US Masters Betting Tips
Everyone watches the Masters. Even non golf fans watch the Masters Tournament as it is the unofficial start of spring. At your work someone will be running a Masters Golf Pool or contest just for fun and we all know of the fantasy golf contests being run for the Masters.
If you truly want to make some money while watching the tournament at Augusta then you may want to get into betting on the US Masters.
If you go to a sports betting site you will find the tournament under the Golf Futures section listed as US Masters, so as not to be confused with some of the European Masters Tournaments. Under the US Masters is where you’ll find the current betting odds for each player in the tournament. These lines are always changing based on how the public bets so if you like a player a lot early in the year, maybe place an early bet on him at longer odds. If he plays well leading up to the US Masters, his odds will drop and your potential windfall will drop too.
Below we have some tips to use when you are going to bet on the US Masters as well as our Top 5 Masters betting tips to help you win some money.
The Basic US Masters Betting Strategy
First thing we look to do is narrow down the field. There are usually anywhere from 90 to 100 golfers invited to the Masters, the field number fluctuates each year based on how guys qualify. With a smaller field like this the first thing you do is narrow down the field to take out guys that you won’t be betting on.
First off, take out any amateurs or first time players at Augusta. Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 was the only golfer to ever win the Masters his first time out. History is something to look at and this stat will wipe out about 30 guys off your list right off the bat. Second, take out last year’s winner. There have only been 3 back to back winners of the green jacket with Tiger Woods last to do it in 2002. There is so much that happens for the defending champion each year with media interviews and organizing the champions dinner that by the time they get out on the course they are just spent.
Anyone older than 45 – mark them off your list. Yes there have been a few guys in their 40’s that have won the green jacket and with guys playing well into their 40’s I had to adjust my old strategy of avoiding guys older than 40 – now it’s 45. There are past champions that come out and swing the clubs for the weekend and then aside from maybe 3-4 guys in the 40’s that are still competitive – reality is if they are over 45 they won’t win…take them off the list.
Lastly, check out the cut line from last year. Any guy that missed the cut last year will probably not win so strike them off the list. Only Tiger Woods in 1996 won the Masters the year after missing the cut.
Use this as your basic strategy and you will have left in front of you a list of 30-35 golfers that you can now focus on as potential winners of the US Masters Tournament.
Top 5 Masters Betting Tips
- 1. Pick a Horse for the Course – There are just some guys that play well at Augusta and even if they haven’t won before they seem to be on the leaderboard on the final Sunday each year. Look at your list of guys that you have left and see what their course history is, if there is someone that always makes the cut and finishes well, put them on your short list.
- 2. See who the odds makers like – Betting odds for the US Masters are also helpful in seeing who the oddsmakers think has potential to win as well as well who the money is going on the Masters. Check the golf futures for US Masters early on in the PGA Tour season and see what guys are ranked closer to the favorites to begin with and keep track to see where the money is being bet. There could be a few names that pop up that are worth some more research.
- 3. Don’t just try to pick the winner of the Masters – Even though you have a short list of potential winners, doesn’t mean that you will win money. You can bet on each golfer of that list of 30-35 players but you won’t win money that way. Look at some of the daily twosome or threesome betting lines. Betting sites will offer lines with 2 or 3 golfers playing against each other and you need to pick the guy with the potential lowest score of the day. Spread your bets around and take advantage of some of the matchups. Also, take a shot at the “Hole in One” bet. Most sites will offer an even money bet of “Will there be a hole in one at the Masters?” The Sunday pin placement at the 16th hole is always good for drama for a hole in one and even though Augusta went a few years without giving up any, they are becoming more frequent.
- 4. Look at the Lefties – So there aren’t many left handed golfers on the PGA Tour but it may be handy to take note of the guys that are. Augusta favors the left handed golfer and there was a stretch there where lefties won 6 out of 12 Masters Tournaments. There are a few right to left holes where a lefty can hit a more favorable cut as opposed to a righty especially holes 9, 10 and 13. On other holes having the lefty advantage gets you a better placement in the fairway for an easier second shot. If there is a lefty on your short list playing well leading up to the US Masters, maybe he’s worth a second look.
- 5. Spread out your picks based on Tee Times – Occasionally the weather kicks up at Augusta with either rain or winds that make the course tougher. It could be a two day thing or it could just be the one day. If the weather is supposed to be rainy and windy on Thursday afternoon and then crummy Friday morning you want to make sure that all your betting picks aren’t stacked for those times. It doesn’t mean that you should avoid having guys in those draws but if you’ve picked 10 golfers outright to win the tournament, you may want to make sure it’s spread out with 5 teeing off Thursday morning and 5 teeing off Thursday afternoon (or at least 6-4).
Other US Masters Betting Tips
Look for strong Par 5 players
The winner of Wednesday Par 3 Contest – Won’t win the Masters, It has never happened!
Augusta has Bentgrass greens – look for guys that putt well on those surfaces
No number 1 Golfer in the world has won a Green Jacket since Tiger Woods in 2002
Other Masters Tournament Pages
2020 Masters Tournament First Look and Early Favorites
2020 Masters Fantasy Golf Picks
Who Will Win the 2020 Masters