Latest Odds for Tiger Woods at the Masters 2019

Tiger Woods is among the favourites to win the 2019 Masters at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia. Oddsmakers rate the 43-year-old former four-time winner as a credible threat to betting favourite Rory McIlroy for the tournament which begins on Thursday.

Woods knows what it takes to win, but he last wore the green jacket in 2005. It means he's set to take on strong competition armed with a less-than-ideal recent record.

SportsLine (h/t CBS Sports) has Woods at 14-1, third favourite behind McIlroy and Dustin Johnson. Meanwhile, OddsChecker.com places Woods is a little further out:

• 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

Given the quality of the competition, it's little wonder Woods has made an early start on reacquainting himself with the course at Augusta:

Winning the Tour Championship for the first time in five years in late 2018 offered a reminder of what Woods can do when the pressure is on. Claiming a 15th major victory will be a different story, though.

Woods will need all of his experience. He may also take confidence from the technical refinements in his game that have earned the admiration of rivals.

Among them, 2018 Open winner Francesco Molinari has marvelled at Woods' swing, per Ewan Murray of The Observer: 

"His balance is serving whatever it needs to do, his plane is excellent and his leverage is great. The swing he has now is more worth copying than the one he came on tour with. The 23-year-old version of Tiger didn’t swing as well as the 43-year-old. He has refined it, it is more copy-able."

Tom Jenkins/Getty Images

Whether Woods can put the swing to more good use will depend on his health. Spinal fusion surgery raised doubts about his future, but Woods made a stunning comeback.

Even so, alarm bells rang when he withdrew from this year's Arnold Palmer Invitational back in March, with a "neck strain" prompting his early exit.

Fortunately, Woods did return for The Players later in the month, but he finished 10 shots shy of eventual winner McIlroy. It's not the most compelling evidence Woods is ready to slip the green jacket back on this weekend.

However, Woods has a slight psychological edge over McIlroy, having seen off his challenge in the WGC Match Play in March. Yet McIlroy will be a different player with history at stake.

What's more likely is Woods has gone as far as he can during his impressive comeback from injury issues. There is more momentum with other contenders, particularly McIlroy, who captured the Players in Sawgrass and is going for a Grand Slam.

While Woods will be in the mix to win at Augusta, don't count on him rewarding these odds with a win.