Masters Odds 2018: Latest Lines for Top Favorites at Augusta
Tiger Woods is the main draw for the Masters, but he is not the only favorite to win golf's first major of 2018.
In fact, an argument can be that Woods does not belong in the favorite conversation since he has not won a major tournament since 2008 and is just starting his latest comeback.
Regardless of what your opinion on the 42-year-old is, he is going to be front and center on your television set if you tune into any coverage of the tournament.
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Thanks to his performances in March, Woods comes into the tournament as co-favorite alongside Rory McIlroy, but the true contenders for the green jacket could be sitting right beneath the high-profile pair on the odds list.
Lines for Top Favorites
Tiger Woods (+900; Bet $100 to win $900)
There are few sights better in sport than Woods marching down the back nine decked out in his Sunday red with his name near the top of the leaderboard.
Just the thought of that occurring has the most casual of golf fans drooling in anticipation for the final round of the tournament.
Although it is easy to cite Woods' career results as reason to believe he is going to be in contention this weekend, we haven't seen if the 42-year-old's new-look game is going to translate right away to the major stage.
Woods comes into the Masters with the 34th-best driving distance on the PGA Tour, but he ranks 201st in driving accuracy, which could lead to trouble at Augusta.
The 14-time major champion also has to improve his greens in regulation percentage, as he is 183rd on tour at 61.42.
Since Augusta is tailored for long and accurate drivers, Woods needs to improve on his tee shots in order to make an early surge into the top 10.
What makes Woods' latest comeback attempt seem different than past ones is the results he's achieved right away, as he has four top-12 finishes in six tournaments, including the second-place mark at the Valspar Championship.
While those results are promising for a player mired in struggles for the last five years, the Valspar Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational don't present the same amount of pressure as the Masters.
If you add in the fact that Woods is close to a decade from winning his last major and the amount of hype he has received since the Valspar, there's a concoction of pressure created for the 42-year-old few athletes ever face in their careers.
Rory McIlroy (+900)
Speaking of pressure, Rory McIlroy is no stranger to thriving under it and succumbing to it at major tournaments.
No matter how successful he has been, the 28-year-old still faces memories of the 2011 collapse at Augusta National Golf Club in which he shot an 80 in the final round.
To his credit, McIlroy has ended up in the top 10 in each of the last four Masters, but only one of them is a top-five finish.
With four victories from the other three Grand Slam tournaments, McIlroy is facing a different kind of pressure than others entering the Masters, as he is trying to accomplish the career Grand Slam while erasing the ghosts of the past.
While Woods was busy capturing our attention in March, McIlroy won his first tournament since 2016 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, as he had an average round score of 67.5.
Given the perfect storm of past results and a recent PGA Tour victory, it is no surprise McIlroy is sitting alongside Woods as co-favorite for the first major of the season.
McIlroy is fifth on tour in driving distance at 314.1 yards, and he is 16th in scoring average at 69.944.
Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Jason Day are the only other golfers in the top 16 of both categories.
If he puts it all together, just like he did at Bay Hill, McIlroy should be in contention Sunday afternoon.
Justin Thomas (+1,000)
Although Thomas is first in the FedEx Cup standings and second behind Johnson in the world rankings, he isn't at the forefront of the favorite conversation entering August because of Woods' presence.
If there is anyone capable of running away with the tournament, it is Thomas, who hasn't finished lower than 22nd in 10 tournaments since the start of the PGA Tour season in October.
The 24-year-old, who won the 2017 PGA Championship, has eight victories since 2015, and he won two of them in a playoff.
Although he hasn't cracked the top 20 at the Masters in two appearances, Thomas has everything going for him at the moment, which could set him up for a memorable four rounds.
Thomas ranks in the top 10 in driving distance, eagles per hole, birdie average and scoring average.
In 576 holes played this season, Thomas has 10 eagles in addition to his 146 birdies, which gives him the third-best scoring average of 69.054.
In his last five tournaments, Thomas shot in the 60s on eight of 10 occasions in the last two rounds, with his highest score of the bunch being a 71 in the third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
No matter which way you compare the credentials of the players at the Masters, Thomas is near the top of each category in key metrics and championship experience.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from PGATour.com.
Odds obtained from OddsShark.
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