2016 PGA Masters Tournament Golf Betting Preview

Posted by Eric Williams on Tuesday,April 5, 2016 1:45, EDT in

With the 2016 PGA Master’s Tournament just under 48 hours from getting started, both, avid and casual golf betting buffs everywhere need to know whether or not one of the members of golf’s ‘Big Three’ will bring home the hardware at this year’s second major or whether a first-time champion will be crowned – again. Last year, Jordan Spieth became a first-time winner with a record-setting performance for the ages and now enters the 2016 Masters as the No. 1 overall favorite after crushing the Masters field, bagging the U.S. Open title, finishing second at the PGA Championship and fourth at the British Open.

Fellow ‘Big Three’ residents Rory McIlroy and Jason Day are tied as the No. 2 co-favorites while two-time winner Bubba Watson (2012, 2014) and 2013 winner Adam Scott are both offering identical +1200 odds. Last but not least, three-time winner Phil Mickelson ( 2004, 2006, 2010) and former World No. 1 Dustin Johnson are all offering big value as +1500 picks. Now, let’s get down to my predictions.

Betting Odds to win 2016 Masters Championship

  • Jason Day 13/2
  • Jordan Spieth 17/2
  • Rory McIlroy 17/2
  • Adam Scott 12/1
  • Bubba Watson 12/1
  • Dustin Johnson 15/1
  • Phil Mickelson 15/1
  • Rickie Fowler 15/1
  • Henrik Stenson 25/1
  • Louis Oosthuizen 25/1
  • Justin Rose 30/1
  • Brandt Snedeker 35/1
  • Charl Schwartzel 35/1
  • Hideki Matsuyama 45/1
  • Danny Willett 50/1
  • Patrick Reed 50/1
  • Sergio Garcia 50/1
  • Zach Johnson 50/1
  • Brooks Koepka 55/1
  • Matt Kuchar 65/1
  • Paul Casey 65/1

2016 PGA Master Championship Betting Analysis

Last year, Jordan Spieth had a meteoric rise from really good to great as he won the Masters and U.S. Open while finishing no worse than fourth at the year’s other two majors. Now, the 22-year-old is favored and he’ll almost certainly have a shot despite struggling recently. Currently ranked second in the PGA world rankings, Spieth started the year by winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with a dominant performance as he finished at an insane -30 to mark just the second time any PGA golfer finished at -30 or better in a 72-hole event. Spieth also equaled record set by Tiger Woods, winning his seventh PGA Tour event before the age of 23.

Nevertheless, Spieth hasn’t finished in the top 10 in any tournament since finishing second in Singapore while finishing no higher than 17th in his next four tournaments and missing the cut in the Northern Trust Open.

World No. 3 Rory McIlroy had struggled in his first four tournaments this year in finishing no better than 67th – until finishing fourth at the WGC-Dell Match Play. For me, McIlroy’s play of late makes him a bad bet in the 2016 Masters.

Right now, there’s not a golfer on the planet hotter than Australian native Jason Day, the current World No.1. Day finished the 2015 season by bringing home the hardware in four of the final seven tournaments he played in, while shooting a mind-boggling combined 39-under at the PGA Championship and The Barclays. Now, Day enters the 2016 Masters on fire after winning his last two tournaments at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the WGC-Dell Match Play title last week.

Outside of the Big Three, veteran Bubba Watson should have a chance after winning the last two ‘even-year’ Masters. The three players that I like most as value-packed picks that could win it all are Brandt Snedeker and Charl Schwartzel at +3500 and Hideki Matsuyama at a whopping +4500. Snedeker won the Farmers Open in January, Matsuyama bagged the title at the Waste Management Open the next month and Schwartzel took the title at the Valspar Championship in March.

I’m also waiting for American and current World No. 5 Rickie Fowler to make the slam breakthrough at some point in the near future – and possible right here. Fowler finished 12th in last year’s Masters and fifth in the 2014 Masters. Fowler also recorded a pair of second place finishes at the 2014 U.S. Open and 2014 British Open while finishing third in the 2014 PGA Championship.

In the end however, I’m going with Jason Day to bring home the 2016 Masters hardware!