The Masters Golf Betting Tips 2022
Who is the GM Tipster backing to win the first men's Major of the season?
The Masters Golf Betting Tips 2022
It’s Masters week (as if you didn’t know) with the Grand National on Saturday, toss a dramatic comeback by Tiger Woods into the mix, and we’re heading for a little piece of sporting heaven.
Stand by for the most intense competition ever for the pound in your pocket from the bookmaking fraternity on the year’s first men's Major with two firms paying down to 11th place, three more going down to 10th, and eight and nine places available elsewhere. So if punters can’t make it pay in the one Grand Slam event that’s always played on the same iconic layout with course and current form all there laid out on the table, they never will.
MAIN BETS
- 2pts each-way Cameron Smith at 16/1 with William Hill (9 places)
- 2pts each-way Jordan Spieth at 20/1 with Bet365 (8 places)
- 2pts each-way Jon Rahm at 11/1 with Betfair (10 places)
- 1pt each-way Xander Schauffele at 22/1 with William Hill (9 places)
- 1pt each-way Scottie Scheffler at 16/1 with William Hill (9 places)
It often pays to wait until the last moment when each bookmaker tries to trump the other on top price. Rule out seven ceremonial ex-champions, six amateurs, the first-timers (as it’s 43 years since a debutant won) and those who never do well there - like Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood - and the number of potential top-ten finishers in an already limited field of 91 is halved.
With JJ Spaun the final name in the draw after his 175/1 Texas Open victory on Sunday, all we’re waiting for is the confirmation from Woods that he’s good to go after his crippling dice with death and that defending champion Hideki Matsuyama is fit to do himself justice after pulling out with a neck problem at San Antonio.
Tiger wouldn’t be playing if he didn’t believe he could be competitive and as it’s only three years since he pulled off his last Masters miracle, his chance has to be respected. At 46 he’s the same age as Jack Nicklaus was when the Golden Bear surprised the world by winning his last Masters but Tiger is a far more physically damaged 46 and Augusta National, fiercely undulating and 7510 yards long - the downhill par-four 11th now extended to 520 and the 15th not such a gimme birdie at 550 - will surely take its toll on any suspect limbs if he survives to the weekend.
This is the tallest order yet in his improbable life story and I question whether he can be good enough without any competitive prep to contend against rivals no longer afraid of him. Making the cut would be a feat in itself and Bet365 go 8/11 he won’t be there on Saturday and 60/1 he wins his sixth Green Jacket.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
In ducking the Tiger question because it’s simply guessing, I’ll go for the S-Factor, Players champion Cameron Smith, Augusta specialist Jordan Spieth, new world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, to fight out the finish with the favourite, Jon Rahm.
Expect the burly Spaniard to come hurtling back to peak form, motivated by losing his coveted top ranking spot to Scheffler whose three victories in seven weeks have turned the golfing world upside down.
And while not doubting that the big American, who impressed with top-20s on both Augusta starts, is the real deal, I am among those who still believe Rahm is the best golfer in the world. Why he is at double-figure odds is because a) he’s failed to win this year despite creating several clear chances and b) the putter has gone to pot on his two latest outings, resulting in a rare down-the-field effort at Sawgrass and a last-16 exit from the Match Play.
On the credit side is Augusta form of 4-9-7-5 on his last four visits and the fact that he’s been in the top-ten in his last five Major starts, highlighted by his 2021 US Open triumph. It’s another plus that he’s arguably the best driver in the world even though Augusta’s generous fairways pander to those like Seve, Woods, Mickelson and Spieth not noted for their off-the-tee accuracy. With Woods taking all the media heat, Rahm can concentrate on business and each-way places at 11/1 looks money for old rope.
Most likely to turn Rahm over? My fancy is the gutsy Aussie Smith who putts like a demon and is all heart. Not long off the tee but long enough at 297 yards, he’s a double winner in just four starts this year and has an enviable Masters record reading 5-51-2-10, the second coming behind Dustin Johnson in the delayed 2020 edition.
Outside a Pebble Beach second, Spieth has been poor this year but left San Antonio with a spring in his step after a closing 67 and becomes a different golfer when he drives down Magnolia Lane. Nobody since Woods in his pomp plays Augusta better as his 2-1-2-11-3-21-3 record emphatically tells you and although his once-sublime putting shows worrying signs of wear and tear, he reads these glassy greens better than anybody.
Schauffele, quiet so far this campaign, get into the S squad on the back of a second and third in just four attempts. And his 2022 form, a third at Phoenix and three other top-13s, is solid enough to give him the nod over DJ for the final selection.
Although a loser of semi-final and third-place playoff at the Match Play, Johnson showed plenty of good stuff among the dross to suggest he’ll be a player in a tournament where he often contends.
A first Masters for Justin Thomas, Colin Morikawa or Viktor Hovland would come as no great surprise but DeChambeau was awful at the Match Play and in Texas and while some think Rory McIlroy has been playing better golf than his finishes suggest, the additional pressure of trying to complete a career Slam with confidence far from peak makes him a shaky betting proposition.
Will Zalatoris almost won at the first attempt last year which will give supporters of Valspar winner Sam Burns encouragement as he bids to be the first debutant to win since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
My best outsider is Justin Rose, twice a Masters runner-up and a man who led after day one last year. In fact, he’s led after each of the first three days on different occasions and twice after 70 holes but the W has always eluded the Englishman. There’s only one piece of 2022 form to recommend him but his putting is sound and the driving may be less of a problem this week given all the space, so at 80/1 a seventh Masters top-ten is not out of the question and 16/1 a place is not to be sneezed at.
Thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday will soften the fairways and lead to a drop in temperature to 17-18C on Friday and Saturday. Best weather on sunny Sunday. No major wind problem.
Padraig Harrington, runner-up on the Champions Tour on Sunday, qualifies for his first Masters since 2015 by dint of his fourth place in last year’s PGA and should be a winning favourite on the Top Senior market where 60-somethings Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples provide the main opposition.
And the S-Factor can also provide the Aintree solution where Snow Leopardess at 9/1 is the suggestion. Happy punting!
The Masters Golf Betting Tips 2022
MAIN BETS
- 2pts each-way Cameron Smith at 16/1 with William Hill (9 places)
- 2pts each-way Jordan Spieth at 20/1 with Bet365 (8 places)
- 2pts each-way Jon Rahm at 11/1 with Betfair (10 places)
- 1pt each-way Xander Schauffele at 22/1 with William Hill (9 places)
- 1pt each-way Scottie Scheffler at 16/1 with William Hill (9 places)
BEST OUTSIDER
TOP SENIOR
- 3pts win Padraig Harrington
Golf Betting Offers:
Bet365 Bet £10 & Get £50 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.
888Sport Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets + £10 Casino Bonus
New customers only. Min deposit £10. Qualifying bet is ‘real money’ stake of at least £10. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement expires after 7 days. Free Bet stakes not included in returns. Deposit balance available for withdrawal at any time. Withdrawal restrictions & full T&Cs apply.
William Hill Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
New customers using Promo Code P30 only, min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15 (30 days expiry), free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. *By entering the Promo code in the box above you agree to the full terms and conditions of this promotion as displayed below. See full terms below.
Betfair Get Up To £100 in Free Bets
New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
Betfred Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets + 60 Free Casino Spins
New UK & NI customers only. Code ‘SPORTS60’. Place first sports bet of £10+ in one bet transaction, at odds of Evens +. settled within 60 days. First bet on Sports. £30 in Free Bets credited within 48 hours of settlement. Max 60 Free Spins on Justice League Comics. Full T&Cs apply.
New Customers Only. 18+ T&C Apply BeGambleAware
Celebrating my 52nd year tipping and writing about golf. Tipped more than 800 winners (and more than 8000 losers!). First big winner Lee Trevino at 8-1, 1972 Open at Muirfield. Biggest win £40 each-way Ernie Els at 80-1 and 50-1, 2012 Open. Most memorable: Giving the 1-2-3 at 33-1, 50-1, 33-1 out of 4 tips from a field of 180 in 2006 Pebble Beach Pro-Am. According to one bookmaker “Undoubtedly one of the greatest tipping performances of all time”. And, of course, putting up a 150/1 winner with Stewart Cink in my very first column for Golf Monthly. Lowest handicap 9 Present handicap 35.6. Publications tipped for: Sporting Life, Racing Post, Racing&Football Outlook, Golf World, Golf Weekly, Golf Monthly, Fitzdares Times. Check our Jeremy's latest tips at our Golf Betting tips home page
-
Keegan Bradley Explains Why Phil Mickelson Won't Be Involved In Ryder Cup Set-Up
American Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley explained why he feels Phil Mickelson is unlikely to be one of his vice-captains at Bethpage Black next year
By Paul Higham Published
-
Golf Rules Quiz! How Would You Deal With These 4 On-Course Scenarios?
Many amateur golfers think they have a solid grasp of the rules, but would you know what to do when faced with four specific rule infringements on the course?
By Barry Plummer Published
-
Genesis Scottish Open Power Rankings: Ranking the Top Golfers in this Week's Field
Oddschecker's Johnny Covers takes a closer look at this week’s Genesis Scottish Open and ranks the top five golfers he thinks have the best chance of winning.
By Johnny Covers Published
-
Genesis Scottish Open Odds and Betting Preview
The Genesis Scottish Open starts this Thursday. Oddschecker's Matt MacKay breaks down the odds this week and shares his best bets for the Genesis Scottish Open.
By Matt MacKay Published
-
Genesis Scottish Open Betting Picks and Predictions
The PGA Tour is heading to North Berwick, Scotland, for the Genesis Scottish Open. OddsChecker's golf handicapper and expert Andy Lack gives us his best picks for the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open.
By Andy Lack Published
-
2023 John Deere Classic Betting Picks and Predictions
The PGA Tour is heading to Silvis, Illinois, for the John Deere Classic. OddsChecker's golf handicapper and expert Andy Lack gives us his best picks for the 2023 John Deere Classic.
By Andy Lack Published
-
Travelers Championship Odds and Betting Preview
The Travelers Championship starts this Thursday. Oddschecker's Matt MacKay breaks down the odds this week and shares his best bets for the 2023 Travelers Championship.
By Matt MacKay Published
-
US Open Power Rankings: Ranking the Top Golfers in this Week's Field
Oddschecker's Johnny Covers takes a closer look at this week’s US Open and ranks the top five golfers he thinks have the best chance of winning.
By Johnny Covers Published
-
2023 RBC Canadian Open Picks and Predictions
The PGA Tour is heading to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the RBC Canadian Open. OddsChecker's golf handicapper and expert Andy Lack gives us his best picks for the 2023 RBC Canadian Open.
By Andy Lack Published
-
Memorial Tournament Odds and Betting Preview
The Memorial Tournament starts this Thursday. Golf expert Matt MacKay breaks down the odds this week and shares his best bets for the 2023 Memorial Tournament.
By Matt MacKay Published