Golf in the Book: An early look at The Masters best bets and long shots

The azaleas are in full bloom, Ray Charles is serenading us with “Georgia On My Mind,” and the calendar has flipped to April. That means The Masters is right around the corner and spring is full steam ahead.

While we are still a week away from one of sports’ great traditions at Augusta, let’s take a look at early odds in the book and find the value in who will be putting on the Green Jacket this year.

Best Bets

• Jon Rahm (+1200)
• Brooks Koepka (+1800)
• Xander Schauffle (+2000)

After breaking through in 2023 and earning his first Green Jacket, Rahm returns to Augusta looking to become the first back-to-back champion since Tiger Woods in 2002. Rahm is coming off his best year on the tour last year, winning four tournaments before leaving for the LIV Golf tour.

Now returning to a field with both PGA and LIV golfers, Rahm will have a tall task ahead to repeat. Although with a value at +1200, it is worth taking a look at the Spaniard, who has proven he has what it takes to execute at Augusta when it matters most.

Speaking of executing down the stretch when it matters most, one golfer who did not do that last year was Brooks Koepka, who shot +3 in the final round at Augusta after entering the round in first place.

The collapse of Koepka showed the variance that can happen at The Masters and how quickly one can unravel. However, after that crushing defeat, Koepka made adjustments to his game that paid dividends, coming away with a win in the PGA Championship.

As another LIV golfer who has not seen that much tournament action this year, Koepka comes into Augusta looking to avenge the Green Jacket that got away. He was the best golfer for three out of four rounds last year and at +1800 it is worth betting that he is going to finish the job this year. 

Xander Schauffle, one of the few top-tier golfers remaining on the PGA Tour, enters Augusta looking to finally break through. The seasoned veteran has not won on tour since 2022 yet has six top-ten finishes in eight starts to open up his 2024 PGA campaign. The La Jolla, California native has finished in the top 10 in two out of the last three years at Augusta and with how the LIV golfers have not been playing consistently, could catch the field by surprise and find his name near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.

Long Shots

• Dustin Johnson (+3500)
• Tiger Woods (+15000)

Despite finishing +8 at Augusta last year, Dustin Johnson knows what it takes to win at Augusta. The 2020 Green Jacket recipient has had varying degrees of success at The Masters over the years and could find himself at the top of the leaderboard once again this year. With the value at +3500 for the former champion, it is worth the price as a long shot. As we get closer, there will be more odds and props for the top 10 and top 20 finishers which might be more fitting to Johnson’s expectations too.

There will never be a Masters tournament where Tiger Woods shows up and people entirely write him off. There is always the question of ‘what if?’ and ‘can he do it again?’ and at +15000 a shot in the dark on Woods is worth a little sprinkle heading into Augusta.

While Woods has only played in one tournament this year and was forced to withdraw in the second round, he has been ramping up for The Masters. Numerous questions remain in regards to the health and stamina of Woods and if he can even compete for four rounds, but the aura around Woods remains.

By no means is Woods a top contender and he may even miss the cut, but if Sunday comes around and he happens to find himself in contention, the buzz will be palpable at Augusta National Golf Club.

Odds courtesy of DraftKings. For more, click here.

For more on The Masters, visit AMNY.com