They call it “a tradition unlike any other.”
Maybe it’s the sentimental narratives of Jim Nantz, the storied green jacket the winner dons, or the collective history of brilliant shots and busted dreams at Amen Corner.
Regardless, The Masters kicks off this Thursday and, if you’re to believe the average sports bettor, Tiger Woods is in line to win the Augusta tournament for the first time in 14 years.
Breaking down the popular bets: Tiger leads the way
According to betting data from DraftKings as of this past Friday, Woods is the most popular bet by ticket for The Masters tournament as well as the most popular golfer by ticket since DraftKings Sportsbook app launched in New Jersey this past year.
Take a look at the DraftKings breakdown below:
| Most Popular Masters Bets by Tickets | Most Popular Golfers Since DK Launch by Tickets |
|---|---|
| Tiger Woods | Tiger Woods |
| Tommy Fleetwood | Phil Mickelson |
| Jordan Spieth | Rory McIlroy |
| Rickie Fowler | Justin Thomas |
| Tony Finau | Dustin Johnson |
| Bryson Dechambeau | Brooks Koepka |
| Rory McIlroy | Rickie Fowler |
| Justin Rose | Tommy Fleetwood |
| Brooks Koepka | Tony Finau |
| Francesco Molinari | Jordan Spieth |
Tommy Fleetwood is the second-most popular bet to win The Masters.
The shaggy-haired Englishman is ranked 14th on the PGA Tour. His best finish so far this place is a third-place performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, followed by a fifth-place effort at The Players Championship.
Not only is Fleetwood on somewhat of a roll in this past two starts (Palmer, Players), but he’s also the strongest English golfer in the tournament, a fact that could lend to his popularity with bettors.
Fleetwood has played Augusta National the past two years. He carded a +8 in 2017 and a -4 in 2018.
Jordan Spieth rounds out the top-three most popular bets on DraftKings NJ online sportsbook. Spieth finished third this past year, second in 2016, and won with a -18 in 2015, tying Tiger Woods for the lowest winning score in Masters history.
Tiger Woods specials cover bogeys, birdies and more
To go along with Woods’ popularity, DraftKings features a bevy of Masters specials this week centered around the man of the hour, offering bets on a variety of outcomes overall as well as on specific holes.
For example, DraftKings has Woods’ odds of playing in Sunday’s final foursome at +800, relatively generous odds considering Tiger’s somewhat limited skill set since his return. The living legend has played in two of the last four tournaments, finishing +1 (2018) and -5 (2015).
The odds of him winning The Masters was +1400 with a boost to +2000.
Other special Tiger Woods bets include:
- Make a triple bogey or worse: +500
- Shoot -10 or better: +500
- Card an eagle on 13: +220
- Total birdies over/under: 15.5
- Total bogeys over/under: 12.5
- Make a hole in one: +6600
Despite Woods’ decline, he remains the most popular golfer with bettors and, in particular, with DraftKings. New Jersey sports bettors hope Tiger can resurrect the old magic that saturated his Augusta performances in his prime.
Between 1997 and 2008, Tiger won the tournament five times and finished in the top five another four times.
In Tiger’s past five tournaments, he’s made it to Saturday all five times. He’s carded 13 rounds of 70 or higher but only one round higher than 70 on Sundays. His ability to get better as tournaments go on may bode well at Augusta.
We’ll see if all of the bets on Woods pay off this year.
Other Masters-related DraftKings deals
DraftKings has a variety of bets available in the lead up to Thursday’s Masters tournament.
On Tuesday, you can get a +30 boost on a +150 bet on any golfer scoring a 64 or better. They’ll also have a Wednesday odds boost on Phil Mickelson winning The Masters. Note that Mickelson currently sits at +5000 to win at DraftKings NJ.
Other offers include a Birdie Boost for picking the right Round 1 leader on a minimum bet of $25. If you pick the Day 1 leader, you’ll earn an additional $2 for every birdie he made.
You can also place a bet on the tournament winner and, if they don’t don the green jacket, you’ll get your money back if they finish second or third (opt-in required).
Current 2019 Masters odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
All that being said, here’s a rundown of the current odds to win for the top 12 golfers at DraftKings as of April 9:
| Golfer | Odds to Win |
|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | +700 |
| Dustin Johnson | +900 |
| Justin Rose | +1200 |
| Tiger Woods | +1400 |
| John Rahm | +1400 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2200 |
| Justin Thomas | +1600 |
| Rickie Fowler | +1600 |
| Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +3300 |
| Jason Day | +2000 |
| Phil Mickelson | +5000 |
