Masters 2019: Latest Betting Odds and Tips for Major Golf Tournament

Could this be the year that Rory McIlroy finally gets a chance to wear the green jacket?

The Northern Irishman has been hitting his tee shots with power, his irons have been straight, and he has been on his game in and around the greens. The only thing holding him back was an inability to finish during championship rounds on a Sunday.

With his inability to close out victories getting somewhat exasperating, and McIlroy finally turned it around at the Players Championship. Competing against the best field of the season, he secured a victory to make the golf world take notice.

The 29-year-old will step up to the first tee at Augusta Thursday as the favorite to win the 2019 Masters. His game is both solid (10th in greens in regulation) and spectacular (first in shots gained tee to green), and he will clearly be tough to beat if he can eliminate the inconsistencies that have plagued him previously at the first major of the year.

Oddschecker lists McIlroy as the +650 favorite to win the Masters. A $100 bet on the superstar from Northern Ireland will return the $100 bet and a profit of $650.

This is the title he wants more than any other because it would give him the career grand slam. He ranks second in FedEx points this year, has earned more than $4.7 million on tour and his scoring average is 69.594.

McIlroy does not plan on getting too worked up as he pursues the green jacket. 

"I'm not going to be that hyped up about it. I'm going to go out and try to play four solids rounds of golf," he said, per BBC Sport. "I've probably put myself under too much pressure the last couple of years to try and win the Masters."

McIlroy is going to have to beat a stellar field, and his primary challenger could be Dustin Johnson, the second betting choice in the field at +1100.

The American still has just one major victory on his resume (2016 U.S. Open), but his devastating power is always a factor off the tee and from the fairway. When his game is fine tuned, he may be the most difficult player to beat.

Johnson, 34, has been playing well with three consecutive top-10 finishes, but his scoring average of 70.58 in those three tournaments is good but not great. He ranks 10th in FedEx points and has five top-10 finishes.

Third-choice Justin Rose may be ready to tame Augusta. He has been close throughout his career, with two runner-up finishes and also placing in the top 15 eight times.

The Englishman, 38, is ranked 12th in FedEx Cup points, has four top-10 finishes this year as well as a victory in the Farmers Insurance Open. He has earned more than $2.4 million to this point in the year.

Here's a look at the odds for the top 25 golfers in the field, per Oddschecker.

Rory McIlroy, +650
Dustin Johnson, +1100
Justin Rose, +1200
Tiger Woods, +1600
Jon Rahm, +2000
Justin Thomas, +2000
Jordan Spieth, +2000
Rickie Fowler, +2000
Francesco Molinari, +2200
Paul Casey, +2800
Brooks Koepka, +3000
Bryson DeChambeau, +3000
Tommy Fleetwood, +3000
Hideki Matsuyama, +3300
Jason Day, +3300
Bubba Watson, +3300
Tony Finau, +4000
Xander Schauffele, +4000
Louis Oosthuizen, +4000
Phil Mickelson, +4500
Adam Scott, +4500
Matt Kuchar, +4500
Marc Leishman, +4500
Sergio Garcia, +6000
Henrik Stenson, +6600

Tiger Woods picks up his pursuit of a 15th major championship once again.

The 43-year-old has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, but no golfer in the world brings viewers to their television screens like Woods.

While trying to overtake Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors may be nothing more than a distant longshot at this point, Woods loves playing at Augusta. He has four green jackets and 13 top-10 finishes. He comes into the tournament with odds of +1600.

And he is confident as he prepares for Augusta. "I'm right there where I need to be," he said, per Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press. "I've gotten a little bit more consistent with my play, and I think that everything is headed on track toward April."

Francesco Molinari is difficult to overlook because he has played well this season with a victory in the Bay Hill Classic, along with ranking 16th in FedEx points, more than $2.6 million in money earned and two top-10 finishes this year.

Brooks Koepka is difficult to overlook after winning back-to-back U.S. Open titles (2017-18) and also took the PGA Championship last year. He does not get intimidated on the big stage and knows how to get the job done on a Sunday.

The 28-year-old ranks 11th in FedEx Cup points, has a first- and second-place finish to his credit this year and has earned more than $2.6 million.

Koepka is +3000 to win the Masters, and that appears to be a tremendous payoff for a golfer who has proved himself on the biggest stage.

Look toward Louis Oosthuizen if you are considering a lesser name to back for the Masters.

The South African is known for his accuracy, which is a factor that always pays off at Augusta.

Oosthuizen has been in the top 25 at the Masters in five of the last seven years, and he has been in good form with a second-place finish at Valspar and tying for fifth in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship.

The 36-year-old comes into the Masters at +4000. He makes 70 percent of his putts from 10 feet, ranking second on the PGA Tour in that category.

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All stats from PGATour.com unless otherwise noted.