The Masters

The season's first major is finally upon us.  Cue the superlatives.  Gather round as Jim Nantz waxes poetically about the majesty and splendor of the azaleas that line Augusta National.  You know you're just dying to see Joe Ford thank us for watching "The Masters."

The Masters is to golf as the Super Bowl is to football.  This is the best week in golf.  Augusta National is one of the premiere courses in all the world.  The Alister McKenzie design has withstood the test of time and this week, the best players in the world will walk the brainchild of Bobby Jones.

What makes The Masters so unique is that the viewers watching golf at home know the holes as well
as the patrons walking the grounds and the players on the course.  You already know that the tournament doesn't start until the Back-9 on Sunday.  You know that Amen Corner is 11-12-13.  You know the Par 5's on 13 and 15 are going to have an impact on who puts on the green jacket.  Familiarity doesn't breed contempt - it breads a nostalgic craze that has built The Masters into the premiere golf tournament in the world.

And who does Vegas think is going to capture the first major of the year?  Well the names at the top probably don't surprise you.  Rory McIlroy has played the best golf of anyone on the PGA Tour this year.  He won The Players back in March and is the current betting favorite to win The Masters - which would complete the career grand slam for Rory before his 30th birthday.

Brooks Koepka, winner of 2 of the last 3 major championships is an 18/1 favorite - below Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods who have not won this year.  Spieth especially has struggled in 2019 but Vegas, like many who follow the tournament, knows that this is a "horses for courses" venue and that the same names seem to find their way to the top of the leaderboard year in and year out.

So who are some of the players that might find their way to Butler Cabin on Sunday night who aren't on that list?  Well in addition to Rickie Fowler who is also at 18/1, here are a handful of players who could make you a pretty penny if you found your way to the desert before Thursday.

Matt Kuchar has played solid golf all year and has a couple of wins in in the 2018-19 PGA Tour season.  He also has played very well at Augusta National in the past and at 45/1 would net a nice payday.  Same for Charley Hoffman.  While he hasn't played stellar golf this year, he has a great record at Augusta National and fetches odds of 100/1.

So who do we think is going to win the 2019 Masters?  Same guy that almost everyone is picking: