Masters Betting Tips – Tiger Woods is the Smart Play, but Value Lies Elsewhere

Masters betting action is up and ready to go, as the PGA’s best prepare to tee it up in the 73rd edition of The Masters, which is held at venerable Augusta National Golf Club. Tiger Woods is obviously the sportsbook favorite, but some other golfers offer great online betting value. Here’s a look at the five to watch this weekend at Augusta.

Tiger Woods

Woods will probably be favored when he’s pushing 60. Just look at his Augusta record: 14 starts, four Green Jackets, a record score of -18 in 1997, and eight top-fives, including four in a row. Woods has the taste for winning after his show at Bay Hill, so if you want to take the chalk, take Tiger and his Masters odds of +150.

Tiger Woods photo credit: AP Photo/Amy Sancetta

Retief Goosen

Goosen has four top-three finishes in 10 trips to Augusta, and he’s been playing very well this year, picking up a win in the Transitions Championship. There aren’t very many players on the Tour that can putt on fast greens better than Goosen, so expect him to be in the hunt on Sunday with Masters odds of +2800.

Paul Casey

The Englishman has Masters odds of +2800 after winning the Shell Houston Open, and Casey also finished second to Geoff Ogilvy in the Matchplay. Casey has two top-10s in four trips to Augusta, and just missed the top-10 with a T-11 last year.

Rory McIlroy

The 19-year-old will be making his first pilgrimage to Augusta with Masters odds of +3300, and he’s played very well in four U.S. starts this year, staying in the top 20 in all of his events. McIlroy is being touted as one of the next big things, and you can bet that he’ll have a better showing than American young star Anthony Kim, who has Masters odds of +4000 in his first Masters appearance.

Fred Couples

How’s this for a Masters betting long shot? “Boom Boom,” at the ripe old age of 49, has two third-place finishes in his last three starts, and Augusta is a fond place for him as he won his lone major here in 1992. Couples has made 24 trips to Augusta, and has 10 top-10s. Remember Greg Norman in last year’s British Open? If you’re looking for a darkhorse, you could do much worse than Couples’ Masters odds of +6600.

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