For just the second time this season, Tiger Woods will be playing a tournament on the PGA Tour.
The legendary American golfer will participate at The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club this weekend, where he has won five green jackets over his illustrious career.
Woods, who ranks second all-time with 15 major championship wins and is tied with Sam Snead for most tournaments won (82) in PGA history, will be playing in just his sixth tournament, and fifth PGA Tour event, in the past 29 months.
Tiger Woods History at The Masters
Woods has always played at his best in Augusta. It was the site of his first major championship, in 1997 where as a 21-year-old he became the youngest and first non-white winner of the tournament while also setting a record for largest margin of victory that still stands today (12 strokes).
It also was the site of his most recent major tournament, when he won the 2019 event. That was his 15th major championship win and fifth victory at Augusta, which trails only Jack Nicklaus (6) for the most ever. It also was his only major championship win since 2008.
Woods has finished in the top-10 at Augusta in 14 of his 23 starts there and has 11 top-5 finishes in that span. He finished 47th at the 2022 Masters, and it was the only tournament in which he played all four rounds in 2022.
- Read all of our Masters predictions.
Will Tiger Woods Play at the 2023 Masters?
Because he has won the tournament, Woods has a lifetime exemption to play The Masters, and he returned to Augusta on Sunday for a practice round ahead of the tournament this weekend.
Tiger Woods 2023 Masters Prop Bets
Fans love watching Woods, and many first-time golf bettors may now cash in on the legendary golfer’s success at Augusta National this weekend. Here’s a look at some Tiger Woods specials to consider ahead of The Masters prop betting.
All bets are courtesy of BetMGM and are active as of 10 a.m. ET on April 3, 2023.
Tiger Woods Makes The Cut (-190)
Woods has only failed to qualify for the weekend once in 24 tournament starts at Augusta, and that came in 1996. Given Woods is 1 for 1 on cuts-made in 2023, and the fact he plays his best at Augusta, this one seems like a no-brainer.
Tiger Woods Finishes in the Top-20 (+225), Top-10 (+500) or Top-5 (+1100) (ties included)
Now we’re starting to get into dicey territory. Woods hasn’t finished in the top-20 in a tournament since he tied for ninth at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open — his penultimate PGA Tour appearance before COVID-19 shut down the sports calendar in March of that year.
Woods hasn’t finished in the top-5 at any tournament since his fourth-place finish at the 2019 Hero World Challenge. His last top-20 finish at a major came when he won the 2019 Masters.
Tiger Woods Plays in the Final Pairing on Sunday (+2500)
As expected, Woods’ most recent final-pairing appearance at a major came in the 2019 Masters, and the last time he played in the final group at any tournament was at the 2019 ZOZO Championship in Japan.
Tiger Woods Shoots 70-or-Lower in all Four Rounds (+3300)
If Woods is healthy, the odds on this would be extremely tasty. Still, the last time he completed four 70-or-lower rounds was at his win at the ZOZO Championship, and the last time he even posted three sub-71 rounds came at the 2020 Farmers.
Tiger Woods Leads After the First Round (including ties) (+4000)
Historically, Woods has not been a fast starter at Augusta. He’s averaged a score of 71.8 in the first round, about Even par, over his 24 appearances at The Masters.
Woods would likely need to shoot 66 or better to lead after the first round, which if healthy, wouldn’t be out of the question for the legendary golfer. The odds on this are extremely enticing even though Woods hasn’t posted a score that low in any round since the second round of the 2020 ZOZO Championship.
Tiger Woods Odds to Win the 2023 Masters (+6600)
History is very much against this outcome. At 47 years and 3 months, Woods would be by far the oldest player to win The Masters if he successfully did so — Nicklaus presently holds the record at 46 years, 2 months. So even a healthy and fully “back" Tiger would have the odds stacked against him.
Still, it’s worth a sprinkle to root for history at Augusta this year, especially if he can hang within a shot or two of the leaders going into the weekend.
Tiger Woods’ Future on the PGA Tour
As awesome as it’ll be to see Tiger tee it up at Augusta, one must wonder how much longer Woods will continue to play competitively given his age and diminishing play.
Woods only played in three of the four majors in 2022 and withdrew after three rounds at the 2022 PGA Championship with leg soreness, then backed out of the 2022 Hero World Challenge with plantar fasciitis.
He played in The Match in December, then finished tied for 45th at The Genesis Invitational in February, which indicates his health is improving. Still, his back injuries, car accident — which cost him more than a full year of tour play — and the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on his schedule.
Plus, his quotes about the importance of his children seeing him win a major — “I hope that’s something they’ll never forget," Woods said, about his then-11-year-old daughter Sam and then-10-year-old son Charlie, according to the Associated Press after he won — and the unlikelihood of him catching Nicklaus’ major-championship record, indicates the end is drawing near.
Now betting on that to happen would have long odds, given Woods’ ability to defy what is normal in the past. Plus, the GOATs are playing longer than ever these days. But Woods will be 48 on December 30 — which coincidentally is the same day basketball superstar LeBron James will turn 39 — and his body certainly isn’t getting any younger.
My point is if you haven’t seen Tiger live yet, and are dying to see him in person at some point, you’d better take advantage soon.
Will Tiger Woods Play the PGA Championship?
Presuming Woods plays and stays healthy through four rounds at Augusta, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t try to tee up at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York in mid-May.
Woods may be trying to compete in all four majors in a calendar year one final time. If that’s the case, and his body is up for it, he’ll play at the PGA in Western New York, the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club in June, then the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in July.
