The Masters remains the pinnacle when it comes to professional men's golf. If you ask any player what tournament they would most like to win, the answer will be The Masters more often than not.
In the early iterations of the tournament, if you weren’t American, you weren’t winning. American Horton Smith won the first ever edition of The Masters in 1934 and it was almost 30 years until someone from anywhere outside of the U.S. won it when Gary Player of South Africa was victorious in 1961.
Between 1961 and 1979, Player won the tournament three times, but other than that it was again dominated by Americans. In 1980 someone else finally put their stamp on the tournament when legendary Spaniard Seve Ballesteros won the first of his two green jackets.
Seve’s success sparked a changing of the guard, and in the 1980’s and 90’s Americans only won nine of 20 Masters tournaments. Golf had long been a global game, and now players from all over were coming to Augusta, Georgia to compete for golf’s most coveted prize.
With so many players from so many countries competing this year, BetGeorgia took an early look at the field and the odds at BetMGM Sportsbook to determine the odds of an American winning this year.
While there is no legal Georgia sports betting, keep tabs on this site for more Masters coverage in the leadup to the year's first golf major.
Can Scheffler Repeat?
One of the tournament favorites is the defending champion and world No. 1 ranked golfer, Scottie Scheffler (+750 at BetMGM). Hailing from Texas, Scheffler’s presence at the top of the odds board is a huge check in favor of the U.S. and their odds to be the home of the winner. There are no legal Georgia sports betting apps, but Scheffler nationally is the favorite at many sportsbooks, not just BetMGM.
Scheffler’s main competition appears to be Jon Rahm from Spain (+800) and Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland (+900), both of whom are searching for their first win at Augusta National. All three of those golfers can be found under +1000 at the moment, making them the clear three favorites to win. Scheffler has already won twice in the calendar year on the PGA Tour and Rahm has won three times. McIlroy hasn't won stateside yet in 2023, but he did win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour in late January.
The next tier of golfers is chock-full of American superstars. Of the next 10 players on the odds board, all but Australian Cameron Smith (+1600) come from the United States, led by past Masters champion Jordan Spieth (also +1600), who once again will come to Augusta with a great chance to win. Dustin Johnson, now on the LIV golf tour like Smith but still available at +2200, also has a champion’s green jacket from his win in 2020. Then there are the relatively young stars like Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris, Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. They are all searching for their first Masters win and have great odds to do so.
Utilizing historical performance at the Masters as well as the current odds of all the golfers to win, BetGeorgia.com determined the hypothetical odds for a U.S.-born golfer to win this year as opposed to an international golfer.
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Odds of Winning The 2023 Masters Tournament
Four Of Past Five Winners Hailed From U.S.
With so many Americans at the top of the odds board, it comes as no real surprise that they have an almost 60% chance to win again this year. Four of the past five winners have hailed from the U.S., with the lone exception being Hideki Matsuyama claiming Japan’s first Masters victory in 2021.
That moment truly showed how global the game of golf had become, as the whole country of Japan was rooting for their star and Matsuyama was able to win under that extreme pressure. Just like Ballesteros in 1980, that moment has the chance to ignite a whole new wave of exceptional international golfers competing for, and winning, the Masters over the next couple of decades.
The triumphs of Player, Ballesteros, Matsuyama and more have been amazing moments not just in Augusta, but around the globe and have impacted the entire golf world.
There has never been more competition for the title, and it will take an inspired performance for one of the many young, hungry and motivated American players to come through and show why they are favored to win again this year.
Stay here at BetGeorgia.com for more Masters coverage, and check out our page dedicated to the Falcons playoff chances as well.
