2022 Masters Bets: Chalk, Value Picks, Odds and Predictions
In April, the first weekend brings golf fans The Masters, played at Augusta National in Georgia each year. It almost coincides with the start of the baseball season, giving sports fans the sense that summer and warmth are on the way.
The Masters has been played for 88 years, with 85 events. Jack Nicklaus won at Augusta six times while also finishing second in four other contests. Tigers Woods has five victories over 22 tournaments and seven other top 10 finishes.
Here is a look at the last five winners at Augusta and their betting odds:
- 2021 - Hideki Matsuyama (46/1)
- 2020 - Dustin Johnson (17/2)
- 2019 - Tiger Woods (14/1)
- 2018 - Patrick Reed (50/1)
- 2017 - Sergio Garcia (30/1)
The Masters typically has a short field, with a portion of the entrants made up of past winners. The cut after two rounds is 50 players plus ties.
SI Sportsbook has a complete list of odds for the 2022 Masters.
Chalk
Jon Rahm (+1000)
Rahm comes into this event as the better favorite, thanks to his recent success at Augusta (Over the past four years, Rahm finished 4th, 9th, 7th, and 5th at Augusta while posting a remarkable 37 strokes under par over 64 rounds). His last win gave Rahm his first major victory at the US Open in June 2021. He played at his best in the most significant events last season (Masters – 5th, PGA Championship – 8th, Open Championship – 3rd, and the Tour Championship – 2nd). His 2022 season started with six top 21 finishes, highlighted by a second, third, and tenth.
Justin Thomas (+1400)
A couple of years ago, Thomas was “my guy” to chase for a Masters title. Unfortunately, he came out flat in Augusta in 2021 (21st) while looking off over the summer while dealing with the loss of his grandfather. Thomas's hasn’t won since The Players Championship in 2021. In his six trips to the Masters, he made the cut each time while placing once in the top 10 (4th in 2020). Over his past 20 rounds at Augusta, Thomas is 20 under par. He has six top 10s over his previous nine tournaments.
Dustin Johnson (+1500)
In 2022, Johnson hasn’t been able to turn in four excellent rounds to win a golf tournament. Over his previous six stroke-play events in which he made the cut, Johnson played well on Sunday (66, 67, 67, 73, 63, and 69) in five events. His game looked improved at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship (4th). After two rounds in the Masters last season, Johnson bowed out after dominating the field in 2020 (-20). From 2015 and 2019, he finished in the top 10 each year (6th, 10th, 4th, and 2nd) while being forced to withdraw before the 2017 tournament due to a fall.
I get the sense that Johnson is the player to beat at the top end. Rahm looks poised to win his first green jacket, while Thomas could fire on any given weekend.
Scott Scheffler (+1600) and Cameron Smith (+1600) have been in top form, and I highlighted both players in my Masters DFS article last week.
Best values by odds
Hideki Matsuyama (+3300)
Before last week, Matsuyama appeared to be a viable play at the Masters after winning in 2021. Unfortunately, he withdrew from the Valero Texas Open with a neck injury that clouds his status for this week’s event at Augusta.
Will Zalatoris (+3300)
In his first and only trip to the Masters, Zalatoris finished second, one stroke off the lead. He broke par every round, with his best showing coming on day 2 (68). Over his first two events in 2022, Zalatoris placed 6th and 2nd with a combined score of -34. His results have been flat over his last three stroke-play events (26th, 38th, and 26th).
Sam Burns (+4000)
Over the past eight months, Burns has been one of the better players on the PGA Tour. He picked up a pair of victories over his last 12 events with four other top 10s. However, Burns did lose his way over three tournaments in January and February, where he missed the cut each time. In his limited experience in the majors, Burns has been well off the pace (29th, 41st, 76th) while missing two cuts and one withdrawal. He will be making his first trip around Augusta, so there will be a learning curve. Burns has plenty of length to gain an edge on the par 5s, and his game is improving.
Joaquin Niemann (+4500)
Niemann has the game to win a major once he gains more experience in the big moments. Over his six rounds at the Masters, Niemann is 13 over par with a 40th place finish and a missed cut. His play has been up and down over his last seven tournaments, leading to a win, 5th, 6th, and three missed cuts. In 2021, Niemann played on the weekend in all four majors, but he failed to rank inside the top 30 in any event.
Patrick Reed (+5500)
Over his last five events, Reed has three missed cuts, followed by a 26th place finish and a 1-1-1 record in the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play event. He has a Masters title (2018) and success over the past two years (10th and 8th). Based on odds and recent success at Augusta, Reed looks to be worth a flier.
Corey Conners (+5500)
After an excellent finish (3rd) in the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play event, Conners looks poised to build off his recent success at Augusta (10th and 8th). He is 13 under par over his last eight rounds at the Masters, including four rounds in the 60s). Conners has three missed cuts, and two 11th place finishes in his eight completed events this year. His game is trending forward at the Masters and in 2022.
Euro of the week
Justin Rose (+8000)
Rose has been off his game over the past two seasons, but he does have a resume of success at the Masters (six top 10s over 16 events). His best results came in 2015 (2nd) and 2017 (2nd) while placing seventh last season. Since December, Rose played well in two tournaments (6th and 9th), but he did miss a pair of cuts over seven contests.
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