The Masters PGA Betting – Win, Top 20, Longshot Golf Best Bets
Justin “STLCardinals84” Van Zuiden is a lead DFS and betting analyst for RotoGrinders and ScoresAndOdds. In this week’s preview, STL will run over his favorite betting picks for The Masters Tournament.
It’s the first full week of April, which means only one thing… It’s Masters Week! As usual, the year’s first major contains a somewhat limited field. We have a field of 92 golfers assembled for this tournament, which is four more than we saw a year ago when Hideki Matsuyama won his first green jacket.
As for the course, we all know about Augusta National Golf Club. This layout will test every aspect of a golfer’s game. From trees to hazards to speedy, difficult greens to narrow landing areas, every weakness will be exposed by this course. I am much more inclined to value course history at this unique venue, though current form is also a factor, especially since we have a lot of talented young golfers on the PGA Tour now.
This should be a fantastic four days of golf. Let’s see what PGA bets are in store for us!
STL’s Best Win Market Bets –– The Masters
Brooks Koepka to win (+2000 on DraftKings) – Our good friend Derek Farnsworth passed along an amazing stat on our live show this week. In his last 20 major starts, he has TWELVE top-5 finishes. 12! He’s finishing inside the top-five SIXTY PERCENT of the time. Koepka gets up for majors. Period. He was nearly in the mix at Augusta last year on one leg. If you can get him at anything close to 20-to-1 odds, you have to take it.
Will Zalatoris to win (+3500 on PointsBet) – I am on record that I believe Will Zalatoris will win a major this year. His play over the last few months has made me worry about that call a little bit, especially given his very shaky putter. He ranks 80th out of 88 golfers in this field in putting over the last six months.
The good news is that he has already shown a tendency to show up in big events. He very nearly won in his debut here a year ago, and we know the tee-to-green game is going to be sharp. He did make a putter change at the Match Play two weeks ago, and frankly, it can’t be any worse than he was with the old flat stick. Go get that green jacket kid!
STL’s Top-20 Market Bets –– The Masters
- Marc Leishman Top-20 Finish (+160 on DraftKings)
- Corey Conners Top-20 Finish (+160 on DraftKings)
I’m going to group these two picks together, as both have the same odds. We only need one of these two to hit in order to profit, and we’re rolling if they both hit. I’m fairly confident in both Leishman and Conners here.
As for Conners, his spring results have consisted of an 11th place finish at the Arnold Palmer, a 26th at THE PLAYERS, a third place finish at the Match Play event, and a 35th place finish last week. He still closed with one of the better rounds on Sunday at the Valero, and it should be all systems go for the elite ball striker. His putter has been a bit better of late, too. Oh, and he has top ten finishes in each of the last two Masters. Bang.
As for Leishman, the current form isn’t quite as strong, but he has made the cut in each of the last five Masters and has plenty of experience here. Remember, this is a 92-golfer field with only about 75 golfers with a legitimate chance, so a top-20 at +160 odds is very favorable with a golfer of his talent level.
STL’s Long Shot Bets –– The Masters
Long Shots – In theory, this is a tough event for a true longshot to contend, but we have seen in happen before with the likes of Angel Cabrera and Charl Schwartzel winning green jackets. With all the talent on Tour these days, though, it is a tougher ask. If you’re looking at 75-to-1 or greater odds, go for veterans with some Masters history like Sergio Garcia (80-to-1 on PointsBet) or Justin Rose (80-to-1 on BetMGM). Rose seems to be in the mix every year at some point during the tournament.
STL’s Best Matchup Bets –– The Masters
Dustin Johnson H2H over Cam Smith (+102 on FanDuel) – I know Cam Smith has been great and seems to always pull hero par saves out of his hat, but Augusta is not a course where you want to be scrambling from out of position. I’ll side with the veteran in Dustin Johnson, who is definitely in the mix as a contender if his driver is cooperating. I see this as an even matchup with a slight edge to DJ, making a bet at plus odds an obvious one.
Brian Harman over Robert Macintyre (-110 on BetRivers) – Harman had a rough 2020-2021 season, but he has figured his game out again. The approach play has been MUCH better over the past three months compared to the 2021 calendar year, and he makes for a great way to round out your rosters with a value play. Harman has finished 44th and 12th in his two trips to Augusta over the past five years, and while he’s not the longest hitter, we know that Augusta tends to cater to left-handed golfers on a lot of holes. I expect him to be a safe bet to make the cut, and I can’t say the same about Macintyre. Hopefully this bet will be a guaranteed winner after the cut on Friday.
Good luck betting this week everyone! Let’s win some money!