It’s that wonderful time of year.
The world’s best are down in Augusta, GA, for the 2018 Masters, and there are no shortage of storylines heading into Thursday.
Of course, most of them circulate around the return of Tiger Woods, but for as many possibilities lay ahead in the next four days, there’s an equal number of bets to go with them. As such, we dug through OddsShark to find the eight best heading into the tournament.
Tiger Woods At +1400 To Win Tournament
Woods is coming into Augusta playing a tremendous brand of golf, and his odds to win are showing it. He trails just four other golfers (Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson) for the best chance to don the green jacket Sunday. If you are all-in on Woods’ comeback, then this is a pretty good bet.
Sergio Garcia At +375 To Miss Cut
Garcia has a bit of a checkered history at The Masters. While the peak obviously is his victory in last year’s tournament, he has missed the cut in five of his 19 appearances, the most recent such instance in 2014. He’s had some memorable rounds, but also some forgettable ones, including an 81 in the 2016 third round. If you’re looking for a good payout on someone missing the cut who really shouldn’t, you could do a lot worse than Garcia in this situation.
Tiger Woods At +110 To Card 70 Or Less In First Round
Woods has achieved a 70 or better in nearly 45 percent (35-of-78) of the rounds he’s played in at Augusta. Though it has been quite some time since his appearance in the tournament was annual, he has that demonstrated track record of success. And given this will be his 21st time playing, it’s safe to say not much will surprise him.
Justin Rose At +120 To Finish Top 10
In five of his last 10 appearances in the tournament, Rose was in the top 10 by the end of Sunday, and being the runner-up twice certainly validates the fact that he plays fairly well at Augusta. He’s at the fifth-highest odds to finish in the Top 10, and given his history, it’s definitely worth a shot.
Tiger Woods At +110 Over Rory McIlroy
This makes for a compelling bet simply because of the intrigue. It is not far beyond the realm of imagination to believe Woods could at least make a run at McIlroy (who is at +1100 to win). Though early, 2018 already has had peaks and valleys for McIlroy (missing the cut at Valspar then winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational a week later, for example), so if the stars align Woods absolutely could finish ahead.
Hideki Matsuyama At +3300 To Be First Round Leader
The 26-year-old has turned in solid showings each of the last three years, and his best scores usually are bookended in the first and fourth rounds. Though his first-round showing last year was a rough four-over, he’s should be more than capable of carding the best score in the opening round. And at those odds, he is worth considering.
Jon Rahm At +400 To Finish In Top 5
This will be just the second time Rahm plays in The Masters, finishing in a tie for 27th in 2017 with a plus-3. But the exciting 23-year-old is one of the best at carding birdies over the course of a round, and with those odds he’s worth a look if you want an underdog with a good possible payout.
Tiger Woods At +110 To Record An Eagle During Tournament
Sinking eagles is not something foreign to Woods at The Masters. The 42-year-old holds a share of the record for eagles in a tournament, hitting four in 2010. He hit two on hole 15 that year, so if you elect to put money down on this, keep an eye out when he reaches Fire Thorn.
