The Masters Tournament isn’t just golf’s first major championship of the year; it’s also the first time we get to see all the world’s best golfers tee it up on the same track.
That is the unfortunate consequence of the ongoing saga between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, as fans of the sport now get just four of these opportunities each year.
Defending champion Jon Rahm is one of the latest high-profile names to defect to LIV, which already had several top performers at Augusta National Golf Club last year.
Let’s dig into the 2024 Masters odds to pick out a winner and some sleepers further down the betting board.
Masters Odds
Golf odds used for these Masters predictions are current as of Monday, April 8, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Scottie Scheffler (+400)
- Rory McIlroy (+1000)
- Jon Rahm (+1100)
- Xander Schauffele (+1600)
- Brooks Koepka (+1800)
- Jordan Spieth (+2000)
- Joaquin Niemann (+2500)
- Hideki Matsuyama (+2500)
- Ludvig Aberg (+3000)
- Wyndham Clark (+3000)
Masters Field
As you would expect for the year’s first major championship, the field is full of elite talent.
Unlike the other majors, however, The Masters has a more exclusive field. This year, 89 players are set to participate.
Included in that group are a handful of amateurs and past champions that don’t have a chance at winning (or likely competing), so making it through the cut (top 50 and ties) is generally easier at The Masters than at other majors.
Will Tiger Woods Play in The Masters?
All signs point toward the five-time Masters champion trying to tee it up at Augusta.
However, Woods hasn’t played in a PGA Tour event since the Genesis Invitational in February, and he withdrew six holes into the second round, citing influenza. After the first round, he blamed a shanked approach shot on a back spasm.
Because of his age and injury history, Woods hasn’t played a lot of competitive golf over the past few years. He made the cut at The Masters in 2023 but withdrew before the end of the third round after reaggravating a plantar fasciitis injury.
If there’s a reason to be optimistic, it’s that Woods generally puts all of his energy into playing The Masters, an event he can still compete in thanks to years of experience at ANGC and its minimal heavy rough.
But given the concerns about his ability to walk the undulating 18 holes for four straight days, let alone play good enough golf to contend with the world’s best, there’s a reason he’s sporting 130-1 odds to win this week.
The more interesting odds will be on Woods to make the cut at Augusta, something he has done in all 23 previous visits, so check out our favorite Tiger Woods Masters props for more.
Can LIV Golfers Play in The Masters?
Players who ply their trade in LIV Golf are eligible to play in the Masters if they have met the tournament’s qualifications or received a special invite to participate.
LIV will have 13 representatives in the field, including Rahm and fellow past Masters champions Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Sergio GarcÃa, and Charl Schwartzel.
Recent major champions Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka are also in the field.
Masters Winner Prediction
Hideki Matsuyama (+2500) • DraftKings Sportsbook
Matsuyama will be a popular choice this week, and for good reason.
The 2021 Masters champion has been in impressive form since winning the Genesis Invitational in February, earning top-12 finishes in the three further events.
The key to Matsuyama’s recent form has been elite ball striking.
He gained 4.61 strokes off the tee (OTT) and 6.46 on approach (APP) en route to a T-6 finish at THE PLAYERS Championship and backed that up with 2.76 OTT and 4.54 APP at last week’s Valero Texas Open (T-7).
Matsuyama is a wizard around the greens — a must at Augusta — and he isn’t as bad with the putter as he has been in years past.
That’s a dangerous combination for a guy who loves this golf course and has eight top-20 finishes in his last nine trips. Back Matsuyama to collect his second Green Jacket as your golf pick of the day.
Masters Winner Best Bets
Xander Schauffele (+1600) • DraftKings Sportsbook
No one questions whether Xander Schauffele has the talent to win a major championship; it’s just a matter of when he’ll finally get over the hump.
The 30-year-old has 11 top-10 finishes and six top-fives in his major career, including a T-2 at Augusta in 2019 and a T-3 in 2021.
Schauffele’s 2024 PGA Tour season has followed in a similar vein. He has six top-10 finishes in eight starts, including a T-4 at The Genesis Invitational and a T-2 at THE PLAYERS Championship.
While a victory hasn’t come yet, Schauffele ranks fourth in this week’s field in total strokes gained over the last 36 rounds and gains across the board in every category.
Schauffele’s well-rounded game, solid history at Augusta, and impressive recent form make him a legitimate contender this week.
Will Zalatoris (+3500) • DraftKings Sportsbook
Zalatoris and Wyndham Clark are attractive options at this price, but I’ll go with the guy who has more experience at Augusta and is seemingly made for major championship golf.
The 27-year-old has six top-eight finishes and three runner-up finishes in 10 major starts, including a solo second in his Masters debut in 2021 and a T-6 the following year.
- Wager on a winner with the top Masters Betting Sites.
Back surgery prevented him from competing in 2023. Still, Zalatoris has impressed at difficult tracks so far this PGA Tour season, finishing T-2 at the Genesis Invitational and T-4 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Challenging events have been his happy place on Tour, as his lackluster putting makes him more likely to win an event that finishes at 10-under par than a birdie-fest at 20-under.
In Zalatoris’ return to the Masters, expect his elite ball-striking to shine through.
Masters Sleeper Pick to Win
Cameron Smith (+4500) • Caesars Sportsbook
As a major champion with a stellar track record at Augusta, Smith doesn’t necessarily feel like a sleeper pick.
But since winning the 2022 Open Championship and making the move to LIV Golf, the Aussie has been a bit out of sight, out of mind.
For those following along, Smith hasn’t won on LIV in 2024, but he has three victories on the circuit overall and recently finished runner-up to Abraham Ancer in Hong Kong, losing in a playoff.
- Check out our favorite Masters prop bets.
The 30-year-old has three top-five finishes and four top-10s at ANGC since 2018 and is a perfect horse for the course.
Smith’s inaccurate driver, a weakness on narrow tree-lined courses, is generally not an issue at a track as wide as this, and his world-class short game gets him out of any trouble he may find more often than not.
There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Smith could win a Green Jacket, and I’m willing to take a punt at 45-1 odds.
Masters Longshot Pick to Win
Brian Harman (+8000) • Caesars Sportsbook
Generally, Masters winners don’t come from this far down the betting board, but Harman is worth a flier at this price.
The 2023 Champion Golfer of the Year at Royal Liverpool is the most recent major champion, and it’s not like his game has dropped off a cliff since then.
Harman played pretty well during the Florida swing, finishing T-12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T-2 at THE PLAYERS before missing the cut at the Valspar.
The former Georgia Bulldog is likely being penalized for his lack of success around Augusta. He has missed the cut in three of his last five trips, including each of the last two years.
However, lefties have a stellar record of success at The Masters, and Harman is a decent ball-striker and an elite putter who can get hot quickly.
The Masters Tournament Event Details 2024
- Dates: Thursday, April 11 - Sunday, April 14, 2024
- Course: Augusta National Golf Club
- Course Dimensions: Par 72 (7,510 yards)
- 2023 Masters Winner: Jon Rahm
- How to Watch: ESPN/CBS
Masters Weather Forecast
There’s still time for this Masters weather forecast to change, but currently, Thursday looks like the only day with potential weather concerns.
Thunderstorms are expected during the day, with rain showers lingering into the early evening. That could certainly impact play, especially with all the players teeing off from No. 1.
The sun is expected to return on Friday, albeit with wind gusts up to 16 miles per hour.
The conditions will improve for the weekend, with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s.
Masters Course Tips
Augusta National Golf Club (Augusta, Ga.)
- Par 72 (7,510 yards)
- As the only major championship played annually at the same course, we generally know what to expect from Augusta National. It’s a long layout made more challenging by severe undulations, not just on the greens but also in the terrain itself.
- Wide fairways are typically easy to find off the tee, but the course isn’t going to punish golfers who drive it into the rough. This isn’t a U.S. Open setup. Instead, driving distance is more of a distinguishing factor than accuracy, as multiple Par-4s measure around 500 yards. Shorter hitters will have a tough time reaching those greens in regulation.
- The green complexes at Augusta are very complicated, which usually gives players with more Masters experience an upper hand. The greens themselves are bent grass and will typically play firm and lightning-quick.
- The 2020 edition, won by Dustin Johnson with a record score of 20-under, was an exception. It took place in November due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Rain had softened the course, which allowed players to target the pins and led to record-low scoring. Rahm won at 12-under last year, closer to the range we typically see.
- If you want to get yourself a Green Jacket, you must take advantage of the four Par-5s. They rate out as the four easiest holes on the course, per Fantasy National. Only two other holes, No. 3 (Par-4, 350 yards) and No. 16 (Par-3, 170 yards), have surrendered birdie or better to the field at least 15% of the time.
