Joe LaCava, the caddie for Tiger Woods, painted a clear picture about golf’s biggest star ahead of the 2023 Masters at Augusta National.
“He’s pretty banged up,” LaCava told the New York Post. “If it wasn’t Augusta, he probably wouldn’t be playing.”
Woods hinted much of the same. The five-time Masters champion continues to be impacted physically after his well-documented and devastating car crash. It’s impacted the number of tournaments he’s been able to play in, and the once-overlooked idea of walking 18 holes now is a much more daunting task.
But it is Augusta. And that’s enough to attract Woods to the first tee box Thursday.
It’s almost as if that’s all that matters. The heightened level of excitement Woods brings to any major championship can’t be overlooked, and it continues to be felt in the betting markets.
So, while the comments from LaCava might steer some away from betting Woods to win a sixth green jacket at 70-1, oddsmakers have made it incredibly easy to pick Woods in other spots. There is a “Tiger Specials” page on FanDuel Sportsbook and “Tiger At Augusta” page on DraftKings Sportsbook, perhaps best depicting his pull in the arena.
Oh yeah, and the “Tiger Challenge” at NESN Games goes live prior to Thursday’s first round and offers a handful of Woods-related props.
The following are available at FanDuel:
— Tiger to have bogey-free round in tournament +380 FanDuel; +700 DraftKings
— Tiger to make birdie or better on his first hole of tournament +500
— Tiger to finish top 10 (including ties) +500
— Tiger to have bogey-free opening round +1600
— Tiger to have bogey-free second round +2000
— Tiger to lead after second round (including ties) +4100
— Tiger to lead after first round (including ties) +4100
— Tiger to card hole in one +6500
— Tiger to win by two shots or more +10000
— Tiger to have tournament albatross (two-shots under par) +15000 FanDuel; +20000 DraftKings
— Tiger to win by three shots or more +21000
— Tiger to be the wire-to-wire tournament winner +27000
— Tiger to win by four shots or more +32000
And here are some others available at DraftKings Sportsbook:
— Tiger birdies in first round over/under 3.5 (+105/-130)
— Tiger to have hole in one on fourth hole +18000
— Tiger to have hole in one on sixth hole +13000
— Tiger to have hole in one on 12th hole +18000
— Tiger to have hole in one on 16th hole +10000
— Tiger to break course record +5000
BetMGM revealed its most popular Tiger props include Woods to finish in the top 20 (+175), top 10 (+500) and top five (+1100). Others, however, have bet Woods to miss the cut (+150) more than any other golfer.
Be sure to follow along with all of NESN’s Masters coverage, including our power rankings of the top contenders, a breakdown of which LIV golfer could emerge victorious and some other predictions for the tournament.
