2020 PGA Championship and The Open Championship in 2021. His best finish in the Masters is a lowly 18th, so he’ll be keen to correct that in 2022.

Masters History

Being the most prestigious tournament in golf, The Masters has created plenty of memorable moments over its 88-year history, including these gems.

1997 – Tiger Woods Makes History

Tiger Woods has won 15 major championships – including The Masters on five separate occasions – but his first championship was perhaps the most notable. A fresh-faced 21-year-old Woods went into the final round with a nine-stroke lead, seeming like a sure-fire loss. Not only did Woods not lose, but he won his first big prize in golf that day, he set a new record for the Augusta National Golf Course and he was officially deemed the first African-American to win a major.

After landing the final putt, Tiger fist-pumped the air and ran to embrace his father, Earl, who had taught him just about everything he knew about golf. The world watched on as the two instantly-famous golfing icons celebrated this historic moment with their hearts on their sleeves.

2019 – Tiger Woods is Back

Much of the relatively recent highlights in Masters history involves Tiger Woods, but perhaps the most poignant (besides his 1997 win) was his 2019 comeback. Personal scandals and health problems had been plaguing his golf career for some time, but he returned to Augusta more than a decade after his last major win and reminded everyone that the talent is supreme enough to withstand the storm around it. Woods put in one of the best performances we’ve ever seen from him, securing his 15th and (so far) last major win.

After making his final putt, Woods celebrated in his usual media-friendly fashion, giving viewers another iconic snapshot in time by embracing his caddie and his son reminiscent of his own 1997 celebration with his father.

1986 – Jack Nicklaus Becomes the Oldest Winner

Woods doesn’t have a monopoly on comeback stories. Back in 1986, Jack Nicklaus became the oldest winner of The Masters. Older players have topped other majors, such as Phil Mickelson who won the 2021 PGA Championship just a few weeks before his 51st birthday, but the tournament at Augusta is a younger man’s game.

Nicklaus’s win was notable for many reasons, though his 17th hole putt is the most memorable of them all. 12 feet out, he faced a difficult challenge of directing his ball over a slight crest that could have split it left or right. Nicklaus needed left, and so that’s the way it went. In reaction, his son and caddie screamed “Yes, sir!” in a Kodak-moment response.

Canadian Hopes

Canada’s best hope of winning in The Masters 2022 is Corey Conners. He is one of the top five Canadian athletes to watch this April with a shot at landing his first major win. With golf betting odds of +5000, he’s not one of the top five favourites, but he’s certainly not out of contention either, and that’s not simply rhetoric.

Back in 2019, Conners made his debut appearance at the competition after picking up his first PGA Tour win at San Antonio. He was the 87th-seed, and last golfer to qualify. He impressively converted that into a top 50 finish, but just a year later, in 2020, Corey Connors more than outdid himself with a spot in the top 10.

The 2022 Masters will be the world No. 32’s fourth shot at the biggest prize in golf, but at the very least he’ll be hoping to top his eighth-place finish from last year. If you consider a record that shows year-on-year improvement, it seems fair to expect Conners to go even further in 2022.

 

It’s here, and it’s by far the biggest event on the golfing calendar – and with a strong Canadian Masters hopeful in the competition, you really won’t want to miss a masterful moment of the tournament this year. Betting with Bodog is par for the course when it comes to the PGA Tournaments, so tap into our analysis, seize upon our odds, and get ready for an exciting four days of golfing brilliance.