Nothing else in the world of golf attracts as much attention as the Masters. Especially one featuring the possible return of Tiger Woods. The 2022 edition of the fabled tournament takes place from April 7th through April 10th. It’s safe to say the eyes of the sporting world will be on Augusta National Golf Course this week.

For the first time in Masters history, residents in 31 states will be able to legally wager on the four-day event. Over half of these states have the added bonus of fully online legal sports betting. For some, it might even be their first opportunity to wager on a Major professional golf tournament. Let’s take a look at the important factors to consider and some of the odds on this year’s event.

Golf Betting Options

With any golf tournament, online sports bettors tend to gravitate towards one of three main ways to bet.

  1. Betting on a specific golfer to win the tournament
  2. Betting on daily matchups – one golfer going head-to-head with another golfer
  3. Proposition bets

For a sports fan, professional golf offers a variety of different betting approaches. In a head-to-head matchup over a single round, even an underdog has a strong fighting chance. And for those trying to pick the outright tournament winner, an opportunity to win at big odds is an enticing factor.

As an example, both Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka have had great success when competing in the majors in the past. At the same time, neither are currently at the top of their game. However, given their majors track record, current odds of +1800 and +2000 respectively might offer great value.

Spieth in particular has a remarkable record at Augusta. He won in 2015 and has had several other top 10 finishes. Koepka builds his season around the biggest events and finished 2nd in the 2019 Masters. At least one of them is likely to give a good run for your money.

For golf bettors who don’t want to sit around and wait for the final outcome on Sunday, betting on individual matchups can be a lot of fun. Each day of the tournament, online bookmakers will be posting odds between two golfers. Since the odds are similar to the money lines posted for an MLB baseball game, on the surface there may not appear to be huge value. However, an astute follower of the game might spot a mispricing. And for the rest of us, it at least creates plenty of excitement when two closely matched golfers are heading down the 18th with the score tied.

How to Bet on the 2022 Masters

If this is your first opportunity to legally wager on the Masters, here are the basics.

The first thing you will need to do is register with one of the online sportsbooks that are licensed to operate in your state. Registration is free, and you can expect to get the benefit of receiving a welcome bonus offer in most cases. Generally, that welcome bonus will be a risk-free first bet or a matching bonus tied to the amount of your initial deposit.

In either case, it’s a nice perk to get a little extra value from your first online sports betting endeavor.

As you set out to place a bet, you will note that all lines are tied to a money line. What does that mean? If Rory McIlroy is listed at +2000 to win, the plus (+) sign indicates that the amount you can win is based on a $100 bet. In this case, a $100 bet on McIlroy would return you a profit of $2,000 should he win the tournament.

When betting matchups, the money line will typically be led by a minus (-) sign. The minus in front of a player’s name indicates that player is the favorite. In such cases, the minus amount represents how much you would have to wager to win $100. For example, a money line of -120 indicates that you would have to wager $120 for a chance to win $100.

Prop bet money lines will also either be led by pluses or minuses. And all bet sizes are proportional i.e. smaller wagers are available with incrementally smaller payouts.

Betting Strategies for the Masters

Augusta National is one of the trickier courses the players will face throughout the year. The fast greens in particular are a real test. For sure, as well as skill, it takes a little bit of luck for a golfer to navigate through a full field to a Masters win.

As a casual fan, a good betting option would be to spread your interest across four or five golfers. You might want to include two or three of the top-ranked golfers, plus a couple of longshots who maybe have had Masters success in the past. Maybe even include a certain Big Cat in your betting slip.

No matter what you choose to do, your number one priority should be to have fun and only wager what you can afford to lose.