Masters Odds 2015: Vegas Projections for Top Stars in This Year's Field
Ahh, the Masters. For golf fans, there is hardly a more welcome sign that spring has sprung than when the cameras roll on the brilliant green grass at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
The Masters is the first of four majors each year and perhaps the most famous, due in no small part to the iconic green jacket.
The tournament, which begins Thursday, always boasts a field crowded with talent and often provides brilliant drama. Bubba Watson is the defending champion, having won with an eight-under final score last year. He also won the Masters in 2012, making this quite the tour stop for him in recent years.
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Naturally, some observers will want to know Watson's odds as well as the odds for the rest of the top players in the field—a field that will include Tiger Woods.
Here's a look at the odds for some of the top-ranked players in the world as well as a few notable names a bit further down the list heading into Augusta.
| Rory McIlroy | 1 | 11-2 |
| Henrik Stenson | 2 | 14-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 3 | 10-1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 4 | 9-1 |
| Jason Day | 5 | 12-1 |
| Adam Scott | 6 | 20-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 7 | 14-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 8 | 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 9 | 35-1 |
| Jimmy Walker | 10 | 18-1 |
| Justin Rose | 11 | 35-1 |
| J.B. Holmes | 12 | 75-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 13 | 25-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 16 | 20-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 22 | 12-1 |
| Zach Johnson | 25 | 28-1 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 35 | 33-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 111 | 28-1 |
Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Sunday, April 5.
It's no surprise that McIlroy is the favorite to win this year's Masters with 11-2 odds. He tied for eighth in last year's Masters and won two majors in 2014, the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. No player is feared more on the golf course these days.
McIlroy has played in just three PGA tour events this year in the buildup to the Masters. He missed the cut at The Honda Classic but played well in his next two events, although he lacked a killer instinct in the later rounds.
| The Honda Classic | CUT | 73 | 74 | - | - |
| WGC-Cadillac Championship | T9 | 73 | 70 | 72 | 72 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | T11 | 70 | 66 | 71 | 70 |
It appears the Northern Irishman's passion for the game might be waning after so much success.
"I would be dishonest if I said my love of golf now is as big as it was," he said, via Golf Digest's John Strege. "I don't love golf as much as when it was just pure joy to get on to the course to play. When I was a kid, if I spent a day away from the game, I couldn't wait to get back. Now I can’t wait for a week off."
One would think the 25-year-old would have no trouble getting amped for the Masters. Then again, if his head and heart truly aren't in it, McIlroy could be in for a strange weekend in Georgia.
As far as Vegas is concerned, Jordan Spieth and Watson appear to be the top threats to McIlroy this year. Watson, of course, has last year's win to bank on, although it should be noted there have been only three back-to-back Masters champions in history, with Tiger Woods the last to pull off the feat in 2001 and 2002.
The 21-year-old Spieth has been on quite a run and is in prime position to challenge for a green jacket and the first major win of his young career.
| 12/07/14 | Hero World Challenge | 1 | 262 | -26 |
| 2/01/15 | Waste Management Phoenix Open | T7 | 273 | -11 |
| 2/08/15 | Farmers Insurance Open | CUT | 147 | 3 |
| 2/15/15 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | T7 | 271 | -16 |
| 2/22/15 | Northern Trust Open | T4 | 279 | -5 |
| 3/08/15 | WGC-Cadillac Championship | T17 | 289 | 1 |
| 3/15/15 | Valspar Championship | P1 | 274 | -10 |
| 3/29/15 | Valero Texas Open | 2 | 281 | -7 |
| 4/05/15 | Shell Houston Open | P2 | 272 | -16 |
Spieth ranks fifth on tour in strokes gained from putting and fourth in strokes gained from tee to green, and he has the third-best scoring average at 69.509, per PGATour.com. His golf game has been sublime as of late, making him an appealing pick at this year's Masters.
Jim Furyk's unsavory odds stand out among top-ranked players. This is perhaps not a surprise, as the 44-year-old has finished in the top 10 at the Masters just once in the last 10 years. He's also coming off a couple of poor results, tying for 40th place at the Valspar Championship and then finishing 10 over and in a tie for 58th at the Valero Texas Open.
Woods' odds for this tournament are particularly fascinating when juxtaposed with his world ranking of No. 111. His odds are 28-1—pedigree and reputation go a long way with the oddsmakers. For comparison's sake, Geoff Ogilvy, whose world ranking is No. 109, has odds of 250-1.
Woods' ranking is deflated, of course, as he has hardly played on the tour this year. Sure, naysayers will point out the fact that he hasn't won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, but he did win five tournaments in 2013. There's still plenty of time for him to cobble together a career renaissance of sorts—it just may not start at Augusta.
Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune notes Woods' short game could hold him back in this year's Masters:
"By Golf Digest's count, Tiger mis-hit 19 short-game shots in his six PGA Tour rounds this year. Nineteen.
Patrick Reed has been the tour's best scrambler this season, getting it up-and-down 70.33 percent of the time. Charlie Beljan has been the worst at 45.75.
Two months ago in Phoenix, the last time he completed two rounds, Woods' scrambling rate was 27 percent. My mom gets it up-and-down that often.
"
Woods' presence at the Masters will likely correspond with a ratings boost early on, but the version of Tiger that shows up is entirely in question, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if he missed the cut at Augusta.
A win for Spieth at his young age would send quite the signal to some of the other top young golfers, including McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, who came oh so close to winning a major with his ridiculous run of excellent finishes in 2014.
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