Betting the Masters – Key First-Round Matchups

The most famous golf tournament in the United States tees off tomorrow, as the first of the major tournaments of the golf betting season.  Let´s take a look at some exciting first-round matchups.

Lee Westwood                -135

Martin Kaymer                +105

Tee Time: Thursday, April 7 at 10:19 AM

This matchup presents quite an interesting pair to watch, as the No.1 and No.2 in the World Golf Rankings go head-to-head.

Kaymer finished second at the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play Championship, where in the same tournament, Westwood finished tied for 17th place.

The German Kaymer will be feeling the pressure this week, as he now has the target of being No. 1 on his back, and Augusta is not his best course.  In fact, he has never played well at the Masters, failing to qualify for the weekend rounds in each of his three performances.

With the goal of trying something different this time around, Kaymer skipped the recent tournament in Houston to practice his game in a relaxed setting on a course near Augusta National.

Westwood has had a lack of stellar performances as of late, finishing tied for 30th place at the Shell Houston Open last weekend. But Kaymer surpassed Westwood for the world´s top golfer title for a reason, and despite his struggles in Augusta in the past, expect him to turn it around tomorrow.

Bet the Masters First-Round Pick – Martin Kaymer +105!

 Graeme McDowell        +135

Tiger Woods                 -165

Tee Time: Thursday, April 7 at 10:41 AM

Despite all his recent struggles, Tiger Woods was nevertheless still the oddsmakers pick to win the Masters until Phil Mickelson had a surprise win at the Shell Houston Open last weekend.  In his first-round matchup with McDowell, Woods is the favorite at -165.

Battling chronic knee problems while reinventing his swing for the third time, Tiger has proven himself to be a risky bet of late. With only one Top 10 finish this season, where he tied for tenth place at the World Golf Championships – Cadillac Championship, he has been winless for going on 17 months now.

McDowell, on the other hand, has had great success in the past year, posting a surprise win at the US Open last June. The Irishman, nicknamed G-Mac, has struggled in recent play, however. Despite finishing third in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, he shot an 80 in the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and missed the cut in his last tournament outing. 

The best golf bet between these two would have to Tiger, who has played the Augusta course numerous times, winning it four times in just nine years.  In his last six Masters tournaments, he has not finished worse than sixth.  That´s a pretty solid stat to show that Tiger will likely have a strong first-round performance.

Bet the Masters First-Round Pick – Tiger Woods -165!