Rory McIlroy
has been slotted as the favorite to win the 2015 Masters, an all-too familiar position for the current number one ranked player in the world ahead of the season’s first major tournament.A lot of people seem to think that this is the year McIlroy finally breaks through and wins the Masters, the only Major that he hasn’t won yet. Even sportsbooks seem to think that Rory’s in a good position to do it at 5/1 odds that he finally gets to wear the Green Jacket. It’s not on the level of the “Tiger vs The Field” days, but it’s still significant enough that the closest golfer to McIlroy’s line is the 21-year-old Jordan Spieth at 10/1 odds.
Spieth is a worthy contender, especially after arguably having one of the most successful rookie years in the PGA Tour in quite some time. Remember, Spieth only made his Masters debut last year and actually had a share of the lead heading into the final round before losing out to eventual winner Bubba Watson. Spieth followed up his impressive showing at the Masters by winning back-to-back tournaments at the end of 2014 to cement his status as one of golf’s real rising stars.
Not to be outdone, defending Masters champion Bubba Watson is close behind at 11/1 odds. Watson’s vying to become the first back-to-back Masters champion since Tiger Woods did it in 2001 and 2002. It’s going to be easier said than done for Watson, especially with a fresh McIlroy, a hungry Spieth, and a strong field looking to deny his bid at history.
Outside of McIlroy, Spieth, and Watson, the rest of the field features a slate of past major champions, young hotshots, and senior golfers looking at one last shot at glory. Dustin Johnson, Justin Day, Adam Scott, and Henrik Stenson headline this list with all four getting 14/1 odds to win the Masters. From there, the odds drop precipitously to 25/1 for the likes of Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, and Rickie Fowler.
Justin Rose is the lone golfer that’s priced at 28/1 odds, but following him are another group of pros clumped together at 33/1: Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar, and Sergio Garcia. Then we get to the golfers at 40/1. This is a list that includes Brooks Koepka, Jimmy Walker, and this guy named Tiger Woods.
Yep. Tiger Woods is 40/1 odds to win the 2015 Masters. This is the same Tiger Woods who has yet to confirm his participation in the tournament. On one hand, 40/1 seems pretty low for somebody who probably won’t even be there, but on the other hand, 40/1 odds on Tiger Woods?!
Then again, these odds are a sign of the current times. Woods is nowhere near his usual self and his recent rash of injuries have put serious questions on his career, if not derailed it completely.
It’s Rory’s world now and hopefully, Spieth can rise up and challenge the world number one to give it that golf rivalry that we thought we had in Woods – McIlroy before the former’s injuries robbed us of that spectacle. The 2015 Masters will be the first tournament we see McIlroy and Spieth take center stage.
Hopefully, the odds given to them will reflect in their play and we see both in the final round playing against each other.
Odds courtesy of Bodog
