Masters Odds 2016: Locating Top Vegas Bets in Thursday's Field
Any golf fan who has ever wagered on the sport knows how difficult it can be to find the right player in a particular tournament. Fields are huge, and it's always a challenge to figure out who is going to be inspired to play his most consistent game over 72 holes. That will be the case starting Thursday at the Masters Tournament.
In some ways, it's a bit easier at one of the sport's four major tournaments. Trying to determine a top professional's motivation each week is difficult to figure out, but all golfers know that a victory in a tournament like the Masters or the U.S. Open will impact their legacies.
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So, it's a matter of figuring out which golfer is on the top of his game and whether the tournament fits his swing. A major challenge indeed, but one that we will endeavor.
Because the motivation level for all golfers involved is so high, we can look at the best and highest-ranked players and make a case that they have the best chance to win.
| Jason Day | 7-1 | On top of his game. |
| Jordan Spieth | 9-1 | Ordinary since January. |
| Rory McIlroy | 19-2 | Too many wild shots. |
| Bubba Watson | 12-1 | Augusta fits his eye. |
| Adam Scott | 12-1 | May have the best swing in the sport. |
| Rickie Fowler | 16-1 | Would be a popular champion. |
| Phil Mickelson | 18-1 | Without Tiger, he's the sentimental favorite. |
| Dustin Johnson | 20-1 | Final-round jitters are tough to shake. |
| Justin Rose | 22-1 | Does he have the staying power to last all four rounds? |
| Henrik Stenson | 25-1 | Having a hard time claiming victory lately. |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 25-1 | Beware this outsider. |
There's no golfer who appears to be a better bet at the Masters than Jason Day. He has the complete game that few of the other stars can match, he is red-hot coming into the tournament and he made a major statement last August when he won the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.
Great players are capable of winning two consecutive majors, and Day fits that description. He picked up victories in his last two events in March, and Day is the No. 1-ranked player in the World Golf Ranking.
Day is averaging 304.1 yards per drive, and that ranks 20th on the tour, and he combines his big hitting with accurate putting. He ranks third in strokes gained putting, and that ability will bolster his chances for picking up his first green jacket.
Day is the betting favorite in the event at odds of 7-1, according to Odds Shark. It's usually not a great idea to go with favorites in wide-open golf events, but how can anyone diminish Day based on the way he has raised his game over the past 12 months?
Adam Scott also looks like an excellent bet among the top contenders. Scott has also raised his level of play with two victories and two second-place finishes this year, and he returns to a course where he has had success.
Scott won the 2013 Masters, and as long as his putting holds up, there's no reason why he couldn't contend here late on Sunday afternoon. Scott is 12-1 to win the Masters, and while there are many golfers with more lucrative odds attached to their names, few of them can match Scott when it comes to golf-swing fundamentals.
Bubba Watson has won twice at Augusta, and it's clear that the Masters is a tournament he understands how to win. This is a golf course that suits left-handed players with power, and that certainly fits the description for Watson.
He is the fourth-ranked power hitter on the tour, as he drives the ball 311.1 yards on average. It doesn't stop there for Watson, as he is excellent when it comes to his approach shots. He is the No. 1 tee-to-green player on the tour. Just like Scott, the oddsmakers have him at 12-1.
When it comes to the Masters, the field is loaded with great talent. While the majority of the players don't have the credentials of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Day, Scott or Watson, they are fully capable of playing their ways into contention and possibly winning.
Coming close is good enough in some instances, because the sport's handicappers are offering payoffs for golfers who can finish in the top five at the end of play on Sunday evening.
While the payoffs are clearly not as big as they are for picking a straight winner, it still offers the bettor the satisfaction of collecting on a wager for a well-thought-out play. Here's a look at the payoffs being offered for top-five finishes, according to Odds Shark.
Two of the players we want to back in a top-five bet are Kevin Kisner and Kevin Na. Odds Shark has Kisner paying off at 20-1, while Na will pay 25-1 if he finishes in the top five at Augusta.
Kisner is ranked fourth in FedEx Cup points, and he is 22nd in the World Golf Ranking. Kisner averages 4.56 birdies per round—a figure that ranks fifth on the tour—and he is also eighth in driving accuracy.
Na is right behind Kisner in the rankings, as he is eighth in the FedEx Cup point race and 27th in the World Golf Ranking. Na has not won on the tour this season, but he has two second- and two third-place finishes to his credit. Once a player starts to get close, it may be just a matter of time before he breaks through.
We are backing elite players in Day, Scott and Watson to win the tournament, but we also like longer shots in Kisner and Na to get close.
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