10 Golden Rules of Masters Betting

Ross Aylward
6 Apr 2009

1. Back the longer hitters. The course has been lengthened considerably in recent years, meaning it is now a long-hitters paradise, especially in wet weather. At the same time, those players with a high ball flight are at an advantage as they can land their iron shots 'softly' on the fast greens. It's no coincidence that Tiger Woods (9/4 Sportingbet) and Phil Mickelson (9/1 Victor Chandler) have excelled here.

2. Don't read anything into the result of Wednesday's par-3 competition. No winner has gone on to land the Masters in the same year.

3. Pay heed to the official world rankings. The winner has been ranked in the top 13 on the Official World Rankings in seventeen of the last 21 years. In which case, the 2009 winner will come from this lot:

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia (35/1 Totesport), Geoff Ogilvy (20/1 Ladbrokes), Padraig Harrington (18 Coral), Paul Casey (33/1 Stan James), Vijay Singh (66/1 William Hill), Henrik Stenson (45/1 bet365), Robert Karlsson (55/1 Victor Chandler), Camilo Villegas (50/1 Totesport), Kenny Perry (85/1 Totesport), Steve Stricker (80/1 Skybet) and Lee Westwood (60/1 bet365).

4. Don't back debutants in the outright market (the last winning one was Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979). The course takes plenty of knowing, so look to back players with a solid bank of good previous form at Augusta. That's a big negative for the likes of Rory McIlroy and Anthony Kim, 33/1 and 50/1 respectively with Blue Square.

5. Check the tee times when betting on the first round leader. Quite often, it’s an advantage to have an early start, especially if the breeze gets up in the afternoon.

6. Lay the first round leader. Trevor Immelman bucked a trend last year by becoming the first round one leader (joint with Justin Rose) to go on and wear the green jacket in 24 years, so it's tough to make all here.

7. Bet in-running. Betting once the competition has started can be lucrative and Tiger Woods has traded at bigger odds in-running for three of his four titles. Bear in mind that the easiest holes on the course are the par-5 13th and 15th, which offer genuine birdie / eagle chances. On the other hand, the stretch of holes known as Amen Corner (11th, 12th, and 13th) are very demanding. Therefore, if two players are on the same score, the one about to play the 14th is in far better shape than the one on the 11th.

8. Wait until Sunday before placing your bets. All bar one (Zach Johnson) of the last 18 winners have come from the final group!

9. Consider taking Tiger Woods out of the equation. Most bookmakers are offering betting ‘Without Woods’ this week, so you can still be on a ‘winner’ if your player finishes second to Tiger.

10. Finally, shop around for value and take advantage of enhanced place terms. This year, Paddy Power are offering 1/4 odds, SIX places!

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Tags: Anthony Kim,  Augusta,  Camilo Villegas,  Geoff Ogilvy,  Henrik Stenson,  Kenny Perry,  Lee Westwood,  Padraig Harrington,  Paul Casey,  Phil Mickelson,  Robert Karlsson,  Rory Mcilroy,  Sergio Garcia,  Steve Stricker,  The Masters,  Tiger Woods,  Trevor Immelman,  Vijay Singh,  Zach Johnson