Scheffler’s chances for the Masters decrease; Rahm, Bryson, and Rory listed as top contenders
Scottie Scheffler will enter the Masters as the frontrunner once more, though not with the typical dominance over the betting markets that many have come to expect.
Scheffler has +510 odds to secure his third green jacket at Augusta National Golf Club this weekend, according to DraftKings odds as of Wednesday morning. While he remains the clear favorite, this represents a notable increase from his lowest odds of +380 and even from the +440 he had leading into Masters week.
Other sportsbooks have the 29-year-old listed with even higher odds, with BetMGM reporting +600 as of Wednesday morning. Scheffler’s pre-tournament odds are set to be his longest since 2023, when he was at +700 following his first Masters victory the previous year.
Next on DraftKings’ odds board are Jon Rahm (+900) and Bryson DeChambeau (+1050), both of whom have performed well with LIV Golf this season. Defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy is at +1175, a considerable increase from the odds he had in the 500-range when the markets opened last year.
While Scheffler continues to attract the most tickets and handle at all sportsbooks reporting, his relatively short odds are not causing significant concern for the sportsbooks. Instead, DeChambeau has emerged as the overwhelming public choice, making him the largest liability at BetMGM and giving him market-low odds of +800 at Caesars Sportsbook.
“DeChambeau, with all the social media attention, really draws in the public, and he won the last two LIV tournaments,” Caesars lead golf trader Anthony Salleroli told ESPN. “I was surprised to see that Scheffler was still ahead of DeChambeau [by ticket count], albeit not by much, but the public’s fascination with DeChambeau is substantial.”
In contrast, McIlroy and Rahm have not attracted nearly as much interest, with McIlroy drawing the 12th-most handle at BetMGM.
One player with slightly longer odds who is capturing bettor interest is Brooks Koepka (37-1). The five-time major champion has not performed particularly well since his highly publicized return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf, but bookmakers recognize his credentials.
“The bettors certainly favor him this week. He has been receiving attention, and this is one of the higher prices you’ll see him at,” DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello said. “Golf’s an unpredictable game. Sometimes, as a handicapper, you might look back at recent performances and see players who haven’t played well, but that doesn’t necessarily indicate much because they can really excel at any given time.”
Conversely, 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed (42-1), who also notably departed LIV this year, has been a less popular public choice despite playing well on the European tour. However, he does have a favorable handle-bets split with BetMGM.
Other favored selections include Ludvig Åberg (+1650), Cameron Young (22-1), Justin Rose (35-1), and Akshay Bhatia, who has moved from 56-1 to 51-1 since Tuesday.
With a diverse field and potentially dry conditions that could make Augusta National even more challenging than usual, sportsbooks are preparing for any potential champion.
“There’s a lot of parity out there,” Salleroli stated. “It could be, not anyone’s game, but as close as we’ve seen in a while.”
This sentiment is even more pronounced with neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson participating in the tournament for the first time since 1994. Avello noted that those legends are consistently popular as long shots, but bettors will be refunded on their picks from the yearlong market.
“I think at one time it was, ‘OK, let’s watch the Masters because we want to see Tiger Woods play and with a good chance of winning,'” Avello remarked. “Now, you’ve got all these players who any one of them could win, even deeper than the top 12, so it’s a whole new group of individuals now that represent the PGA Tour [betting].”
