2010 Masters- Betting Preview
This Thursday the 75th Masters Tournament gets underway from Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia. Golf’s first big event of the season features the smallest but most talented field of players of any of the four Major tournaments on the schedule.
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The pairings for the first two rounds will be released on Tuesday and you can rest assured there will be some interesting matchups in both the morning and afternoon sessions of golf’s most prestigious event. The main story lines for this year’s Masters will undoubtedly revolve around Phil Mickelson’s attempt to win a fourth Green Jacket after winning his third last season along with the ongoing comeback of Tiger Woods, who has not won a Major since the 2008 US Open. There are several young guns in the field that are poised to make a run at winning their first Major as well as some accomplished veterans that are out to prove they still have what it takes to contend at Augusta.
The following is a brief look at a couple of players that should be in the thick of things on the leader board come Sunday’s back nine along with their current odds to win this week as provided by Sportsbook.com
Mickelson’s three-shot victory this past weekend in the Shell Houston Open has cemented him as the odds-on-favorite at +550 to successfully defend his 2010 Masters’ title. While there is little doubt his game is at peak form coming into this year’s event, it will be a tall task to repeat as champion in light of the fact that Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods are the only players to accomplish this feat in the past 20 years. Betting against a man that has won here three previous times is not the smartest strategy in the world, but he offers little value at +550 given the degree of difficulty in nailing down back-to-back titles.
Despite the fact he has not won a tournament since 2009, Tiger Woods is the second favorite to win this week at +1000. Woods finished tied for 24th in his last outing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks ago. He has struggled with consistency both off the tee and on the greens, but he still commands some attention with four Masters’ titles to his credit including one in 2005. He is another guy you should be careful betting against, but the current state of Woods’ game does not instill the kind of past confidence you would normally have in his ability to win. Given the fact that his potential return gets driven down as a crowd favorite, the value invariable also gets sapped out of his +1000 odds.
Martin Kaymer comes into this year’s Masters as the current No.1 player in the World Rankings and at +1800 to win this week. His past two seasons have been highlighted by a victory in the 2010 PGA Championship, which earned him his first Major and a win in this year’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. His past track record at Augusta has not been anything to bank on after missing the cut all three times he has played here. Regardless of this fact, this 26-year old is the kind of young gun that could easily break through the pack this week, adding some solid value to his +1800 odds.
A high-profile player in search of his first victory in a Major is Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. He comes in at +2500 to win this week and could offer some solid value if you are looking for a moderate longshot to steal the show from the favorites. McIlroy has had opportunities to win a Major in the past with third-place finishes in the last two PGA Championships and a third-place finish in last year’s Open Championship. He finished 20th in his 2009 debut at Augusta, but failed to make the cut in last year’s tournament.
Compare Master odds from the top online sportsbooks to make the most out of your wagering dollar.
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