Masters 2019: Updated Odds, Betting Tips for Golf's 1st Major of the Year
Rory McIlroy's bid to complete the Grand Slam is set to be the story of the first golf major of the season, the 2019 Masters at the Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia on April 11-14.
McIlroy is the man in form after winning The Players Championship in March. He's regained his confidence to go with his near-unmatched technique, and oddsmakers think this is the year the 29-year-old finally wins the Masters to complete the set.
While McIlroy is a strong bet to take the trophy, there's competition aplenty. Jordan Spieth can't be discounted given he knows what it takes to wear the green jacket, while Tommy Fleetwood is an intriguing dark-horse candidate from a pool of gifted European golfers.
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Here are the top 20 likely winners, according to Oddschecker:
- Rory McIlroy: 7-1
- Dustin Johnson: 10-1
- Justin Rose: 14-1
- Tiger Woods: 16-1
- Jon Rahm: 18-1
- Justin Thomas: 18-1
- Jordan Spieth: 20-1
- Rickie Fowler: 20-1
- Francesco Molinari: 25-1
- Paul Casey: 28-1
- Brooks Koepka: 28-1
- Tommy Fleetwood: 30-1
- Bryson DeChambeau: 33-1
- Jason Day: 33-1
- Hideki Matsuyama: 35-1
- Bubba Watson: 35-1
- Louis Oosthuizen: 40-1
- Xander Schauffele: 42-1
- Phil Mickelson: 45-1
- Tony Finau: 45-1
McIlroy a Worthy Favourite
Winning the Players felt like a worthy and necessary return to the top for McIlroy. Always outrageously talented, his mid-career slide was more about losing swagger than any decline in his physical skills.
Getting over the psychological barrier wasn't easy for McIlroy, who was in danger of becoming something of a nearly man as he chased a return to winning ways. The journey was completed with a pair of birdies at Sawgrass that proved McIlroy is near-flawless when he holds his nerve.
While the wait to win another major has lasted four years, McIlroy is a worthy pick to wear the green jacket for the first time.
He's yet to conquer Augusta, but according to Alex Myers of GolfDigest.com: "(McIlroy is) the only player to finish in the top 10 in each of the past five Masters. And statistically, he's having the best putting season of his PGA Tour career while racking up six consecutive top sixes to start 2019."
It will take brave bettors to back anyone else.
Spieth's Masters Pedigree Can't be Ignored
Spieth knows how to be crowned Masters champion, a distinction he earned back in 2015. The 25-year-old nearly recreated the winning formula 12 months ago when he finished just two shots off Patrick Reed.
He hasn't had a win in two years, but Spieth usually ups his game for this tournament, per Shane Ryan of GolfDigest.com.
Ryan identified Spieth as the "ultimate horse for the ultimate course," and also noted how the Texan has "held as many post-round leads (at Augusta) as Tiger Woods."
Things haven't run smoothly for Spieth, but the 2017 Open winner's tendency to turn on the style for this particular major means he can't be ignored.
Fleetwood a Worthy Outsider
Of all the outside candidates, Fleetwood makes the most compelling case. He can be as smooth as McIlroy and as powerful as Dustin Johnson when on song.
The Englishman has been putting together some worthy form over the last year. He was a more than credible contributor to Europe's 2018 Ryder Cup win, going unbeaten in four matches alongside Francesco Molinari, and he began the recent WGC-Dell Match Play in impressive fashion.
Fleetwood got used to beating talented U.S. opposition at Le Golf National in Paris. His career is on an upward trajectory, with the 28-year-old having "made seven consecutive major championship cuts, including a T-17 at Augusta National in his second Masters start last year," per Myers.
Finishing four shots off McIlroy at Sawgrass offered Fleetwood a reminder of the need to finish strongly. A player still without a PGA title to his credit couldn't pick a better time to finally get it right.
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