Tiger Woods won’t be at Augusta for the 2016 Masters Tournament, but there will still be plenty of big names competing for the green jacket. Jason Day (+650), Jordan Spieth (+800) and Rory McIlroy (+800) are the main favorites for the event and are the only players inside of 10/1.
A lot of people are looking at Day and Spieth as the best bets for this event. It’s easy to see why as that tandem has combined to win three of the last four majors. Day is the favorite because he’s been as good as anyone to start the 2016 campaign. The Australian has won back-to-back tournaments and appears to be in stride heading into the Masters.
As for Spieth, the opposite holds true and the skeptics are out in full force. He hasn’t looked as sharp of late, missing the cut at the Northern Trust Open in February and nearly missing another in recent weeks. As much as he denies it, all signs have pointed to a recent slump.
That leaves McIlroy as the last of the big three, but many bettors are wondering what to expect from him. He finished fourth last week at the WGC Match Play and placed third at the WGC-Cadillac on March 3, but he’s also finished outside of the Top 10 in every other event this year.
There should be some value outside of the top three – especially with someone like Bubba Watson (+1000). He’s won twice this year already along with a second-place result in his eight starts. Another lefty – Phil Mickelson (+1800) – is typically competitive at Augusta as he has won it three times while registering 12 other Top 10 results.
Adam Scott (+1200) is someone who could be overlooked heading into the Masters as he’s fifth in line according to the odds but he currently leads the 2016 FedEx Cup standings. He’s won (twice) or placed second in three of his last five tournaments, so he’s clearly in good form.
Rickie Fowler (+1600) will be another popular choice but he doesn’t have a great track record at Augusta. He’s finished 38th, 27th, 38th, fifth and 12th over the last five years. However, he has been playing really well this year with Top 10’s in six of his last eight tournaments.
Some other names among the frontrunners include Dustin Johnson (+1600), Henrik Stenson (+2200) and Justin Rose (+2500).