News

Vegas adjusts Dustin Johnson's Masters odds following his dominant win, but he's still not the favorite

January 08, 2018
180104-dustin-johnson.jpg

Stan Badz

Dustin Johnson dominated the PGA Tour's first event of 2018, running away with an eight-shot win at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The impressive victory strengthened Johnson's grasp on the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking and improved his Masters odds among Vegas sportsbooks. But perhaps a bit surprisingly, DJ is still not listed as the betting favorite for the year's first major.

Westgate Las Vegas Sportsbook now lists Johnson at 8-to-1 odds to win at Augusta National in April, down from 10/1 before he picked up his 17th career PGA Tour title. Jordan Spieth, who finished ninth in the limited-field event, remained the favorite at 7/1.

Rory McIlroy (12/1) has the next-best odds, followed by a big group at 15/1: Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, and Justin Rose. Tiger Woods is listed at 20/1.

Spieth, the world's second-ranked player, won the 2015 Masters and had a painful runner-up in 2016 when he blew a five-shot lead on the back nine during the final round, which opened the door for Danny Willett. Spieth finished T-2 (2014) and T-11 (2017) in his only other Masters starts.

In seven trips to Augusta National, Dustin Johnson has two top 10s, including a T-4 in 2016. Well, make that eight trips. Sort of. Johnson arrived at the Masters last year on a three-tournament winning streak and had moved to a clear favorite at 5/1. But he slipped on some stairs in his rental home on the eve of the event, hurt his back, and was forced to withdraw.