The Masters is always a popular week for golf punters, with many of us scrambling to find the best betting picks and value tips.
Plenty have a defined, well-rehearsed strategy, scouring through hours of data before settling on their selections. Others prefer to take a leap of faith on true desires of the heart... like firing a series of the best Tiger Woods bets in the hope of a sixth Green Jacket.
However you prepare for Augusta National, most of us would feel pretty confident in naming some of the most popular picks for the week... but this year might shock you!
Below, thanks to the latest data from Oddschecker, we share the list of the most popular bets for The Masters 2024 and outline a couple of very interesting absences!
Who Are The Most Popular Players In The Betting For The Masters?
The Masters betting odds are a constantly changing phenomena, with some fans taking prices months before the event starts in the hope of banking some value. One thing that often remains pretty stable is the betting favourites, which are always littered with the sort of names you could envisage collecting a Green Jacket on Masters Sunday.
Unsurprisingly, Scottie Scheffler leads the way as the most backed player for The Masters this year, with Oddschecker reporting that 8% of all bets taken go to the World No.1.
Hideki Matsuyama (6.3%) and Rory McIlroy (4.9%) follow next, but bizarrely there is no place in the top-10 for current Masters Champion, Jon Rahm.
Rahm actually features 11th in this list, with just 2.7% of bets for the Spaniard, and I can't help but feel he is being overlooked. This could be due to the fact he is the defending champion, or a result of his move to LIV golf earlier in the year, but those ruling him out do so at their peril.
Above Rahm in the list are the likes of debutants Wyndham Clark (3.3%) and Ludvig Aberg (2.9%) in 8th and 9th place respectively, despite a first-timer not winning the event since 1979.
While they are great players in their own right, Augusta form carries a lot of weight and Rahm could just pop up on Sunday to reward the apparent minority of backers.
There is also no place in the popularity standings for 2015 Masters Champion, Jordan Spieth. Much like Rahm, he just missed out on the top-10, as the 12th most backed player to win the Green Jacket (2.7%).
A T10 finish last week in Texas will give encouragement to many of Spieth's loyal supporters, but two missed cuts and a sloppy DQ in his last five starts has perhaps tempered enthusiasm around his chances on this occasion.
You can't mention popularity and The Masters in the same sentence without giving a cursory nod tot the one and only, Tiger Woods. The five-time Masters Champion has been a common name on Masters bet slips throughout the years, but it appears the excitement around a sixth Green Jacket is somewhat dampened this year.
Tiger is currently the 35th most popular player in the betting, at 150/1, with just 1.2% of the total bets being placed on him. While it would be arguably the most impressive win of his career, there might be more value in some of the side markets this time around.
The Top-10 Most Backed Players At The Masters 2024...
1. Scottie Scheffler - 8%
2. Hideki Matsuyama - 6.3%
3. Rory McIlroy - 4.9%
4. Will Zalatoris - 4%
5. Xander Schauffele - 3.8%
6. Joaquin Niemann - 3.5%
7. Brooks Koepka - 3.5%
8. Wyndham Clark - 3.3%
9. Ludvig Aberg - 2.9%
10. Shane Lowry - 2.8%
-
Fourteen FRZ Wedge Review -
‘From The First Weekend In April Until About Last Week, You Didn’t Want To Be Around Me. It Drove Me Nuts. It Ate At Me. I Haven’t Been Happy. It’s Been Very Irritating’ – Brooks Koepka Opens Up On Recent Major StrugglesBrooks Koepka opened up on the frustrations of some poor recent Major performances after bouncing back in the first round of the US Open
-
I'm Thrilled For Rory McIlroy But Gutted For Class Act Justin Rose... I'd Love Him To Win Another MajorJustin Rose pushed Rory McIlroy all the way in The Masters, and while I am super impressed by the Career Grand Slam, part of me is hurting for the Englishman...
-
How Many Majors Will Masters Champion Rory McIlroy Win In His Career... And Which Is Next?Rory McIlroy completed the Career Grand Slam in dramatic fashion at The Masters, but how many Majors could he go on to win in his career (and which comes next)?
-
Was Rory McIlroy's Epic Masters Win The Greatest Major Of All Time?Rory McIlroy winning The Masters and completing the Career Grand Slam was the perfect finish to an amazing tournament... but was it the most dramatic ever?
-
If Bryson DeChambeau Wins The Masters Today, Will He Eclipse Scottie Scheffler As Golf's Shining Star?Bryson DeChambeau heads into the final round at The Masters with a chance to win a third Major, which I believe would firmly cement him as golf's new poster boy
-
Dear Masters Tournament Committee: Please Change The Final-Round Pin Positions On 16 And 18The back nine at Augusta National on Masters Sunday is scintillating, but I’ve been campaigning for different pin positions on 16 and 18 for years...
-
Would A Rory McIlroy Implosion At The Masters Be His Worst Defeat Ever?Rory McIlroy stormed into the lead with a record breaking front nine on Saturday at Augusta National, but his turbulence in Major Championships makes me nervous
-
Does Television Commentary Improve The Masters Viewing Experience? I Can Name 5 Different Ways I'd Rather Immerse Myself In The ActionWatching The Masters on TV is an annual tradition for many golfers, but does the commentary improve the experience? I can think of five better alternatives...
-
I Asked AI To Predict The Top-10 Finishers At The Masters...AI has already helped me to pick the outright winner of The Masters, so I decided to task it with finding some top-10 finish picks in time for the weekend...
