Posted on: April 10, 2024, 03:29h.
Last updated on: April 10, 2024, 03:29h.
For a second year in a row, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler arrives at Augusta National Golf Club as the betting favorite for the Masters.
Two leading sportsbooks told Casino.org on Wednesday, the day before the 2024 Masters tees off, that Scheffler is dominating the betting action. BetMGM relayed that the 2022 green jacket winner is responsible for over 19% of the money wagered on the first major of the year and 14.5% of the tickets.
BetMGM opened Scheffler at 9/1, a line that has since been slashed to 4/1. The eight-time PGA Tour winner is the book’s biggest liability this weekend.
Fanatics is reporting similar action on the 27-year-old. Scheffler is on 9.5% of the book’s tickets and behind nearly 15% of the money. Fanatics said there are more than nine bets over $1,000 on Scheffler, with one Colorado bettor plopping down $5,000.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who turned $600,000 into $2.76 million by betting on the UConn Huskies winning the men’s NCAA March Madness tournament, today revealed he has $300,000 riding on Scheffler at Augusta. Portnoy placed the huge bet at +450 with DraftKings, the online sportsbook his company is now partnered with. The ticket would net $1.65 million.
2024 Masters Favorites (BetMGM)
- Scheffler +400
- McIlroy +1100
- Jon Rahm +1200
- Xander Schauffele +1400
- Hideki Matsuyama +1800
Scheffler on Baby Watch
After finding his putting stroke in early March, Scheffler went back-to-back with victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship, the latter being the richest annual purse on the PGA Tour. Scheffler finished tied for second last week at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Scottie has separated himself from the field,” said Samir Tageldin, golf trader at Fanatics Sportsbook. “Since making the putter change at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month, he’s had two wins and tied for second in those three events. The strong handle on Scottie was always expected with the recent run of form and he has proven in previous seasons that he loves this time of year.”
In his four trips down Magnolia Lane, Scheffler hasn’t finished worse than T19. He finished tied for 10th last year after winning in 2022.
Perhaps the only thing that could keep Scheffler from donning a second green jacket Sunday evening in Butler Cabin is his family. Scheffler’s wife is pregnant, and the world’s top golfer has said he’ll withdraw from the tournament if she goes into labor.
McIlroy and Woods
Another pre-tournament Masters favorite is world No. 2 Rory McIlroy. Many golf fans are again rooting for the 34-year-old to win his first green jacket and complete golf’s modern career grand slam.
A win come Sunday would make McIlroy only the seventh golfer in history to win the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship. McIlroy is responsible for about 5% of the Fanatics Masters money and 7% of the cash at BetMGM.
Tiger Woods is well past his prime but the five-time Masters winner perennially attracts a flurry of bets anytime he tees it up. That’s again the case this week.
Fanatics said Tiger is on 5% of its tickets, the fourth most among the 89-player field. Woods hasn’t won an official PGA Tour event since the Zozo Championship in October 2019 played in Japan. Woods is at +15000, meaning a $100 bet and Tiger winning a sixth green jacket would net $15,000.
“All this Tiger action at such a long price just highlights his legendary status,” Tageldin said. “Moments like him winning the 2019 Masters stay fresh in one’s memory and people want to back him to the impossible again.”
