Masters Odds 2020: Locating Top Vegas Bets in Thursday's Field
The Masters flipped roles from the first marquee event on the golf calendar to the last in 2020.
On Thursday, the world's best golfers will try to cap their respective years by earning the green jacket at Augusta National Golf Club.
Most of the pre-tournament chatter has involved favorite Bryson DeChambeau in some capacity, but it may take a round or two for his dominance to show on the leaderboard—if that is what happens.
The opening round could produce a handful of low scores. DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka led the 2019 Masters after 18 holes at six under.
Picking out a first-round leader is a difficult task, and for some tournaments it can be complete guesswork. But familiarity with the course may shine through—at least for 18 holes.
Tiger Woods is one of the golfers most familiar with the course, but based off his 2020 form, he could end up closer to the bottom of the leaderboard than the top.
Jordan Spieth 1st-Round Leader (+4500)
Trusting Jordan Spieth to put together four rounds of top-notch golf is a tough feeling to get behind.
However, it is worth taking a flier on him to have success in a single round, like he did in the first round at Augusta in 2018. Two years ago, Spieth carded an opening-round 66, which was followed by a second-round 74. The roller coaster set of rounds was completed with a Sunday 64. Spieth also produced a first-round 66 at Augusta in 2016.
In 2019, Spieth carded first-round 69s at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and he used the early low score at the latter to land a tie for third. That is the lone top-15 major finish Spieth has earned in the past two years, which is why it's hard to trust him to perform well for 72 holes.
If he puts together a strong 18-hole performance, like he has done in the past, Spieth could top the leaderboard for at least one day at Augusta. Were that to occur, Spieth could try to bank off the confidence gained from that outing to contend for the green jacket.
But until we do not see both extremes of Spieth's game at each major, it is easier to trust him for an 18-hole outburst. Given his track record at Augusta, the +4500 (bet $100 to win $4500) price to lead after the first round feels like it has value.
Shane Lowry (+120) over Tiger Woods
Woods may be the most popular golfer to fade at Augusta this year.
The reigning Masters champion has not played well since winning his 15th major title with three missed cuts, a tie for 21st and a tie for 37th at five majors. Woods has a single opening-round score below 70 in that span, and he turned in a 73 to kick off September's U.S. Open.
One of Woods' playing partners, Shane Lowry, shot a 68 to start the 2020 PGA Championship and used a 67 to kick off his title run at The Open last year. The one-time major winner enters Augusta in much better form than Woods, as he took a tie for 11th at the Houston Open earlier in November with four consecutive rounds in the 60s.
Woods produced a single round below 71 in his most recent start at the Zozo Championship. He turned in a first-round 76 and final-round 74.
With Woods trending in the wrong direction, it is worth taking a shot at Lowry to beat him in the first-round matchup.
Lowry comes at a decent price to beat out the 15-time major winner Thursday, and he may be able to use a fast start to work on a possible run to the top of the leaderboard. He has two top-10 finishes in his past five major appearances.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from PGATour.com. Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
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