Early Masters Betting Preview

WILL TIGER WOODS RETURN AT THE MASTERS?

The 2022 Masters is less than a week away now. The azaleas are in bloom at Augusta National Golf Club, and the greatest golfer of his generation might make his long-awaited return. There is growing speculation that Tiger Woods might compete for the first time since the November Masters back in 2020. Woods suffered major injuries in a car crash 14 months ago, but he has been in the Augusta area this week and played a full round at Augusta National a few days ago. That would immediately become the biggest storyline as Woods has won the Masters five times.

ODDS TO WIN THE 2022 MASTERS AT BETMGM

• Jon Rahm +1000
• Cameron Smith +1400
• Justin Thomas +1400
• Collin Morikawa +1600
• Dustin Johnson +1600
• Jordan Spieth +1600
• Rory McIlroy +1600
• Scottie Scheffler +1600
• Viktor Hovland +1800
• Brooks Koepka +2000
• Patrick Cantlay +2000
• Xander Schauffele +2000

Woods is currently +5000 to win the Masters, but that price will fall if he does make his return for the most prestigious event in golf. There will be a flurry of public action on Woods, as he overcame the odds to win his 15^th major here just three years ago. 

Jon Rahm is the player to beat next week according to the oddsmakers. Rahm was the top-ranked golfer in the world until recently, and he finished runner-up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and T3 at the Farmers Insurance Open. He hasn’t won a tournament since the 2021 US Open, but Rahm has been very consistent.

Currently, Scottie Scheffler is the top-ranked golfer in the world. Scheffler has won the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational, and the WGC Match Play event in the last two months. Additionally, he has runner-up finishes at the Hero World Challenge and the Houston Open, so there’s a good chance he secures a T5 finish at the Masters.

Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama has not been in good form ahead of the Masters. Matsuyama won the ZOZO Championship and the Sony Open, but he has just two other T12 finishes this season. That played a part in his decision to enter the Valero Texas Open this week, but he withdrew prior to the second round and cited a neck injury.

The best value on the board might lie with Brooks Koepka at 20-1 to win the Masters. Koepka is at his best in majors, and he finished T2, T4, and T6 in the last three majors of 2021 after missing the cut at the Masters. He has won four majors and has 16 T10 finishes at majors in his career.