Masters Odds 2016: Betting Advice for Latest Vegas Lines on Top Players

The 80th edition of the Masters Tournament tees off Thursday in Georgia at Augusta National Golf Club, and this year's field is as crowded at the top as any in recent memory. 

From the red-hot Jason Day to defending champion Jordan Spieth and two-time green-jacket-winner Bubba Watson, there are plenty of compelling names worth exploring as the opening round of the year's first major approaches. 

But before diving into which players are worth exploring from a betting standpoint, here's a comprehensive rundown of the latest Las Vegas lines for top players, courtesy of Odds Shark: 

Player	Odds
Jason Day	+700
Rory McIlroy	+950
Jordan Spieth	+1000
Bubba Watson	+1200
Adam Scott	+1200
Rickie Fowler	+1600
Phil Mickelson	+1800
Dustin Johnson	+2000
Justin Rose	+2500
Henrik Stenson	+2500

Betting Advice 

We'll start with the defending champion since he's earned his fair share of space here even if he's entering the Masters on less than pristine terms. 

After capturing a title at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January, Spieth has gone into a relative slump. He finished tied for 21st at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, and that discouraging weekend preceded a missed cut at the Northern Trust Open. 

Since then, the 22-year-old hasn't finished better than tied for 13th—his finish at last weekend's Shell Houston Open. 

But with 10-1 odds and last year's green jacket already hanging in his closet, Spieth has to be viewed as a front-runner even if Day has been far steadier of late. 

"We had a correct formula last year,” Spieth said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac. "I think that we can just kind of use that again, and I don’t think I have to guard against much because I don’t think it will feel much different." 

Beyond his familiarity with the course, Spieth has several figures working to his advantage. Not only does he rank eighth in total strokes gained (1.733), but his putting average (1.674) is tops on the PGA Tour. Furthermore, Spieth ranks a respectable 36th in total putts per first round (28.29) and seventh in total putts per second round (26.86), meaning he could be in prime position to strike when moving day rolls around. 

Moving on, Day has to garner serious consideration on all betting fronts simply based on how strong his performances have been dating back to last season. 

"He's got that feel of how he ended last year, when he won the PGA Championship," oddsmaker Jeff Sherman told ESPN.com's David Purdum. "He's got that aura about him right now and is slightly superior to Speith or [Rory] McIlroy at this point."

Although he finished tied for 23rd at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, Day rebounded with consecutive first-place finishes in drastically different settings at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the WGC-Dell Match Play event. 

However, bettors will need to decide if they want to ride the hot hand or historical trends. While Day has been on fire and can offer a solid payout at 7-1, he's repeatedly fallen just short of capturing the title (see: his tie for second in 2011 and his third-place finish in 2013). 

On the other hand, we have Watson—the man who owns Augusta. Not only is Watson a two-time green-jacket-winner, but he will be aiming to capture his third Masters title since 2012 when he hits the course Thursday. 

"Watson is not the Vegas favorite, but he should be," CBSSports.com's Kyle Porter wrote. "He is unquestionably the horse for this course. Rory McIlroy could ride American Pharoah to the first tee box, and I'd still call Watson the horse for this course."

Factor in a recent win at the Northern Trust Open and a second-place finish at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, and Watson has all of the factors working in his favor as he looks to become the ninth player in history with at least three green jackets to his name.  

Stats courtesy of PGATour.com.