The 2024 Masters golf tournament is set to begin on Thursday, April 11, at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Reigning champion Jon Rahm is looking to become the first repeat champion since Tiger Woods in 2001-02.
Winning again this year would put the Spaniard into elite company, joining Englishman Nick Faldo (1989-90) as the only non-U.S. golfers to win back-to-back Masters. However, Rahm will face stiff competition from the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, who are the current favorites to win the tournament.
The Spaniard recently admitted to missing a lot more shots than he imagined during last year’s tournament, so he will hope he doesn’t have to cut it close this time around.
“What stood out to me is I had this image in my mind of how great I played all week, which I did,” Rahm said, “and then I watch the actual summary, and I couldn’t help to think, man, I missed a lot more shots than I thought I did. Which I guess is a good lesson to have in mind, right, not only that I could play better in theory, but the fact that there’s a mental lesson there.”
Betting Favorites For The 2024 PGA Masters
As noted above, Rahm is the third favorite to win this year’s tournament. The USA sports betting sites have him at +1300. You can check out the top 10 right below:
Scottie Scheffler +500
Rory McIlroy +1000
Jon Rahm +1300
Brooks Koepka +2100
Jordan Spieth +2100
Will Zalatoris +2100
Viktor Hovland +2100
Xander Schauffele +2400
Ludvig Aberg +2400
Patrick Cantlay +2800
SportsLine’s Prediction Model Is Gaining Ground
SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been on a mean streak since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. The model is up nearly $9,500 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.
The model has correctly predicted the winners of several tournaments, including Scottie Scheffler at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship this season, and even Jon Rahm’s victory at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express.
It has simulated the 2024 Masters tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. One major surprise is that Rory McIlroy, one of the co-favorites, fails to complete the career grand slam and barely cracks the top five at Augusta National. The world’s No. 2-ranked golfer has had a rough start to the season, with his highest finish through his first five starts being 19th at the Players Championship.
Putting has been an issue for McIlroy at the start of the season, as he previously ranked 129th in that area. While he has improved to 83rd on the PGA Tour, he is still 123rd in shots gained approaching the green. These factors have led the SportsLine model to be low on McIlroy.
Another surprise is that Patrick Cantlay, a 28-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. The 2020-21 PGA Tour Player of the Year has nine worldwide victories and is the No. 7 ranked player in the world. He was in fourth place heading into the final round of last year’s rain-soaked Masters before a tough Round 4 knocked him down to 14th.
Even with that, Cantlay has three top-20 finishes over his last five appearances at Augusta. This year, Cantlay has had three top-15 finishes over his five signature events, including a fourth place at the Genesis. He’s 11th in birdie or better conversion percentage and 21st in birdie average. The SportsLine model believes that Cantlay shouldn’t be overlooked for 2024 Masters bets.
A Look At The Favorite
Scottie Scheffler is the top pick to win the upcoming Masters golf tournament, according to the bookmakers. He has been in excellent form this season, winning two back-to-back events and finishing in the top 10 in seven of his eight tournaments.
However, he faces stiff competition from Rahm, the defending Masters champion, and McIlroy, who has never won the event but needs to do so to complete the career Grand Slam. Despite having missed the cut in two of the last three Masters, McIlroy finished second in the other, making him a strong contender.
Can Scheffler overcome the two stars to claim the competition’s green jacket? The oddsmakers seem to think he has it wrapped up.
