Masters Week: Odds Favor McIlroy, DJ, Rose, and Woods for Golf’s First Major of 2019

Posted on: April 8, 2019, 12:54h. 

Last updated on: April 8, 2019, 12:54h.

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The 2019 Masters tees off at Augusta National on Thursday, and as the major week begins, Las Vegas oddsmakers have Rory McIlroy the favorite to win the green jacket.

Masters odds McIlroy Johnson Woods
Rory McIlroy (L) and Dustin Johnson are the frontrunners this week at the Masters. (Image: Kevin Cox/Getty)

The Westgate SuperBook has McIlroy at just 7/1 to win the Masters and complete the career grand slam. The four-time major winner’s best performance at Augusta National came in 2015 when he finished 4th. He’s finished inside the top 10 in each of the last five Masters. At 7/1, bettors who take Rory will net $700 for every $100 risked should he win.

In 2011, McIlroy entered the final round with a four-shot advantage. Making the turn with the lead, Rory proceeded to triple the 10th, bogey the 11th, and double the 12th to eliminate himself from donning the green jacket in an epic meltdown.

Many golf experts and fans – and McIlroy himself – believe this is finally his week in Georgia.

It definitely follows me around,” the 29-year-old said of his Masters drought. “I play the PGA Tour in January, February, and March, and it’s, ‘Rooting for you at Augusta, Rory!'”

“People know that I want it, and I’ve said that I embrace that because I know what I need to do and I know I have the tools to do it. I mean, I’ve had five top-10s in a row. It’s not as if I’m that far away,” McIlroy concluded.

Masters Odds

A field of 87 players hope to find their way to Butler Cabin come Sunday evening. After McIlroy, the shortest odds at the SuperBook are world No. 2 Dustin Johnson (10/1), the planet’s top-ranked golfer Justin Rose (12/1), and four-time Masters winner Tiger Woods (14/1).

Woods hasn’t won a major since the 2008 US Open, but a string of good play in recent months – including last September’s victory at The Tour Championship – has bettors excited.

Tiger had the shortest Masters odds after his win at East Lake (9/1). But following a neck injury, bettors became less enticed by the short odds on the game’s greatest player, and McIlroy’s strong play (a win at The Players, and seven top-10s in eight events entered) launched him to the top.

Woods’ current 14/1 line implies odds of 6.67 percent. A $100 bet and a Tiger victory nets $1,400.

Masters Longshots

The 2019 Masters was set to be the smallest field since only 86 players teed it up at Augusta National in 1997 – the year Woods won his first green jacket in dramatic fashion by shooting a record -18, and 12 shots clear of runner-up Tom Kite.

The field expanded to 87 following Corey Conners’ unlikely win yesterday at the Valero Texas Open. After Monday qualifying for the event, the Canadian went on to shoot -20, claim his first PGA Tour victory, and secure an invitation to the Masters.

Las Vegas has him at 250/1 to win in back-to-back weeks. A $100 bet and a Conners victory returns $25,100.

Former Masters winners receive lifetime exemptions into the tournament. Those playing this week include two-time winner Bubba Watson (25/1), three-time winner Phil Mickelson (40/1), Sergio Garcia (60/1), and Jordan Spieth (16/1).

The SuperBook said it cut Spieth’s line from 20/1 after someone risked $6,000 on the struggling 25-year-old former No. 1.