Given his run of success leading up to the 2024 Masters, it's not surprising to see Scottie Scheffler's name at the top of odds boards -- but how big of a favorite he is harkens back to the days when Tiger Woods was in his prime.
At +460, per ESPN BET, Scheffler has the shortest odds to win the Masters since Woods in 2013 (+350) and the shortest odds to win any major since Woods at the 2013 PGA Championship (+400). When excluding Woods, Scheffler's odds are the shortest at The Masters since Greg Norman in 1989 (+400) and at any major since Nick Faldo at the 1990 PGA Championship (+400), per ESPN Stats & Information research.
Additionally, Scheffler is the only golfer in the 2024 field to have minus-money odds to finish in the top 10 (-195) and one of only two players above -1000 to make the cut (-2500, Xander Schauffele is -1100).
Despite the extremely short odds, Scheffler is a very popular play among the betting public, racking up the most tickets and handle at ESPN BET, BetMGM, DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbook; FanDuel reports that Scheffler has the largest handle, but only the third-most tickets.
"Scottie runs a lot of public money because of all the golf press, so it helps us out that he comes out so short. Pricing is pretty easy because he normally comes in with a full head of steam," Caesars golf trader Anthony Salleroli told ESPN. "When the public starts getting on him and the tickets get into double-digit percentages, that's where you run into liability issues."
Indeed, Scheffler has a whopping 22% of the handle to win at ESPN BET, which is the most of any sportsbook reporting to ESPN; all of the other books reporting also have double-digit percentages on his handle.
While Scheffler's betting action is riding his current wave of popularity, the phenom he's often compared to is attracting action all his own, even at seemingly insurmountable odds.
At ESPN BET, Woods has compiled the third-most bets (7.5%) and the fifth-most handle (6%) despite his 80-1 odds being tied with his 2023 odds as the longest he's ever had at Augusta; other books have Woods odds well into the 100s, with FanDuel's 150-1 representing the longest across the market.
"He's actually our top liability again," DraftKings director of sportsbook and race operations Johnny Avello told ESPN. "I guess people just can't stop getting enough of Tiger."
"Tiger is Tiger, he will always drive interest and garner support from fans given his enormous popularity," says ESPN BET head of sportsbook Patrick Jay, who adds that the book is offering specials on Woods "to provide more ways to engage and follow him throughout the tournament."
Because the chances of Woods donning a new green jacket again are inherently slim, bettors are leaning into these specials, as well as other props. Salleroli says bettors will wager on Tiger "any way they can get him," but that To Make The Cut is probably the most "realistic" option.
"He's actually our top liability again. I guess people just can't stop getting enough of Tiger." DraftKings director of sportsbook and race operations Johnny Avello
ESPN BET reports that 67% of all To Make The Cut bets across the entire field are on Woods, with BetMGM and DraftKings also reporting him as their top attraction for the prop bet; Woods also has a robust presence in top 20 markets at multiple sportsbooks.
One other name to watch as the Masters tees off is Brooks Koepka.
The reigning PGA Championship winner, who has been playing away from the spotlight with LIV Golf, is the second-most-popular public play to win the tournament at most of the sportsbooks, including at ESPN BET (14-1), where he has 9% of the bets and 11% of the handle and is also the most-bet golfer in the field to finish in the top 10 (+210). At FanDuel, Koepka (20-1) is the most popular option to win by bets.
Koepka's colleague at LIV and the reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm enters with 12-1 odds, but just 4% of the bets to win it all, per ESPN BET.