The Masters Tournament Preview (11/12-15/20): Betting Odds, Past/Possible Winners, Outlook

The Masters tournament is finally here and will take place in Augusta, Georgia, starting Thursday, November 12th, and will finish on Sunday, November 15th. The Masters odds are led by Bryson Dechambeau, who is coming off his first major championship win in the U.S Open back in September. Last year, Tiger Woods won this tournament in an unbelievable career comeback and will be looking for his sixth green jacket, which would tie for most all-time. Sadly, Sergio Garcia will not perform in this tournament due to his recent positive test for COVID-19. The Spaniard won this tournament in 2017 and had already won the Sanderson Farms Championship in the first week of October. Bettors and fans will have to go without seeing him play in this Masters tournament. Check out below the odds (via. Draftkings) and other information on the 84th Masters tournament.

Tier One Golfers

Bryson DeChambeau is a revolution of the golf world and has introduced “science” into his game through the drive. His strategy is simply to power the drive as close as he can to the hole with no precaution on accuracy. Since the start of the season in September, he is ranked first in average driving distance with an average of 344.4 yards per drive. However, he is ranked 203rd out of 284 in driving accuracy, hitting only 52.68% of fairways. That is 4.08% lower than the tour average of 56.76% of fairways hit. However, his strategy has proven correct as of the current FedEx Cup point leader and as the leader of possible Masters winners.

Dustin Johnson is the last PGA tour FedEx Cup champion and winner of the prize of $15,000,000 dollars from that award. Last season, he won the Travelers Championship, the Northern Trust, and the Tour Championship while playing in the top ten four other times, including a second-place finish at the BMW Championship. Dustin Johnson is another Bryson DeChambeau type that likes to drive the ball far. He is ranked third in driving distance this season, and he is ranked second in total shots gained with a value of 3.123 strokes gained amongst average PGA players. However, DJ’s final round struggles are certainly concerning for a large tournament like the Masters. In his career, he has given up the lead and the win in five major tournaments. Look for DJ to be a possible pass for betting.

Jon Rahm is certainly a favorite, in my opinion, to win this tournament. He has already made his mark on the tournament after skipping a ball across the water in practice for a hole-in-one on one of the par threes. The Spaniard has place 2nd, 17th, and 23rd this season so far. Rahm is ranked 17th in scoring with an average score of 69.526 this season. He has competed well on the drive but struggles on his approach shots. However, his clutch factor has been proven after sinking a 66-foot putt to beat Dustin Johnson in a playoff at the BMW Championship. That will be important for his performance at the Masters this week.

Rory McIlroy only won one tournament last season, but he finished in the top five in five different tournaments to place him eighth in the FedEx Cup standings last season. Rory has averaged a 325-yard driving distance this season and ranks first in average birdies per round with 5.33 birdies. Rory’s best Masters finish was 4th place back in 2015, but he has won four major championships in his career. Rory is certainly an easy favorite to take home the green jacket this year.

Justin Thomas received the award for PGA Player of the Year and the Money Award last season while he led the FedEx Cup standings for most of the season. Justin Thomas ended up second in the FedEx Cup standings after winning three PGA tournaments last season. He just recorded his best U.S Open finish tying for 8th place in September. He only has one major victory in his career from the 2017 PGA Championship. His best Masters finish came in 2019 when he placed 12th. Justin Thomas is a bit of a dark horse in these standings, and I think he should be higher in the odds.

Dark Horses

Colin Marikawa is ranked 15th on the betting odds with a +3500 odds to win this tournament. The 23-year old from Cal is the third-youngest player ever to win a PGA Championship. After watching the final round of the PGA Championship, it was evident his fun-loving mindset is a true asset for a golfer performing under pressure. He will surely be a lethal competitor in the Masters tournament. He is one of the best putters on the tour, ranking 1st in putts around 3 feet and ranking in the top 40 for putts under 6 and 7 feet as well. Look for Morikawa to be up in the standings this weekend as he looks for his second major championship.

Tiger Woods will probably be the most bet on player on the tour for the Masters, considering he is arguably the best golfer all time and still is one of the best at age 44 years old. Tiger has won this tournament five times already and is the most recent Masters victor. Last year he shot 13 under par, beating Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele by only one stroke in the tournament. He shot 70, 68, 67, and 70 for his four rounds of the tournament in an astonishing victory. Look for Tiger to use his mental strength and composure to make his way on top of the leaderboards. He has been given +4500 odds to win this tournament.

Webb Simpson is another dark horse ranked 16th in betting odds with +4000 odds to win the tournament. Webb Simpson won two tournaments last year and placed in the top ten eight times last season to land him 12th place in the FedEx Cup Standings. He has the 10th best scoring average this season with an average score of 69.221, and he has made the top 25 in each tournament he has played in this season. Do not count out Webb Simpson from this tournament.