Masters Odds 2012: 4 Standouts from 2011 Tournament Worth Betting On

On the eve of the 2012 Masters, everyone should take a moment to reflect on what we saw at the 2011 Masters.

You remember. It was an outstanding tournament, one that was dominated by Rory McIlroy through three rounds and then capped off by a hectic final round that saw numerous players in contention for the lead. Tiger Woods was in the mix, but so were relative unknowns like Jason Day.

In the end, the Green Jacket ended up being captured by a relative unknown, as Charl Schwartzel finished with four straight birdies to take the lead. 

All the golfers who made the 2011 tournament a thriller are back this year. The question, naturally, is which of them are worth a bet?

Here are a few suggestions.

Note: for the sake of keeping things interesting, obvious names like Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and others have been omitted. All odds are according to Bovada.

Justin Rose

Odds: 28/1

Justin Rose is no rookie, but he's been awfully inconsistent at majors throughout his career. He's had some bright moments here and there, but he's also missed a few cuts and skipped some majors entirely.

But Rose has done well at Augusta in recent years, finishing in the top 11 in two of the last five years. He's also been playing well this season, as he's won one tournament and scored a top-five finish at The Honda Classic. He's jumped up to No. 9 in the World Golf Rankings.

The word from The Augusta Chronicle is that Rose has been working to improve his short game in preparation for the Masters. This is a good thing. Rose struggled with his putting last year, and that's not out of the ordinary when it comes to Augusta.

If Rose's work pays off, he's a lock to finish in the top 10, at worst.

Bo Van Pelt

Odds: 80/1

Bo Van Pelt is a sneaky sleeper pick for this year's Masters.

Van Pelt made just his second Masters start last year, and he ended up finishing tied for eighth. He followed that up by finishing tied for 14th at the U.S. Open, and this year he already has four top-10 finishes in five PGA Tour events.

In order to be in contention again at Augusta, Van Pelt is going to have to finish somewhere around 10-under-par. That's not asking too much from him. He finished at eight-under last year, and he's finished at 10-under or better in three tournaments already this year.

Van Pelt is no rookie, but he's starting to look like he might be a late-bloomer.

Jason Day

Odds: 40/1

Jason Day came out of nowhere at the 2011 Masters.

Day came into the tournament as a big long shot, but next thing you know, he's at the top of the leaderboard in the final round. He could have won the Green Jacket if Schwartzel hadn't gotten hot at the very end.

Day wasn't done at the Masters. He went and finished second at the U.S. Open, a tournament that McIlroy ran away with.

The word from The Australian is that Day is battling a left foot injury this year. However, he says that the injury is "nothing big," and that he still intends to play.

Day hasn't been playing outstanding golf this year, but I wouldn't worry too much about that. He's a guy who gets hot and cold. If he gets hot at Augusta, he'll be right back where he was last year.

Charl Schwartzel

Odds: 40/1

Nobody saw Charl Schwartzel coming last year. In fact, nobody saw him coming until the very end of the tournament, as it took four consecutive birdies to finish the tournament for him to win the Green Jacket.

If Schwartzel makes a run at a second straight Green Jacket, nobody should be surprised. In the last seven majors, Schwartzel has finished no lower than 18th.

Nevertheless, Schwartzel is coming into Augusta in a bit of a funk. He's missed the cut at the last two PGA Tour events he's played in, including the Shell Houston Open. 

Schwartzel does have three top-five finishes this season, though. If he putts like he did at Augusta last year, there's no reason he won't be able to make a run at another Green Jacket.