As we race through spring and close in on what will be a spectacular summer of sport in the northern hemisphere, golf fans have reason to be particularly excited. That’s because a stacked schedule lies ahead, and with fans back in attendance and the game’s top players firing, it will be a memorable few months. There’s plenty to look forward to this year, including some eye-catching fixtures from the United Kingdom and across Europe, but there can be no doubting what the year’s standout event is - The US Masters.
This year’s Masters will be the 86th running of the world-famous professional golf competition with the top names in the sport descending on Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The competition begins on the 7th of April and runs for four days with an exciting climax, and the champion crowned on the 10th of April. Thousands of spectators will attend Augusta to catch a glimpse of golf’s most famous players, including Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and Jon Rahm, with millions more worldwide following the action live on television.
Golf fans can hardly contain their excitement, and the top bookies are already offering their US Masters betting odds and promotions. This allows sports fans to get in early, make their predictions and place bets on the winner of this year’s event. But who are the betting favourites at this point, which players rank as potential dark horses, and how can you secure a free bet or promotion on the Masters? You’ll find the answers to those questions in our complete guide to betting on The US Masters.
Favourites and outsiders
The US Masters may still be weeks away, but that hasn’t stopped traders working at the leading betting apps marking up and publishing their book. They are already accepting odds on the winner of the US Masters, and you can bet today using your smartphone or desktop computer. It takes just a few minutes to create an online betting account then wager on your player of choice. It’s worth keeping a close eye on the US Masters betting as bookies will update and improve on their markets. The closer we get to day one of play, the more betting opportunities and promotions will be available.
The most popular way to gamble in the competition is by playing the US Masters outright champion. The leading name in the betting at all major bookies today is Jon Rahm, and that’s a call all traders agree on. Despite being the market leader, there’s plenty of value available to those looking to back Rahm as it’s a competitive list. The main danger to Rahm this year is thought to be Collin Morikawa, who is the second favourite ahead of Jordan Speith in third. Others worth a mention in the betting are Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy.
Stats and trends
When making predictions on the US Masters, many golf fans like to take their hints from the stats and trends. They look for patterns in the previous winners and how that may affect this year’s competition. The stats show that three of the last four champions of this competition have been Americans - Patrick Reed in 2018, Tiger Woods in 2019 and Dustin Johnson in 2020. Going back further, we note five of the last eight champions have been from the US. That may encourage backers to stick with the homegrown talent in this renewal. The current champion is Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama who was crowned champion in 2021 thanks to a winning score of 10 under par which gave him a one-stroke lead over the American player Will Zalatoris.
Free bets and promotions
The best bookies are offering all new customers who create an online betting account and place their first wager on sport a generous welcome bonus. These come in different forms to suit different bookies and bettors, but the most popular at present is the free bet. After registering and placing a qualifying bet on sports, you will receive a free bet that is equal in value to your first deposit. The free bet tokens can be used to gamble on the US Masters markets of your choice, including outright winner, two balls, top 10 finish, day one leader and more.