2020 Masters: Odds to Win and Betting Preview

The Masters is the pinnacle of the golfing calendar, and the 2020 edition of the most famous golf tournament in the world will have a different look this time around. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed from its initial start date in early April. As a result, the new date for the Masters is from November 12-15, 2020.

To put into perspective how unique a fall Masters is going to be, keep this in mind: the Masters has been played 83 times since the inaugural event in 1934 and finished in April 82 times.

The only Masters that didn’t was the first one, which ended in late March. The tournament was canceled from 1943 to 1945 because of the Second World War.

To find out all the ways you can bet on the Masters, we have you covered.

When and Where is the Masters?

2020 Masters Odds

Odds as of September 25 at Bovada

Past 10 Masters Winners

2019 Masters Was One for the Books

The Masters features the smallest field of the four major tournaments, so even getting an invite to tee it up in Georgia is quite the accomplishment in itself. Woods pulled off potentially the best feel-good sports story of the year in 2019, edging out Johnson, Schauffele and Koepka to win by a single stroke on Sunday.

The victory was Woods’ first major win since the 2008 U.S. Open and moved him three back of Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record of 18 titles.

Past champions have a lifelong standing invite back to the prestigious event, and 19 previous winners at Augusta are committed to playing in the Peach State. Of the bunch, Vijay Singh (+75000), Trevor Immelman (+50000), Freddie Couples (+50000) and Bernhard Langer (+50000) have the longest odds at the sportsbook.

An Invite to Augusta National is Tough to Get

Aside from past champs, the invite-only field also features the last five winners from the other three majors, along with the past three Players Championship victors, the top two finishers in the 2019 U.S. Amateur, the winner of the 2019 Amateur Championship, the winner of the 2019 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, the winner of the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur and the winner of the 2020 Latin America Amateur Championship.

The top 12 finishers and ties from the previous year’s Masters, as well as the top four placements and ties in the other three majors, also get invites to Augusta National.

Winning on the PGA Tour in tournaments that award a full-point allocation for the FedExCup between the 2019 Masters and the 2020 Masters will book you a ticket here, in addition to qualifying for the 2019 Tour Championship and finishing in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking list.

COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of the 2020 Open Championship, but the PGA Championship went off without a hitch in early August and the U.S. Open is slated to go on in September.

Masters Trends

Woods’ triumph here a year ago bucked the trend on a youth movement that had seen each of the prior 13 Masters champions winning under the age of 40. Every winner in the last 13 years had participated in at least one Masters, so betting on a rookie to go all the way is a risky endeavor.

Woods always draws plenty of action at sportsbooks whenever he plays due to his diehard following, but with Eldrick set to defend his title, the number of bets placed on him will likely be the highest it’s been in years. After all, nobody has won back-to-back Masters since Woods accomplished the feat in 2001 and 2002.

Since its inception in 1934, there has been at least one hole-in-one in 22 Masters (1934, 1935, 1940, 1947, 1949, 1954, 1959, 1968, 1972, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019). Bryson DeChambeau recorded the first ace of his professional career here a year ago on the par-3 16th hole on the final round.

Why is the Masters So Unique?

Make no mistake, the Masters is undoubtedly the biggest golf tournament in the world. Due to its prestige, winning the Masters is the greatest individual achievement a golfer can accomplish.

There is one significant edge to keep in mind about the Masters. The tournament is the only major that does not change its setting every year. Augusta National has always been the only course to host the Masters, meaning players who have a good track record at the venue are much more reliable.

There have been some changes to Augusta over the years, but the course has been played essentially the same since the 1970s.

Don’t Forget About the Props

Props are arguably the most fun form of golf betting, and there’s no shortage of props available at sportsbooks for the Masters.

The variety of props can include the winner’s nationality, whether or not there will be a hole-in-one, how many players will finish under par to what color T-shirt the eventual champion will wear on Sunday.

You can find significant value in props, so while they’re meant to be fun, they’re also an excellent way to make some money. One of the most lucrative props is to bet on a specific player to either make or miss the cut.

Let’s say Player A has missed the cut at the Masters in six straight years. If Player A is getting set to tee it up at Augusta National for the seventh straight year and you can get odds on him to miss the cut in plus money, that seems like a wise wager.

These pages will help you handicap your golf bets: