An honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. Certainly an admirable, honorable approach to clocking dollars. However, it’s not the route I prefer. My sentiment is more along the lines of money won is twice as sweet as money earned. Now I’d love to take credit for that philosophy, but The Color of Money’s Fast Eddie Felson (played brilliantly by Paul Newman) and the screenwriter who put the words in his mouth (Richard Price) beat me to it.
If you’re a golfer (and if you’re reading this, I’ll bet my prized John Daly “Let The Big Dog Eat” Speedo that you are), chances are sky high that you also subscribe to that mindset. After all, golfers will bet on anything. Longest drive, closest to the pin, duration of intercourse between two squirrels boinking in a tree above the tee box — don’t deny it, if there’s any action to be had, golfers will find it. That’s why it should come as no surprise that golf has more gambling games associated with it than poker. Crazy, right?
What’s even crazier is the wagering that’s currently available OFF the golf course. There was a time in our not-so-distant past when placing a wager (legally) required the bettor in question to go to Las Vegas or Europe, or put their faith (and potentially their ability to walk) in some backroom bookie named Big Al.
For years, Las Vegas dominated the American sports betting scene, and places like Ladbrokes in London (dating back to the late-1800s) would allow you to bet on anything you wanted — from elections, to talent and singing competitions, to any sporting event in the world. Hell, if you could come up with a scenario — so long as it was verifiable as legit and not some easy-to-rig contest — more often than not, Ladbrokes would give you odds. One of the most famous of these so-called “impossible wagers” was the bet a woman made on Elvis Presley returning to Earth on a UFO and hitting the Loch Ness Monster. Another variation of this bet had Elvis riding a comet. As you can imagine, odds for the wager were ridiculous bordering on the absurd, but that didn’t stop her from placing 100-pounds Sterling on it happening. Rest assured, if it comes to pass, she’ll be a billionaire. But for the time being, she’s got a funky slip of paper that’s suitable for wall art.
With the age of the internet, a whole new arena of “legal” betting was ushered in. I put “legal” in quotes because it’s technically illegal to engage in, although that hasn’t stopped millions of people from taking part. Not only is it almost impossible to enforce (and also regulate), but because online and casinos operate virtually, citing specific laws they violate is difficult (if not impossible) to prove.
For bettors who like to wager on golf, this has been a dream come true. Not only can you bet on your favorite player in any event, on any tour, but for the bigger events, and especially the four annual majors, you can choose from an endless number of prop bets, which makes watching those events even more exciting.
How many chip-ins will Phil Mickelson have? Over/under on Dustin Johnson driving the greens of par-4s? Will Ian Poulter have a meltdown? Will Patrick Reed cheat? How many eagles will Bryson DeChambeau make? Hole-in-ones for Tiger Woods? Will Jordan Spieth fight with his caddy? How many spectators will get hit with errant shots? With so many online casinos to choose from, and an endless array of prop bets, even the most obscure action will have odds assigned to it.
The year’s final major — The Masters — will give prospective bettors the opportunity to wager on what many believe is the greatest professional golf tournament. The following odds are current as of this writing and available for betting at virtually every major online sportsbook.
ODDS TO WIN THE 2020 MASTERS
For reference, a winning $100 bet on Bryson DeChambeau would return $900.
Bryson Dechambeau+800
Rory McIlroy+1000
Dustin Johnson+1200
Jon Rahm+1200
Justin Thomas+1400
Xander Schauffele+1600
Brooks Koepka+1800
Tiger Woods+2000
Collin Morikawa+2800
Matthew Wolff+2800
Patrick Cantlay+2800
Patrick Reed+2800
Webb Simpson+2800
Hideki Matsuyama+3300
Tommy Fleetwood+3300
Tony Finau+3300
Adam Scott+4000
Bubba Watson+4000
Jason Day+4000
Jordan Spieth+4000
Tyrrell Hatton+4000
Louis Oosthuizen+5000
Paul Casey+5000
Rickie Fowler+5000
Sergio Garcia+5000
Justin Rose+6600
Phil Mickelson+6600
Scottie Scheffler+6600
Sung-Jae Im+6600
Abraham Ancer+8000
Gary Woodland+8000
Matthew Fitzpatrick+8000
Shane Lowry+8000
Lee Westwood+10000
Matt Kuchar+10000
Bernd Wiesberger+12500
Brandt Snedeker+12500
Brendon Todd+12500
Cameron Champ+12500
Cameron Smith+12500
Danny Willett+12500
Francesco Molinari+12500
Henrik Stenson+12500
Ian Poulter+12500
Joaquin Niemann+12500
Kevin Kisner+12500
Marc Leishman+12500
Si Woo Kim+12500
Adam Hadwin+15000
Billy Horschel+15000
Byeong-Hun An+15000
Charl Schwartzel+15000
Charles Howell III+15000
Correy Conners+15000
Erik Van Rooyen+15000
Graeme McDowell+15000
Matt Wallace+15000
Rafael Cabrera Bello+15000
Chez Reavie+20000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout+20000
Kevin Na+20000
Lanto Griffin+20000
Max Homa+20000
Victor Perez+20000
Zach Johnson+20000
Dylan Frittelli+25000
J.T. Poston+25000
Jason Kokrak+25000
Jazz Janewattananond+25000
Justin Harding+25000
Lucas Glover+25000
Nick Taylor+25000
Sebastian Munoz+25000
Andrew Putnam+30000
Jimmy Walker+30000
Shugo Imahira+30000
Sung Kang+30000
Andrew Landry+40000
C T Pan+40000
Bernhard Langer+50000
Fred Couples+50000
Nate Lashley+50000
Tyler Duncan+50000
Yuxin Lin+75000
Angel Cabrera+100000
John Augenstein+100000
Mike Weir+100000
Trevor Immelman+100000
Vijay Singh+100000
Andy Ogletree+150000
Abel Gallegos+200000
James Sugrue+200000
Jose Maria Olazabal+200000
Larry Mize+200000
Lukas Michel+200000
Sandy Lyle+200000
2020 MASTERS PROPS
Will Gary Player’s ceremonial tee shot hit the fairway?
YES -375
NO +275
Will Jack Nicklaus’ ceremonial tee shot hit the fairway?
YES -300
NO +240
Will the 54-hole leader go on to win?
YES -115
NO -115
Will an albatross be registered in the tournament?
YES +1000
NO -2000
Will anyone record all four rounds in the 60s?
YES +1400
NO -4000
Caddie’s cut of the winner’s purse
OVER 10 percent -115
UNDER 10 percent -115
Cut line
OVER 148.5 strokes -105
UNDER 148.5 strokes -125
First hug from winner (excluding caddie)
Wife/girlfriend +160
Child +225
Wife/girlfriend holding child +325
Parent +650
No hug +750
Will the flag stick be left in for the winner’s final putt?
YES +1000
NO -2000
Headwear worn by winner
Hat/cap -1800
Visor +1000
No headwear +3300
Highest 18-hole score
OVER 84.5 strokes +115
UNDER 84.5 strokes -145
Will there be a hole-in-one?
YES -125
NO -105
Leading score after Round 1
OVER 65.5 strokes -125
UNDER 65.5 strokes -105
Length of winner’s final shot
OVER 3.5 feet +115
UNDER 3.5 feet -145
Lowest 18-hole score
OVER 65 strokes -105
UNDER 65 strokes -125
Most strokes recorded on any hole
OVER 9 strokes -115
UNDER 9 strokes -115
Will there be a new course record (62 or lower)?
YES +1400
NO -4000
Number of players finishing under par
OVER 17.5 +105
UNDER 17.5 -135
Will there be a playoff?
YES +300
NO -400
Will there be a playoff featuring three or more players?
YES +1200
NO -3300
Will a player be disqualified?
YES +600
NO -1000
Will a player benefit from backstopping?
YES +750
NO -1500
Will A rookie win the masters?
YES +1000
NO -2000
Will There be a hole-in-one in the first round?
YES +700
NO -1250
Will a left-handed player win?
YES +1200
NO -3300
What will the winner’s score on the 72nd hole be?
Par -180
Other +150
Winning 72nd hole score
OVER 276.5 +105
UNDER 276.5 -135
Winning margin
Exactly one shot +250
Playoff needed to determine winner +300
Four shots or more +325
Exactly two shots +350
Exactly three shots +450
Will there be a wire-to-wire winner?
YES +1000
NO -2000
2020 MASTERS TIGER PROPS
Lowest completed round for Tiger
OVER 68.5 strokes +100
UNDER 68.5 strokes -130
Total bogeys or worse from Tiger
OVER 11.5 holes -130
UNDER 11.5 holes +100
First Hole score in Round 1 for Tiger
Par -250
Bogey or worse +275
Birdie or better +550
Will Tiger Birdie the first hole and win the Masters?
YES +5000
NO (no odds)
Will Tiger Hit the fairway with his tee shot in Round 1?
YES -160
NO +130
What will Tiger’s Round 1 score be?
OVER 72 strokes +115
UNDER 72 strokes -135
Will Tiger be spotted kicking a golf club?
YES +2000
NO -6600
Will Tiger birdie hole No. 8 on all four days?
YES +1800
NO -5000
Will Tiger birdie the opening hole in Round 1?
YES +550
NO -900
Will Tiger go in the water on hole No. 12?
YES +220
NO -280
Will Tiger finish in the Top 10?
YES +160
NO -195
Will Tiger finish In the Top 20?
YES -120
NO -110
Will Tiger finish in the Top Five?
YES +350
NO -500
Will Tiger go bogey-free in any round?
YES +600
NO -1000
Will Tiger lead after Round 1?
YES +2200
NO -10000
Will Tiger lead after Round 3?
YES -2000
NO +6600
Will Tiger make an eagle?
YES +100
NO -130
Will Tiger make the cut?
YES -500
NO +350
Will Tiger record a wire-to-wire victory?
YES +3300
NO -100000
Will Tiger wear a pink polo shirt in Round 1?
YES +300
NO -400
Will Tiger win the Masters?
YES +1200
NO -3300
Will Tiger withdraw from the tournament?
YES +800
NO -1500
Good luck out there, Sticks and Hacks.
