Masters 2011, Where Phil Mickelson, Not Tiger Woods, Leads Favorites

Not too long ago, there was Tiger Woods and then everyone else in the world of golf betting. Now, Woods is just another golfer in the field heading into this week’s 2011 Masters at Augusta National, although public fascination with him keeps him near the top of the Masters odds lists at most sportsbooks.
For the first time in over a decade Tiger isn’t the favorite at The Masters. That honor belongs to defending champion Phil Mickelson, who is priced as +645 chalk to win a fourth green jacket this week. (That means a $100 wager pays out $645 in profit if Lefty wins.)
Woods (+1085) was leading the odds list until just a few days ago, but Lefty’s impressive performance in winning the Shell Houston Open on Sunday lifted him to the top spot.
Mickelson fired a 20-under 268 to win at Redstone, including rounds of 63 and 65 over the last two days to cash by a PGA Tour season-high three strokes. Lefty also leads Tiger in the head to head Masters prop (meaning whichever golfer finishes with the best score, regardless of whether one wins the tournament).
(For the updated lines and info on The Masters, check out SB Nation’s lines partner Odds Shark.)
Three shots was also the margin of victory at Augusta last year for Mickelson, who finished with a 16-under 272 to hold off runner-up Lee Westwood (+1415 to win The Masters outright this week). Tiger came off his infamous layoff to end up in a tie for fourth with an 11-under 277.
Lefty has two Masters titles and two fifth-place showings at Augusta over the last five years. Woods, though, has been remarkably consistent over that span, with two seconds, a third, a fourth, and a sixth-place finish at Augusta. Bettors also can’t ignore that Woods has donned the green jacket four times in his career.
”The Masters is a big deal in the golf world, but its popularity crosses over to mainstream, casual fans, hence the slew of odds like ‘will Lefty hit a hole-in-one’ which pay out at 80/1,” said Jack Randall of OddsShark.com.
That said, it’s incredible to think about how far Tiger has fallen. Woods hasn’t won a tournament in 17 months – a span of 21 events. Last year, Tiger was a +550 fave to win The Masters, and in 2009, he headlined the odds list at +220.
In 2008, Woods was +130 chalk. It keeps getting worse for Tiger and oddsmakers have reflected this regression.
Woods’ best result this season came at the WGC-Cadillac Championship when he finished 10th, and that’s his only top 10. Tiger was 24th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, and he’s going through a swing change.
Woods should be near the top of the leaderboard this week because he knows the Augusta course so well, but bettors should stay away from him until he proves he can win again.
Westwood guns for his first career major championship this week, and while he’s an intriguing bet, he comes with risks of his own. The Englishman has no Top 10s in seven starts on the PGA and European Tours this season, and a European-born player hasn’t won The Masters since Jose Maria Olazabal did so in 1999.
A trendy pick this week is Nick Watney (+1415), who has been one of the best players on Tour this season according to Randall.
“Watney has cracked the Top 10 in five of six tournaments so far and has one win already, at the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral last month. Watney finished seventh at Augusta last season and this could be his time to break through.”
Other players among the favorites are Martin Kaymer (+2050), Dustin Johnson (+2550), Rory McIlroy (+3050), and Hunter Mahan (+3050). For more live odds, matchups on every game, and links to The Masters and more every day, visit Odds Shark.