2016 Masters Odds and Preview

2016 Masters Odds and Preview

The 2016 Masters will be the 80th playing of this prestigious tournament, and takes place from April 7-10 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Below shows recent winners since 2010:

And below shows how odds have moved for the 2016 Masters at square sportsbook Bovada:

Obviously odds from a square book like Bovada won’t tell you who the big money is on, but it definitely helps to see which golfers square bettors like, and those are usually the players to avoid.

Over at William Hill sportsbook in Nevada, there’s little surprise as to who the most wagered-on golfers have been thus far:

Over at Westgate Sportsbook in Nevada, it’s a similar story with Spieth getting a ton of money wagered to win it.

Despite Spieth getting the majority of dollars for The Masters, it appears that sharper bettors don’t like his chances as much to win a major this season. Bettors also aren’t as high on Rory McIlroy or Jason Day, despite being the top three favorites heading into this tournament. Below shows the odds movement at William Hill from October to February on winning exactly 0 majors this year:

Odds since October on winning 0 golf majors this year (via @WilliamHillUS)

Spieth +100 to -110
McIlroy -150 to -160
Day -240 to -280

— Sports Insights (@SportsInsights) February 20, 2016

And below shows even more movement from October to April on winning exactly 0 majors this year:

Bettors @WilliamHillUS are bullish on Spieth (+100 to -175), McIlroy (-150 to -190) and Day (-240 to -260) to NOT win a major this year.

— Sports Insights (@SportsInsights) April 4, 2016

This could bode well for bettors who like some bigger longshots to win a major this year, and we’ll be taking our shot with some value picks for The Masters once again this year.

Dan McGuire, Operations Manager (Henrik Stenson +3000): I’ve been guilty of taking Stenson a few times in recent years to win a major and although he hasn’t won the big one yet, he’s had four Top-5 finishes in the last 3 years. The beauty about betting futures is the hedging opportunities so despite not winning a major, Stenson has provided backers with chances to hedge on another player to win. He’s playing very well again this year and coming off a 3rd place and 2nd place finish in his last two tournaments. He has the ability to win a major and this year should be his time.

Mark Gallant, Sports Info Specialist (Justin Rose +2800): At those odds, Justin Rose has great value for a player with his track record at Augusta. In ten Masters appearances, Rose has three Top-10 and five Top-15 finishes, highlighted by last year’s tie with Phil Mickelson for second place. With Jason Day potentially dealing with some back pain after it flared up during his recent WGC Match Play victory and Jordan Spieth’s stretch of inconsistent play, Rose has an opportunity to win his second major, but more importantly, wear the green jacket for his first time.

Travis Reed, Bet Labs Manager (Hideki Matsuyama +3500):  Matsuyama quietly ended with a Top-5 finish at Augusta in 2015 and I think he is in a good position to win the Masters this year.  Although he doesn’t have a major win in his career, he has finished in the Top-20 in all four majors and has the game to give you a chance on Sunday.  Prior to the Match Play Championship last week, Hideki finished with tied for 6th in Arnold Palmer’s tournament and earlier this season won a playoff against Rickie Fowler to claim his second career PGA title.  Matsuyama has been in good form recently and has the calm nerves to improve on his finish last year.

Looking for your own value plays and picks? Our friends over at FantasyLabs.com have recently added Golf/PGA so you can start using their developed player tools.

Are there any value picks that you like? Will Sergio Garcia find that elusive first major title? Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments in the space below.