The wait is almost over and on Thursday, the world’s best golfers will be teeing it up once again down in Augusta. The 83rd edition of The US Masters is almost underway and it is our task to try to pick some winners from what will be an exceptional field for this 2019 renewal.
Corey Connors was our most recent winner with a deserved victory at the Texas Open on Sunday but with most of the higher ranked players taking an extra week’s rest, we’ve a far more competitive declaration.
Early prices show a clear favorite in the The Masters outright betting with Rory McIlroy (+700, that is 7/1) enjoying a gap of several points over Dustin Johnson (+1000 or 10/1) with Bovada Sportsbook. Anyone who has followed the Tour this season will be used to seeing these two locked at the top but why has Rory eased into pole position? Form and relevant stats put him at the top of the Power Rankings for this week and that win at the Players Championship last month rounded up a superb run for McIlroy.
Time may be running out for DJ to win his first Masters but three top 10 finishes in his last three appearances at Augusta National will ensure he gets enough market support. Form is inconsistent since the start of the year but class can still be the determining factor.
Behind Dustin Johnson we have Justin Rose (+1200) and Tiger Woods (+1400). If you’d taken a long range bet on Tiger at the end of 2018, you would have found him at the the top of the betting but his form and fitness at the start of the New Year have taken a dip.
Justin came so close to adding the Masters to his US Open triumph two years ago and his performances in last season’s FedEx Cup add to his appeal.
Moving through the odds lists from the USA betting companies there is plenty of support for Jon Rahm and Rickie Fowler (both +1800) this week. As they battle it out for the accolade of ‘best golfer never to win a Major,’ both will be hoping to drop out of that particular race. Locked on similar prices are Justin Thomas (+1800) and Jordan Spieth (+2200) while British Open Champion Francesco Molinari (+2500) is just a couple of points back. Those names underline the quality in this field and it continues as we move through the outsiders.
In such a competitive list of runners there are some long odds next to the names of golfers who would be much shorter in a regular tournament. Included in there is defending champion Patrick Reed (+5000) who kicked on from 2018’s win to have some success in Europe but failed to replicate that form on the PGA Tour.
Paul Casey (25/1) is also in the mix following a successful defense of the Valspar Championship last month but can he carry his usual Tour consistency into a Major? The Englishman has eight Top 20 finishes in the Masters, although a 15th place last year ended a run of three single digit finishes.
There are so many contenders and so little space to cover each name but stats and records in this event can also point to Bubba Watson (33/1), Tommy Fleetwood (25/1), Jason Day (28/1), Bryson Dechambeau (33/1), Phil Mickelson (40/1), Matt Kuchar (40/1) and more.
The Masters Course & Betting Trends with Picks & Betting Predictions Verdict
The venue this week needs no introduction and if you follow golf even on a casual basis, you will know The Masters is at the Augusta National, Georgia. The bare stats reveal a par 72 which is approaching 7,500 yards and recent lengthening suggests this is one venue on Tour that can suit the Power Hitters.
Fairways are generous and while the nature of a Major is as much a mental challenge as anything else, the one key stat to consider is Greens in Regulation.
Multiple winners are not uncommon here: Jack Nicklaus is the overall record holder with six Masters titles and in the modern era, Tiger Woods has claimed four green jackets. Since Jose Maria Olazabal completed his own personal double in 1999, Tiger, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson have all been multiple winners and there is a trend to watch there.
With such a high class field it may be a week to stick with the top 10 finish bets and these will be easier to find. However, we have been faithful to Brooks Koepka in recent weeks. He came close to a big profit last month and, with two US Open successes, we know he has the game and that mental strength to win the biggest tournaments.
So our US Masters predictions and picks have shaped up like this:
- Bet on Brooks Koepka to win at +2951 (nearly 30/1) with Bookmaker. He is +2500 (25/1) with Bovada and BetOnline and 22/1 with Intertops.
- Our top 10 finish picks for The Masters 2019 are: Brooks Koepka (best odds +225 with Bookmaker & BetOnline), Justin Rose (+125 BetOnline), Paul Casey (+245 Bookmaker) and Matt Kuchar (+400 Intertops).
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.