ATLANTA — 11Alive Sports offers a quick Vegas-style primer for The Masters, namely those who can't wait to bet on the weekend action.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT TIGER
The last time we saw Tiger Woods play a super-serious round of individual competition (excluding the Ryder Cup), he captured the Tour Championship crown at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Woods' victory last September marked his first tournament win in five years, while creating the aura that Tiger would become a full-time fixture during Tour events and the majors.
Fast forward to the present: Nagging injuries and so-so consistency have kept Woods out of the winner's circle in 2019.
And yet, this hasn't stopped OddsShark.com from installing Tiger as a +1400 favorite to earn the coveted green jacket on Sunday night – with only three golfers (Rory McIroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose) commanding a lower victory payout.
Ending the five-year tournament drought last September at East Lake was impressive ... but it doesn't compare to the daunting nature of Tiger's major-victory drought – which dates back to June 2008 (U.S. Open).
Bottom line: It'll take a minimum score of minus-10 to win this week, considering the favorable weather conditions for the weekend. Or, at least three solid rounds in the mid-to-upper 60s.
RELATED
FAVORITES (VEGASINSIDER.COM)
WINNER'S CIRCLE ODDS
Rory McIlroy – 8/1
Dustin Johnson – 11/1
Justin Rose – 14/1
Rickie Fowler – 15/1
Jordan Spieth – 16/1
Tiger Woods – 16/1
Brooks Koepka – 20/1
Francesco Molinari – 20/1
Jon Rahm – 20/1
Justin Thomas – 20/1
Tommy Fleetwood – 25/1
Bryson Dechambeau – 30/1
Paul Casey – 30/1
Hideki Matsuyama – 34/1
Bubba Watson – 35/1
Jason Day – 35/1
Matt Kuchar – 35/1
Tony Finau – 35/1
Louis Oosthuizen – 40/1
Xander Schauffele – 40/1
Adam Scott – 45/1
Phil Mickelson – 45/1
MOST PRACTICAL LONG SHOTS
Patrick Reed – 60/1
Kevin Kisner – 65/1
Henrik Stenson – 65/1
Ian Poulter – 100/1
Shane Lowry – 125/1
Lucas Bjerregaard – 175/1
Rafa Cabrera Bello – 125/1
THE BALLAD OF RICKIE FOWLER
Turning 30 is hardly a death knell for today's professional golfers, many of whom stay in tip-top shape year-round.
But it's also fair to wonder if the 30-year-old Fowler missed his window to become a consistent champion at the highest level?
Or might this mirror the legacy of Phil Mickelson, who didn't win his first major until age 33 (2004 Masters) ... but then captured green jackets in 2004, 2006 and 2010?
It's worth noting: Fowler is the world's only golfer to post multiple top-5 finishes in all four majors since 2011.
One person who can match Fowler in a similar period? Since 2010, Mickelson boasts three top-5s with The Masters and Open Championship, two top-5s with the U.S. Open ... but only one top-5 in the PGA Championship.
(Jason Day has a similarly stellar track record of recent majors success.)
Which brings us to this: Fowler has a +1800 line for the week (source: Vegas Insider) ... meaning that if Rickie wins the green jacket on Sunday, a simple $100 bet would result in $1,800 ... or a profit of $1,700.
Could this realistically occur? Sure. The last four Masters champions (Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Danny Willett, Jordan Spieth) had all claimed their first major titles at the time.
TOP 5 ODDS (RE: VEGAS INSIDER)
Rory McIlroy 29/20 (Bet $100 to win $145)
Dustin Johnson 2/1 (Bet $100 to win $200)
Justin Rose 14/5 (Bet $100 to win $280)
Tiger Woods 14/5
Brooks Koepka 7/2
Francesco Molinari 7/2
Jon Rahm 7/2
Justin Thomas 7/2
Rickie Fowler 7/2
Bryson Dechambeau 4/1
Jordan Spieth 4/1
Tommy Fleetwood 5/1
Paul Casey 11/2
Jason Day 6/1
Tony Finau 6/1
Bubba Watson 7/1
Hideki Matsuyama 7/1
Adam Scott 8/1
Cameron Smith 8/1
Louis Oosthuizen 8/1
Xander Schauffele 8/1
Phil Mickelson 9/1
Henrik Stenson 10/1
Marc Leishman 10/1
Matt Kuchar 10/1
Sergio Garcia 10/1
HIDEKI WATCH
Vegas Insider has two interesting prop bet for Hideki Matsuyama, who's vying to become the first golfer of Japanese descent to win The Masters ... or any major, for that matter.
b) Matsuyama has a +300 line for a top-10 finish. As such, a seemingly safe bet of $200 would warrant $600 (or $400 profit).
What makes this so safe?
Matsuyama has collected four straight top-20 finishes at The Masters; and covering 2015-17, he had an average finish of 8th place.
What's more, since 2013, Matsuyama has notched seven top-10 finishes in major events.
