Finding Value on Market for Masters
Rory McIlroy had a thumping win in the Players’ Championship at the weekend, a galvanising victory which put the Northern Irishman at the top of the betting markets for the Masters (11th-14th April). McIlroy has been criticized for not closing out tournaments in 2019, but the win at Sawgrass was his sixth consecutive top 6 finish – stunning consistency.
The best price on McIlroy is now 8/1, but some sportsbooks are as low as 6/1. Despite his good form, that’s incredibly low odds for a man who has not won a Major in five years. Indeed, with so many sportsbooks extending the each-way markets up to eight places, we take a look at some golfers who could offer more value than McIlroy in the first Major of the year. Best odds are researched from a range of Canadian online sportsbooks:
Xander Schauffele – 40/1 Bwin Sports
World number eight Schauffele has no business being as high as 40/1 in the odds. He showed in the HSBC Champions in October that he has the never to win a big tournament with the pressure on, finishing with back-to-back birdies to hold off Tony Finau. Coming down the back nine at Augusta on a Sunday is a whole new level of pressure of course, but the 25-year-old has the talent and the confidence to get himself into contention and reward punters with a payout.
Tommy Fleetwood – 28/1 Bet365
A lot has been made of the fact that Tommy Fleetwood has yet to win in America, but that will come in time. The Englishman was second in the US Open last year, and he has improved his finishing position in each Major tournament he has played in his short career. He’s an excellent each-way chance. A quick note on the sportsbook, Bet365, who now facilitate iDebit for payments to and from checking accounts. You can check out these iDebit reviews for further information.
Cameron Smith – 80/1 Bet365
A young Australian with a huge future, Smith has the game to match or even improve on his 5th place finish in the 2018 Masters. Again, it’s a big price for a golfer who know sits above Jordan Spieth in the world rankings. Smith still has a few wrinkles in his game, but he is quickly improving. You might not see him with the Green Jacket on the Sunday evening, but his each-way value at quarter of the odds still trumps some players sitting towards the top of the markets.
Adam Hadwin -150/1 Betfair
Can Adam Hadwin become only the second Canadian in history (after Mike Weir in 2003) to win a golf Major? Probably not. But he has a strong enough game to surprise the golf world a few and finish among the Top 20 at Augusta, with an outside shot of finishing in the each-way places. Hadwin is something of a late bloomer in his 10-year career as a pro, but he has had some decent results in the last few years, including a first PGA Tour win at the Valspar Open in 2017. His Major record hasn’t been great – but there is enough to like about Hadwin to make each-way claims a possibility.