While the other Majors may boast larger, more well-rounded fields, there is nothing in the world of professional golf quite like The Masters, a yearly celebration of excellence and tradition that commands the attention of golf fans worldwide for four days every April. Augusta National, designed in 1933 by Alister MacKenzie and the great Bobby Jones, is the Sistine Chapel of American golf courses, a place whose idyllic beauty and treacherous greens have captured the imaginations of generations of golfers who have often seen nothing of the course other than what they’re shown on television. Just setting foot on the grounds is a “bucket list” item for many, and procuring a badge for the tournament is both difficult and costly. Still, that doesn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for what has become the grandest spectacle of the golfing year.
The Masters is here, and we all get to watch the drama unfold on golf’s greatest stage once again. It’s good to be alive, isn’t it?
Let’s not kid ourselves, though, it would be nice to make a little money while we’re letting the 20-plus hours of television coverage wash over us (will you all be as worthless as me this weekend?). Last week’s Shell Houston Open was a bitter disappointment, but I can still taste our 24/1 hit on Jimmy Walker in San Antonio two weeks ago, which gives me a bit of (much needed) confidence entering a big week for the bankroll. We’ve certainly spread it around this week– BETDAQ is offering a plethora of markets, and we’ve highlighted a few of them below. However, it should be noted that we did not pick any First Round markets (First Round leader, First Round 3-balls), but I highly encourage you to take a long, hard look at those markets, because BETDAQ IS OFFERING 0% COMMISSION ON ALL FIRST ROUND MARKETS. Seems like something you should know…
WIN MARKET
Recommendations to BACK (odds in parenthesis)
Jason Day (16.5)- If my life hung in the balance and I had to pick a winner of this tournament, I’d probably go with Rory McIlroy. That said, Day wouldn’t be too far down on that list (not too far at all), and I sure like his odds a lot better than Rory’s. Day has played some fantastic golf this year, winning once and finishing no worse than 31st in seven starts, and he has a stellar record at The Masters, finishing 2nd in 2011, 3rd in 2013, and 20th last year. He’s worth a bet at the current price.
Rickie Fowler (44)- Is Rickie Fowler ready to win a Major? His ball-striking stats have definitely improved since he re-tooled his swing nearly 18 months ago, and he’s always been one of the best putters on Tour. He certainly seems to feel comfortable at Augusta National, making the cut in all four of his Masters appearances and finishing 5th here last year, and he’s played some solid golf in 2015, making all eight of his cuts and finishing 12th at last month’s WGC-Cadillac Championship. Taking all that into consideration, I believe that this week, on this golf course, Rickie Fowler has his best chance yet to pick up that elusive first Major.
Lee Westwood (64)- To say Lee Westwood is “under the radar” this week probably isn’t putting it strongly enough– nobody, and I mean nobody, is talking about Westwood as a serious contender. As a result, he can now be backed at better than 60/1 at BETDAQ, and at that price I think Westwood may be the best value on the board. I mean, it’s not like he hasn’t been playing and playing well over the past few weeks. Yes, he missed the cut in Houston after a pair of 71s, but prior to that he finished 17th at Innisbrook, 12th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, and 25th at the Honda. In other words, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with his golf game, he’s just viewed as “yesterday’s news” in some ways, a guy who has probably already had his best shot at a major. While that may be the case, I’m not quite ready to write off Westwood just yet, especially at The Masters, where he has five top-10s over the course of his career and has finished no lower than 11th in his last five starts. At the current price all I see is value, value, value.
TOURNAMENT MATCH BETS
Adam Scott (1.86) vs. Henrik Stenson (1.92)
Scott is a “blue chip”-type of pick at Augusta, where he won in 2013 and has finished no lower than 14th since 2011. However, he’s still trying to find his form after taking an extended break due to the birth of his child, while Stenson has been playing as well as anyone in the world over the past few weeks, finishing 4th or better in each of his last four events. And though Stenson can’t match Scott’s record at The Masters, he does have four top-20 finishes on his resume, so it’s not like he hasn’t experienced any success at Augusta. Recommendation: Stenson at 1.92
Ian Poulter (1.8) vs. Hunter Mahan (1.91)
Mahan has been a cut-making machine in 2015 but he’s yet to contend, usually treading water on the weekends due to a balky putter. Poulter, meanwhile, finished 3rd at the Honda Classic, was briefly in contention at both the Valspar Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational, and has finished in the top25 at The Masters in 6 of his last 8 appearances. Recommendation: Poulter at 1.8
OTHER MARKETS
Top Asian Player
Recommendation: Sang-Moon Bae at 4.9
Hideki Matsuyama is the prohibitive favorite here at 1.88, and I believe those odds are a bit out-of-whack. While the young Matsuyama has loads of talent, his results outside of Asia have been decidedly uneven, while Bae has established himself on the PGA Tour and has proven that he knows his way around Augusta National, making the cut here in 2012. Bae is a good value at 4.9.
Top GB & Ireland Player
Recommendation: Rory McIlroy at 1.84
Yes, I know the odds are short, but we’re taking about McIlroy beating 15 players (there are 16 players listed in this market), when he may well win the whole thing. I do expect Rory to play very well this week, and while the short odds scared me off in the Win Market, I’ll take my chances with him here. If you’re looking for long odds, though, you could do a lot worse than Shane Lowry at 23.0.
Top Past Winner
Recommendation: Zach Johnson at 13.0
Bubba Watson is the favorite in this category at 2.6, but I sure like Johnson’s odds, especially when you take his recent form into consideration. Johnson finished 20th at the Valero Texas Open and 9th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational– his last two events– and 10th in February’s Waste Management Open. People are quick to write him off at Augusta (despite his win) because of all the length that’s been added to the course over the past few years, but Johnson played well in both 2012 and 2013 and, as mentioned, he’s playing some great golf at the moment. An absolute steal at the current price…
Top Senior
Recommendation: Miguel Angel-Jimenez at 2.74
Though there are 10 players listed in this category, there are only four who could realistically win it: Fred Couples (2.74), Vijay Singh (3.5), Bernhard Langer (3.75), and Jimenez. Of those four, only Singh and Jimenez have been competing with the younger guys on a weekly basis, and Jimenez has fared much better than Singh at The Masters in recent years, making nine consecutive cuts and finishing 4th last year. I just don’t trust Vijay’s putting anymore, and The Mechanic (can we just start calling him The Most Interesting Man in the World, or do we have to stick with The Mechanic?) seems to get better with age.
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