The 2024 major season kicks off Thursday with the opening round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National.
Our golf experts preview this year’s tournament and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to don the green jacket come Sunday evening.
THE MASTERS
Location: Augusta, Ga., April 11-14
Course: Augusta National (Par 72, 7,555 yards)
Purse: $18 million
Defending Champion: Jon Rahm
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 3-7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN); Saturday, 3-7 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 2-7 p.m. (CBS)
X: @TheMasters
PROP PICKS
–Tiger Woods to Miss Cut (-135 at BetMGM): One of the biggest storylines through the first two days will be whether Woods is able to break the record he shares with Fred Couples by making his 24th consecutive cut at Augusta National. A five-time Masters winner, Woods was able to squeak under the 50-player cut line before withdrawing last year. It’s one of three WDs in Woods’ past six events. The public is backing him with 89.4 percent of the money to make the cut at +100, but the reality is that Woods may have trouble simply walking 36 holes at Augusta.
–Wyndham Clark to Beat Tony Finau (+100 at DraftKings): Clark is making his Masters debut and doesn’t know the course nearly as well as Finau, whose best Augusta finish was a T5 in 2019. Clark has been dealing with a back injury, but the reigning U.S. Open champion has also been playing as well as anyone not named Scottie Scheffler, claiming a win and a pair of runner-ups in his past six starts.
–Rory McIlroy Top 10 Finish (+100 at BetMGM): McIlroy hasn’t won a major in a decade and desperately wants to claim a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam. He came oh-so-close in finishing second to Scheffler two years ago. McIlroy did miss the cut last year, but is showing improved form with his iron play as he enters this week coming off a third-place finish at the Valero Texas Open.
2024 Prop Picks Record: 20-21-1
BEST BETS
–Scheffler (+400 at BetMGM) has won two of his past three starts and finished T2 in the other. He has multiple wins entering the Masters for the third consecutive year, the longest such stretch since Woods did so from 2005-08. Scheffler is the book’s third-biggest liability this week as he leads the field with 14.5 percent of the total bets and 19.2 percent of the money backing him to win.
–McIlroy (+1100) is seeking his first Masters victory and his first major title since 2014, which would also make him the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam. He finished second to Scheffler at the ’22 Masters, and has drawn 8.9 percent of the money this week.
–Jon Rahm (+1200) is playing in his first 72-hole event since signing with LIV Golf in December. He holds the longest active streak with 17 consecutive cuts made in majors. Rahm opened at +750 at BetMGM, where his odds have lengthened while being backed by 5.2 percent of the money.
–Hideki Matsuyama (+1800) was the 2021 Masters champion and enters the week having finished T12 or better in four consecutive starts, including a win at the Genesis.
–Brooks Koepka (+2000) held the 54-hole lead last year before the five-time major champion settled for a T2. He is BetMGM’s second biggest liability this week, drawing 8.6 percent of the total bets and 11 percent of the money.
–Clark (+3000) is the reigning U.S. Open champion and is ranked fourth in the world, but he is also making his Masters debut.
–Woods (+12500) continues to receive the emotional wagering backing of the public. He’s the book’s biggest liability this week, drawing 4.4 percent of the money since opening at +10000.
NOTES
–Scheffler enters the Masters as the top-ranked player in the world and the FedEx Cup standings leader for the second time in three years. He went on to win in 2022.
–Along with the Masters cut record, Woods is also seeking to break the record of 82 career PGA Tour victories he shares with Sam Snead and equal Jack Nicklaus’ record of six Masters titles.
–Rahm is one of 13 LIV Golf players in this week’s 89-player field.
–Akshay Bhatia earned the final spot with his playoff victory at the Valero Texas Open.
–Ludvig Aberg is making his major championship debut. He has a win and six additional top-10s through his first 19 starts on the PGA Tour. Only three players have won in their Masters debut, most recently Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
–Field Level Media