Masters Favorites 2013: Odds and Predictions for This Years Tournament

While there are golf tournaments almost every week of the year, no event can match the overall atmosphere of the Masters. This will make things very competitive over the next week.

The depth of the field makes it very difficult to predict a winner. Tiger Woods comes in as the favorite as the No. 1 player in the world, but winning is never guaranteed in this sport. That is never more evident than at Augusta, where we have seen six different winners in the last six years.

Usually those that win this prestigious tournament are playing well at the time and have had positive experiences on the course in the past.

With this in mind, here is a look at the favorites of the 2013 Masters tournament with odds courtesy of Vegas Insider.

Tiger Woods (3-1)

While Tiger Woods still has not won a major since 2008, by all other accounts he is back on top of the golf world.

He has already won three tournaments in 2013, tying his mark from all of 2012. His putting has been unbelievable and it is allowing him to pull away from the field on a weekly basis.

This does not guarantee success at the Masters, but he knows the course and should be able to continue his recent hot streak in Augusta.

It will take a serious showing from another competitor to take the title away from Woods, making this a solid bet for a championship.

Prediction: Top Three

Phil Mickelson (10-1)

Although Phil Mickelson has not been as dominant as Woods over the past couple of months, few golfers in history have had more success at Augusta.

Last year's third-place finish was the 12th time in 14 years that Mickelson has finished in the top 10. He has won the championship three times since 2004.

Lefty feels comfortable on this course and seems to know every nook and cranny. The experience will help him stay near the top of the leaderboard throughout the event.

Prediction: Top Five

Rory McIlroy (12-1)

The No. 2 player in the world has already had quite an eventful year. After withdrawing from the Honda Classic after a terrible start, he rebounded with a solid performance at the WGC Cadillac Championship.

However, he has struggled with his accuracy throughout the season, only driving 53.3 percent of his shots into the fairway.

In addition, he has never had success at the Masters, with a 15th-place finish in 2011 being his career best. It is tough to imagine these struggles end this weekend.

Prediction: Outside of Top 10

Brandt Snedeker (18-1)

Brandt Snedeker ended last season strong and was playing even better at the start of 2013. He finished in the Top Three in four of his first five events and had a score of 10-under par in every one of them.

Unfortunately, a rib injury caused the No. 5 player in the world to drop out of the WGC Cadillac Championship. Since then, he has not made a cut in two events. 

If this tournament was played in February, Snedeker might have been the favorite to win it all. However, there is little reason to believe that he will come through with a big performance after what he has shown in the past month.

Prediction: Miss Cut

Justin Rose (25-1)

One honor that players do not necessarily want to have is being known as "the best player who has never won a major." Mickelson had that honor for years until he was able to get the monkey off his back with a championship.

Since then, players like Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald have been known by this description. However, Justin Rose might be the new leader in this category.

The English star is now ranked No. 3 in the world thanks to eight top-10 finishes last year and three already this year. He is a big hitter who can get to the green in a hurry on long holes.

While he has never finished higher than fifth at the Masters in seven tries, he has the ability to contend for a title this year.

Prediction: Top Five

Other Notable Odds (Check out Vegas Insider for a full list)

Player	Odds
Charl Schwartzel	25-1
Lee Westwood	30-1
Luke Donald	30-1
Bubba Watson	30-1
Adam Scott	30-1
Dustin Johnson	30-1
Matt Kuchar	30-1
Rickie Fowler	40-1
Louis Oosthuizen	40-1
Steve Stricker	50-1
Zach Johnson	60-1

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