News
Vegas adjusts Tiger Woods' Masters odds TWICE in one day, now the third-favorite to win at Augusta National (UPDATED)
Sam Greenwood
As Tiger Woods climbed the leader board at the Valspar Championship on Friday morning, his Masters odds continued to drop in Vegas sportsbooks. Westgate Las Vegas Superbook wasted little time adjusting Tiger's line, moving him from 16/1 to 12/1 following a front-nine 34 that put him within one shot of the leaders.
Woods, a four-time Masters champ, is now tied for the third-best odds in the field. He trails only co-favorites Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas on the betting board. Have a look, courtesy of Westgate's golf oddsmaker, Jeff Sherman:
Woods wasn't the only golfer to see his odds move since the start of this week's tournament. His playing partner for the first two days, Jordan Spieth, was downgraded from 10/1 to 12/1 following an opening 76. Spieth, the 2015 Masters champ, was a co-favorite with Johnson earlier in the season, but has struggled of late, particularly with his putting.
Playing in the Valspar for the first time, Woods opened with a one-under 70. He's making his fourth official PGA Tour start since undergoing a fourth back surgery last April and he's certainly trending in the right direction. In Woods' first three starts, he finished T-23 at the Farmers Insurance Open, missed the cut at the Genesis Open, and finished solo 12th at the Honda Classic.
So if you were waiting to place a Masters bet on Tiger Woods, that strategy backfired. Woods just birdied his 11th hole to tie for the lead, so at this rate, he might be the favorite to win the green jacket by day's end.
UPDATE: Turns out, our joke about him being the favorite by day's end wasn't that far off. Following Woods' 68 that left him tied for the clubhouse lead at four under, Sherman posted this update to Westgate's Masters odds:
Make that 10-to-1 odds now for Tiger, good for third-best alone. The second adjustment -- again, in ONE day -- happened both due to Tiger's strong back nine and some gambler deciding it was now or never to bet big on Big Cat.
It wasn't me. . . I swear. . .