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Carrie Stroup here with your 2012 Masters betting preview and all the latest odds, all of which can be found here at Sportsbook.com (updated after each day’s play). Claim up to $250 in FREE CASH when you open an online betting account today.
Sportsbook.com The Masters Preview
At least going into the 76th edition of The Masters, order seems to have been restored to the Tour. Tiger Woods is a winner again, and he and Rory McIlroy appear to be a cut above the rest of the golfing world, with Phil Mickelson not too far behind. But a year ago it was McIlroy who was poised to cruise to a title heading into Sunday, only to fall apart and open up an eight-way free-for-all (Charl Schwartzel closed out the title with four consecutive birdies). With that in mind, here’s a look at the best bets to don the green jacket on Sunday…
Bo Van Pelt (80/1): Scoring on the Par 5’s is always a key at Augusta, and Van Pelt eagled two of them on Sunday last year, catapulting him to a T8 finish. He’s gone top-10 four times this year, tied for most on the Tour, and leads in putting (1.115 strokes gained). At 80-to-1, he’s as good a value as you’re going to get.
Rory McIlroy (5/1): There’s no doubt he has some demons to conquer after last year’s collapse. But McIlroy dominated for 63 holes a year ago, and he seemed to have beaten any jitters in cruising to a U.S. Open title two months later. He’s gone top-5 in 12 of his past 13 starts on the Tour and elsewhere. He, not Tiger, should be considered the favorite this week, making McIlroy a nice value at 5-to-1.
Jason Day (40/1): He came up two strokes short in his Masters debut a year ago, highlighted by a second-round 64. Day started slow in 2012, but he’s gone top-20 in each of his past two starts.
Phil Mickelson (8/1): The three-time champ at Augusta, Mickelson seems to have found a fountain of youth this year. Over the past two months he’s posted three top-5’s, including a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T4 at last week’s Shell Houston Open. He’s currently second on the Tour in putting (.828 strokes gained).
Tiger Woods (7/2): Was his five-stroke win at Bay Hill two weeks ago the signal that Tiger is back on top? Possibly. Maybe even probably. But the payout is meager for a guy who has one win in two years, even if Woods does have four green jackets.
Angel Cabrera (80/1): The 2009 champ was back in the running a year ago, playing in the final pairing on Sunday before fading to a seventh-place finish. Considering he’s been playing solid coming into this week, 80-to-1 is a bargain.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
