It’s the start of April, so it’s almost time for the first golf major championship of the year. Yes, folks, it’s that time again. It’s Augusta, it’s the 2023 Masters, and here we look ahead to a competition that looks set to be spicier than ever with our free golf betting picks.
There will be 88 players lining up to play the 2023 Masters at Augusta this year, 18 of which will be from LIV Golf. As things stand, the LIV players are still banned from the PGA Tour but are eligible to play in the four major championships. And there is still plenty of animosity between players on the PGA Tour and the LIV players!
If further fuel were required to increase the flames, then Greg Norman (the public face fronting LIV) has supplied it. Norman has stated that if one of his breakaway tour players wins the Masters, all 18 LIV players could celebrate the win as one.
It’s fair to say Norman’s comments aren’t helpful, as the arguments between the PGA and LIV are still ongoing, and this week they will no doubt come to the fore again. Rory McIlroy, in particular, has been an outspoken critic of the breakaway your. But after a disappointing performance at TPS Sawgrass last month, even McIlroy seems to have had enough of the arguments.
On the back of his missed cut at The Players Championship, McIlroy said, “I’d love to get back to being a golfer,” in reference to his seemingly continuous fight with LIV. After all, playing golf is his job. But lately, McIlroy must have felt more like a politician than a golfer.
Despite this, McIlroy is still the joint favorite to win the tournament at Augusta. Along with defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, both players are just +750 to win. The two men are also World No.1 and 2. Scheffler currently leads the way, but McIlroy isn’t far behind.
Still threatening to gatecrash the leading two is Spain’s, Jon Rahm. Rahm is also the third favorite, at +1100. Those three are the outstanding favorites heading into the opening round on Thursday.
There is then a gap in the Vegas golf odds before we get to resurgent Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay at +1800. The duo is ahead of Justin Thomas at +2200. The highest LIV golfer in the betting is Cameron Smith. The Australian is +2500. This seems a bit long considering he is the World No. 6. But this could be in part down to the recent chatter that the LIV golfers are rusty, having only played three events this year.
More odds can be found below in our US Master odds table. These odds are from the best golf betting websites, and you can find more information about them at our Las Vegas sportsbooks reviews page. We also have a helpful golf US Masters Vegas odds page that has all the information you need to know for betting on this high-profile event.
| Betting to win 2023 Masters |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Jon Rahm | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Jordan Spieth | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Justin Thomas | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Cameron Smith | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Tony Finau | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Xander Schauffele | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Dustin Johnson | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Collin Morikawa | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Jason Day | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Max Homa | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Cameron Young | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Sam Burns | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Brooks Koepka | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Sungjae Im | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Will Zalatoris | +4500 | +4500 | +4500 |
| Viktor Hovland | +4500 | +4500 | +4500 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Corey Connors | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +5500 | +5500 | +5500 |
Right now it’s time for our 2023 Masters betting picks. And as is usually the case in golf, we are hedging our bets with a good selection of value picks.
To start with, let’s be honest. Either Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler could easily walk off with the winner’s Green Jacket this week. But are either worth backing at +750? Probably not. If you can get on either at +1100 in running, then maybe back them. As long as they aren’t too far behind, that is! But for now, we’re looking elsewhere.
And we’re starting with Jon Rahm. The Spaniard started the season in blistering form and briefly returned to the World No.1 ranking. Illness saw him pull out of the Players Championship, and in his only outing since, he failed to impress at the recent WGC Match Play.
But at odds of +1100, surely Rahm is worth a wager? He ended 2022 in great form, and started 2023 with back-to-back wins. If he can get anywhere near back to that form, at +1100, Rahm will give us a good run for our money.
Elsewhere, Jordan Spieth has had two top-four finishes in his last four events, which extends to three top-six finishes in his last six events. He has two top-three finishes at Augusta in his last five appearances here, but he did miss the cut 12 months ago.
Go back further, and when Spieth was really at his ruthless best, you can add two-second places, and one win, to his top three finishes at Augusta.
In recent weeks, Spieth has shown signs of a return to that ruthless best, although he obviously isn’t completely back at that exceptionally high level. Even so, we think he is in good enough form for a top-five finish at +350. If you’re feeling really bullish, then why not back him to win outright at +1800.
Finally, our outside pick this week is for Sungjae Im. The South Korean is in decent form, having picked up a T6 at the Players Championship last month. At +4000 we feel he’s worth a side wager. Or alternatively, he is +650 to finish in the top five.
