Scottie Scheffler Tipped To Beat McIlroy And Rahm In Masters Betting Odds
Scottie Scheffler is favourite to win the 2023 Masters after maintaining his grip on golf’s world rankings, with betting sites pitching Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm below the American.
Betting on the Masters is hotting up and it’s fair to say the bookies reckon the Green Jacket is only going one of three ways.
Scheffler, McIlroy and Rahm stand out from the rest of the pack heading to Augusta, with 25.5% of all Masters bets backing one of these three titans to win the tournament.
Scheffler is the frontrunner having dominated the PGA Tour this season. The World No. 1 has won two of his 10 PGA events this campaign, and made the cut every time.
His triumph at last month’s Players Championship means he comes into the Masters in top form – and it’s hard to know who can stop the 26-year-old, apart from his two closest rivals.
Indeed, below the ‘Big Three’ is a smattering of hopefuls seeking to hit a rich patch of form on the Augusta greens.
The likes of Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa are still seeking their first tournament wins of the season.
And while the LIV golfers are permitted to play in this tournament, the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Talor Gooch, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka aren’t expected to challenge for the lead.
It means the bookies are focusing on three big names heading into the 2023 Masters – and punters are following suit.
Masters Betting Latest
A total of 88 players will compete at Augusta National this spring but all the attention is on three men.
US Masters betting sites have had to dramatically cut their odds on Scheffler, McIlroy and Rahm due to a boom in wagers on this trio.
McIlroy currently leads the way in the betting, with 12.1% of all wagers in this market backing the Northern Irishman.
But that hasn’t been enough to depress his odds below Scheffler, who is the 7/1 favourite with the majority of bookmakers.
Here, we analyse the three favourites for the Masters and their latest odds…
Scottie Scheffler
At 7/1 Scheffler is considered a good bet to win the Masters this year. After all, he won the Phoenix Open in February and last month’s Players Championship, adding to the Masters he won in 2022.
As defending champion plenty of attention will be on Scheffler, who beat McIlroy by three shots to deservedly claim the Green Jacket.
“I’m not quite sure what the vibe will be like,” Scheffler recently said, when asked about the presence of LIV golfers at the Champions’ Dinner at Augusta.
“But I think we are all there to play in the tournament and celebrate The Masters, and celebrate all being past champions.”
There is a threat the LIV presence could impact Scheffler, because as defending champion and world No. 1 golfer, he will be quizzed about it a lot by the media.
But bettors hope he can keep focused and deliver another scintillating four rounds at Augusta.
Rory McIlroy
Most golf betting sites have pitched McIlroy as the 15/2 second favourite, although some have gone early and pushed him as low as 6/1.
The feeling is that McIlroy, who won three tournaments in 2022 and got his hands on the CJ Cup earlier this year, is finally ready to don that Green Jacket.
McIlroy finished second to Scheffler at Augusta last year, three shots behind the American. Since then his form has improved further, and he comes into the 2023 Masters having beaten his rival in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
What golf fans would give to see McIlroy finally complete the sweep of majors and win the Masters.
He won his first major back in 2011 at the US Open, and within three years had his hands on the PGA Championship and Claret Jug as well. But the Masters has always eluded McIlroy – will this be his year?
Jon Rahm
Not if Rahm has a say in the matter. The Spaniard already has three tournament wins for this season, and finished -27 to claim victory at both the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the American Express.
The only worry for those who bet on Rahm is that his results have faded over the past few weeks.
He bombed at the Arnold Palmer, withdrew from the Players Championship because of illness, and tied 31st at the Dell Technologies Match Play, missing the cut.
It already feels like a long time ago that Rahm was celebrating his Genesis Open win and the $3.6m winners’ cheque in mid-February.
Rahm is the least-backed player of the Big Three expected to challenge for the Masters title. Just 4.4% of bettors are siding with the Spaniard, with Jordan Spieth (5.5%) and Jason Day (4.5%) collecting more wagers.
It may well be the case that bettors are being attracted by the higher odds on Spieth and Day. The former’s odds have already come in from 18/1 to 16/1, while Day’s price has come in from 251 to 22/1 with betting apps.
It’s unlikely their odds will come in to rival the Big Three, but punters are evidently seeking value away from Scheffler, McIlroy and Rahm. Whether that proves to be a good idea we will have to wait and see.
But the scrutiny on the big boys will be heavy when they prepare to tee off at Augusta on Thursday, April 6.
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