The Masters Betting Preview: Bodog’s Five to Watch Out For

The Masters Betting Preview

Betting on golf sure has changed a lot in the last few years. It wasn’t that long ago when all you had to do was pick Tiger Woods, and the money would just keep rolling in. When it comes to the Masters betting, Woods is still popular – but you won’t find his name at the top of the golf odds list at Bodog Sportsbook anymore. The former five-time champion is a distant +8000 long shot as we go to press.

THE MASTERS BETTING

Granted, many golf pundits had already written off Woods before he won the 2019 Masters, his first major tournament victory in 11 years. But he failed to crack the Top 30 in two attempts since, and his health is even more of a question mark now at age 47.

Chances are good it’ll be someone else wearing the Green Jacket this year. Will it be reigning champion Scottie Scheffler, the current No. 1 player on the World Golf Rankings and the co-favourite at Bodog? Or will yet another first-time winner be crowned, the eighth in the past nine years?

Better still, maybe a Canadian will win the Masters for the second time in the history of the tournament – and the first time since Mike Weir shocked the world in 2003. Weir is part of this week’s field of 88 golfers teeing off Thursday at Augusta National, but he’s near the bottom of the odds list at +200000, tied with the 2000 champion Vijay Singh.

There are three other Canadians in the Masters field: Corey Conners (+4000), Mackenzie Hughes (+30000) and Adam Svensson (+30000). Connors has the shortest odds of this threesome for a reason, and he’s one of our five golfers in Bodog’s The Masters betting preview spotlight here at Bodog Sportsbook.

1. Scottie Scheffler (+700)

It’s not easy being the favourite. Woods was one of the rare players who was good enough to overcome all that chalk and remain profitable for his supporters, at least during his extended prime. Scheffler, the 2019-20 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, is relatively new at the top of the rankings, having held that spot for 34 weeks now.

Scheffler is the real deal, though. The 26-year-old Dallas resident is coming off a big win at the 2023 Players Championship, and he’s performed well at Augusta in the past, finishing 19th in 2020 and 18th in 2021 before donning the Green Jacket last year. The only question with Scheffler is whether his +700 payout is big enough to make it worth the risk.

2. Jon Rahm (+1000)

You could make an argument that Rahm is the actual No. 1 golfer in the world today, even if he’s No. 3 on the World Rankings – and has yet to claim his first Masters. Rahm has posted consistently strong results since earning his first major victory at the 2021 US Open; he’s already won five titles this year, most recently at the Genesis Invitational in February, which briefly allowed Rahm to retake the No. 1 spot in the rankings before he had to withdraw from the Players with a stomach illness.

JOIN BODOG

It’s only a matter of time before Rahm breaks through at Augusta. The 28-year-old Spaniard has played the Masters six times since turning pro in 2015, making the cut every year and finishing in the Top 10 on four occasions, with fourth place his best result in 2018. Getting Rahm at +900 is a bargain price compared to Scheffler; don’t be surprised if they’re both in the final threesome teeing off this Sunday.

3. Patrick Cantlay (+2000)

The betting value on the futures market is usually a bit further down the list, and Cantlay might be the best of the third-tier contenders at Bodog. He’s the sixth favourite for this year’s Masters betting at +2000, but No. 4 on the World Rankings with four Top-10 finishes this PGA Tour season.

Unfortunately for Cantlay, his considerable gifts have yet to translate to success at the major tournaments. The 2021 PGA Tour Player of the Year has just one podium finish to his credit, third place at the 2019 PGA Championship. His best result at the Masters was ninth place that same year, and he failed to make the cut in 2021 before finishing 39th in 2022.

4. Tony Finau (+2500)

There’s a logjam of compelling outsiders lined up behind Cantlay on the Masters odds list, but Finau stands out at +2500 after reaching the Top 25 in nine straight Tour events this season – starting with his victory at the Houston Open back in November.

Finau has also performed very well at Augusta, making the cut in all five of his appearances and finishing in the Top 10 three times, including a fifth-place finish at the 2019 Masters. This is exactly the kind of golfer that old-school bettors are looking for on the PGA Tour futures at Bodog.

5. Corey Conners (+4000)

Finally, we have Canada’s best chance at winning the Big One. Conners is the No. 28 player on the World Golf Rankings, a 31-year-old from Listowel, Ontario (just outside of Kitchener) and someone who has performed better at Augusta National than just about anywhere else, racking up three straight Top-10 results and coming in sixth last year

Making the leap to first place at the Masters isn’t easy, but we know Conners can beat the best of the best – he’s a two-time winner at the Valero Open, earning his second title this past Sunday by four strokes over a field that included 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama.

Conners also placed in the Top 20 at the PGA Championship and the British Open in 2021, so there’s no question he belongs on golf’s biggest stage. The Masters betting preview at Bodog might lean towards a Canadian charge through bias, but Conners really does have what it takes to mix it with the best. You can bet on Conners and all of our other featured Masters betting contenders right now at Bodog Sportsbook. Keep checking in for fresh PGA Tour odds ahead of Thursday’s tee times for Round One, and enjoy the golf.