Masters Field 2016: Best Odds, Picks for Augusta Sleepers and Favorites
It is a testament to the talent across the golf world that Tiger Woods can announce on his official website he will not play in the 2016 Masters, and it still doesn’t sap away much of the star power for the event.
Woods may be a 14-time major winner and one of the best golfers in the sport’s history, but he is no longer the center of attention on the PGA Tour in 2016. Superstars such as Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day will headline the Masters field, while old favorites such as Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson will compete for another green jacket.
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With that in mind, here is a look at the Masters odds, as well as a few golfers to watch.
Odds
The odds are courtesy of Odds Shark, as of Monday at 5 p.m. ET.
| Jordan Spieth | +700 |
| Rory McIlroy | +700 |
| Jason Day | +700 |
| Bubba Watson | +1000 |
| Adam Scott | +1000 |
| Rickie Fowler | +1200 |
| Phil Mickelson | +1400 |
| Dustin Johnson | +1800 |
| Justin Rose | +2200 |
| Henrik Stenson | +2500 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | +2500 |
| Jimmy Walker | +3300 |
| Charl Schwartzel | +3300 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +4000 |
| Patrick Reed | +4000 |
| Brandt Snedeker | +4000 |
| Sergio Garcia | +5000 |
| Matt Kuchar | +5000 |
| Paul Casey | +5000 |
| Brooks Koepka | +5000 |
| Zach Johnson | +5000 |
The rest of the 2016 Masters field can be found at PGA.com.
Best Odds to Choose
Sergio Garcia is the No. 15 player in the official world golf rankings, but he is still at 50-1 odds. There is a reason for the high odds.
The Masters have not exactly been kind to him throughout his career, as Augusta.com indicated:
| 2015 | T17 | -5 |
| 2014 | T52 | +5 |
| 2013 | T8 | -3 |
| 2012 | T12 | -2 |
| 2011 | T35 | E |
| 2010 | T45 | +10 |
| 2009 | T38 | +1 |
| 2008 | T46 | +4 |
| 2007 | T66 | +10 |
| 2006 | 46 | +10 |
| 2005 | T51 | +5 |
| 2004 | T4 | -3 |
| 2003 | T28 | +6 |
| 2002 | 8 | -4 |
| 2001 | T48 | +2 |
| 2000 | T40 | +7 |
| 1999 | T38 | +7 |
Still, Garcia finished in the top 20 in three of the last four years at the Masters. He hadn’t done that since 2004 before his recent stretch, which should give him more confidence heading into the 2016 edition. Tortured history or not, Garcia is still a Top 15 player and impressed in recent outings at Augusta National. That is not a bad combination considering those odds.
Trevor Reaske of SB Nation thought Garcia may have a run in store this year: "I was actually surprised to see [Garcia] listed at 50-1. I know this is [Garcia] we are talking about and he is tough to trust at majors, but maybe this is his year to make a run. He ranks ninth on Tour in GIR and fourth in scoring average."
Garcia is also playing solid golf of late. According to his PGA Tour profile, he counts five top-25 finishes in his seven starts this season, including a second-place performance at the Honda Classic in February. He is also fifth on the tour at 73.02 percent greens in regulation.
As long as he consistently places himself on the green and leaves himself two putts to par, he will remain within striking distance. That is the best you can hope for at 50-1.
Sleeper Pick
Garcia is a clear sleeper pick given the above explanation, and you can also look toward notable names such as Zach Johnson, Patrick Reed and Brandt Snedeker as potential challengers. However, Matt Kuchar gets the nod here at 50-1.
It is impossible to ignore Kuchar's recent Masters history when looking for a sleeper. He finished in the top 10 in three of the last four years, per Augusta.com. While he has never actually won a green jacket, his third-, eighth- and fifth-place finishes in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively, indicate he is more than comfortable at the Masters.
Like Garcia, bettors should simply look for stats that indicate Kuchar will stick around until Sunday at Augusta National. Kuchar is 18th on tour in scoring average at 70.255, per his PGA Tour profile, which means he should score well enough to stay in the top 20 before the final round. Then, his level of comfort and familiarity with playing in pressure-packed Sunday outings at the Masters will kick in to keep him near the top of the leaderboard.
That is enough to make Kuchar a sleeper.
Favorite Who Will Deliver
Spieth, McIlroy and Day are the three co-favorites as of Monday, and they promise to keep fans entertained throughout the competition. McIlroy and Day are daunting opponents, but Spieth will add another green jacket to his sparkling early resume.
Spieth doesn’t have a long history in this tournament, but the 22-year-old finished in a tie for second place in 2014 and in first place in 2015 in his only two Masters appearances, per Augusta.com. Safe to say, he is comfortable in the Masters spotlight.
There may be some recent concern since he missed the cut at the Northern Trust Open this year and only has one top-10 finish since he won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January.
However, there are plenty of golfers who wish they struggled like Spieth since the former Texas Longhorn is still No. 2 on the official world golf rankings and has a victory and seven top-25 appearances in eight events, per his PGA Tour profile.
The pressure of the Masters won’t be an issue for Spieth, either, considering he already won at Augusta and the U.S. Open in 2015. He also finished in second place at the PGA Championship and fourth place at the Open Championship in his incredible run last year. The young star seemed more concerned with deciding the menu for the Champions Dinner than actually playing in the Masters, per George Willis of the New York Post.
"That’s what would be the most nerve-racking thing right now, which is a pretty good thing if that’s the most nerve-racking [about] next week," Spieth said. "I’m really looking forward to that Tuesday night.”
Much like Kuchar, Spieth’s overall scoring average is one reason to feel confident about his chances at the Masters. He ranks 10th on tour at 70.055, which indicates he will be a factor on Sunday. Since he is seemingly impervious to pressure based on last year’s majors performances, he will thrive near the top of the leaderboard in the final round.
It will be enough to land Spieth a second consecutive green jacket.
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