The bookmakers seem pretty certain the tailors won’t need Rory McIlroy’s measurements for a green jacket, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler installed as a red hot 9-2 favourite for the Masters.
Scheffler was an impressive winner at Augusta two years ago, and he can be given a pass for ‘only’ finishing tied tenth last year.
Winning back-to-back Masters has proved diabolically difficult. The only men to manage it are Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods. Scheffler is in a class of his own at the moment, but he does not belong in that elite company - yet!
A second Masters win would certainly enhance his reputation, and he arrives in Augusta with form figures that read win-win-second. Oh, and five other near-misses in his last nine starts.
He is clearly the man to beat, but Stephan Jaeger’s one shot victory over Scheffler at the Houston Open showed he is not infallible. So let’s see who else might just deny him that second green jacket.
LIV Golf 2023 predictions including marquee signings and PGA Tour deadlock
How to bet on golf
Here are five easy steps for beginners.
1. Choose Your Favourite Sportsbook – there are plenty to choose from and most have their own app or mobile site.
2. Make a Deposit – each sportsbook will walk you through how to connect your bank account to their system including providing a list of all the safeguards they have set up to ensure the safety of your transactions.
3. Claim Your Bonuses – most sportsbooks offers bonuses to first time bettors in the form of free bets.
4. Place Your Bet – now it’s time to navigate through your sportsbook’s odds where they will offer a variety of options including outright winners, or top finishing positions, such as top 10 or 20, or even to make the cut. For the event this week each way odds are generally paid on the top eight players.
5. Collect Your Winnings – If you're successful you will be able to withdraw your winnings once the bet is complete. Some bookmakers offer cashout options on certain bets as well, which is worth keeping an eye on.
Where to find the best odds for the golf?
Lots of bookmakers have different options for betting on the golf this week, including competitive odds and different place markets.
We like the markets on bet365, including the price boosts on offer pre-event.
The Masters 2024 betting tips
Rory McIlroy is second favourite, at a best priced 11-1. There is no doubt his third place finish at the Texas Open on Sunday will have lifted his spirits, but it was still a far from perfect warm-up.
Woods & McIlroy dragged into war by LIV Golf as tour tries to subpoena US legend
McIlroy finished nine shots adrift of winner Akshay Bhatia and play-off victim Denny McCarthy - and while he definitely cut down on the costly mistakes, it was at the expense of creating the birdie opportunities his aggressive play usually coughs up.
Getting the balance right between courage and caution will be tough, and with all the pressure that goes with Rory’s annual tilt at the career Grand Slam I’m going to pass.
John Rahm is next in the market at 12-1, but I’ve already mentioned how difficult it is to mount a successful defence at Augusta. So the player who jumps out at the top of the market is 20-1 shot Brooks Koepka.
Koepka must still be wondering how he let the green jacket slip through his fingers last year. He led the rest a merry dance for 54 holes, and was leading by two entering the final round.
But he decided to defend what he already had and came badly unstuck with a final round of 75, allowing Rahm to burst out of the chasing pack.
Koepka was back to his usual bullish self when he won the USPGA a month later, and will feel he has unfinished business with the Masters.
It was a bit worrying to see him follow a first round 69 with a couple of ugly 77s in the LIV event at Miami last week - or it would have been if it had been anyone else but Koepka.
He only cares about the Majors, and he would have already been thinking about how he was going to go one better this week.
Another current Major champion, Wyndham Clark, did us a favour when he won the US Open last year, and has continued to reward each way support.
Clark has a win and two seconds - both to Scheffler - in his last six starts, and at 25-1 he looks great each way value again.
Joaquin Niemann also warrants close attention, but his 28-1 quote is just a bit short of making him a must-back.
But Matt Fitzpatrick’s fifth place at Sawgrass and a share of tenth in San Antonio last week suggest he is running into form. He clearly enjoys the courses and the tournaments at this time of year.
With some bookmakers offering ten places - and Fitzpatrick finishing tenth at Augusta last year, before winning at Hilton Head a week later - the 40-1 on offer looks pretty tempting.
Sahith Theegala has posted three top tens in his last five starts, and looks a far more confident performer since he won the Fortinet at the end of last year. At 50-1, he is another player worth a small interest.
And Canadian Corey Conners fits into the same bracket, at a best-priced 80-1. He notched up three successive top tens at Augusta before the run ended last year - but he had just won in San Antonio, so there was bound to be a bit of a reaction.
Now that he is on a more even keel after a decent enough title defence in Texas - he finished in a share of 25th - he could easily resume his love affair with the Masters.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling website
