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Tiger among favorites to win rescheduled Masters

TIMOTHY CLARY / AFP / Getty

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Like every other sport, golf has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Originally scheduled to take place from April 9 to 12, the Masters is now expected to be played in mid-November, assuming it's safe to resume sports by then. While the postponement isn't ideal, a potential November 14-15 fall weekend of college football, NFL action, and golf's biggest event would be a boon for fans, bettors, and sportsbooks alike.

The rescheduling of the Masters came with new odds, with Rory McIlroy being the overwhelming +700 favorite. McIlroy currently sits at No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings and has posted seven straight top-five finishes.

As usual, Tiger Woods' name is near the top of the oddsboard. Tiger is almost always overvalued because so much money comes in on him for major events, so books keep his odds short in an attempt to minimize liability. Woods is tied for the fourth-shortest odds at 18-1, and, as he proved last year with a magical run to win his fifth green jacket, he's always a contender at Augusta. Tiger's 2019 win was a bloodbath for sportsbooks, with some losing more than $1 million.

The World Golf Rankings' top five is rounded out by Jon Rahm (+1400), Brooks Koepka (+1600), Justin Thomas (+1600), and Dustin Johnson (+1800), respectively, and all are priced accordingly. However, none have won at Augusta before. Koepka has four major wins in his career but came up just short at the Masters last year (T2), becoming a footnote in history to Tiger's historic run.

One golfer who offers bettors early value is Adam Scott at +3300. Scott ranks No. 6 in the world and won two of his last four tournaments before the hiatus. In 2013, he became the first Australian to win the Masters and could be a factor again this year. It's difficult to know how golfers will be playing seven months from now, but Scott's odds are likely to be in the 20-1 range if he's in good form heading into the Masters.

Here is a list of golfers with odds +4500 or shorter to win the 2020 Masters:

Golfer Odds
Rory McIlroy +700
Jon Rahm +1400
Brooks Koepka +1600
Justin Thomas +1600
Dustin Johnson +1800
Tiger Woods +1800
Bryson DeChambeau +2800
Hideki Matsuyama +2800
Patrick Cantlay +2800
Patrick Reed +2800
Xander Schauffele +2800
Adam Scott +3300
Rickie Fowler +3300
Tommy Fleetwood +3300
Bubba Watson +4000
Jordan Spieth +4000
Justin Rose +4500
Matt Kuchar +4500
Tony Finau +4500

Thomas Casale is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. He's been following the sports betting industry for almost 30 years. A devoted fan of the wishbone offense, Thomas bets on all sports but specializes in college football, NFL, and college basketball. Find him on Twitter @TheTomCasale.

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