Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler are the bookies’ favorites for The Masters this week, however, the eagerly awaited comeback of Tiger Woods is making him a popular choice for the Augusta National, according to TheLines.com data.
The five-time green jacket winner declared himself fit to make his return to professional golf after enduring significant injuries from a car crash last year, and is seeking to win the title for the first time since 2019.
According to the sportsbooks, Woods’ chances of winning are slim, with the largest US operators placing his chances of winning at around +5000.
Rahm, the current world number two, is amongst the favorites for the tournament with odds of +1100. The Spaniard is yet to win the Masters but will be seeking to better his best fourth-placed finish in 2018.
TheLines noted that the world number one, Scheffler, is ‘hot property’ at the moment given his three wins from his last five tournaments, placing him at +1400, the same odds as Thomas.
However, whilst Woods hasn’t played since his career-threatening injuries in 2021, he still has support from punters, who are backing him to go level with the record-holder Jack Nicklaus on six Masters victories.
“Expecting him to contend this year when he’s not even sure he can play, might be something of a stretch,” commented Brett Collson, lead analyst for TheLines. “But does anyone want to rule that out? It’s still Tiger Woods.”
Making up the list of favorites are household names such as Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka. The 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama finds himself at odds of +2200 after taking the green jacket at +4500 last year.
“Most bettors will focus on the favorites list,” added Collson. “The Masters rarely produces a longshot winner and the talent at the top tier of the sport is as deep as it has ever been right now.”
