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5 Masters Betting Trends for the 2023 PGA Tournament

Mitchell South

by Mitchell South

Updated Apr 5, 2023 · 12:44 PM PDT

The PGA Masters tournament at Augusta National is upon us again. The world’s most famous golf tournament is scheduled for the first week of April every year, and it’s the first of four major championship events on the PGA Tour schedule.

The recency of the last Masters tournament gives us some great data to work with, which in turn presents some notable betting trends. These betting trends don’t guarantee wagering success, but you can use some of these patterns to help you decide on a bet. If you are looking for some basic tips on how to bet on golf effectively, check out our compressive guide to get you started. You might even read one of these trends and conclude that a particular golfer isn’t worth betting on this year.

Let’s tee up the five betting trends you need to know ahead of the 2023 PGA Tour Masters tournament.

1) Most Winners Finished Top-Five Earlier That Year

Looking at a golfer’s record from tournaments earlier in the year is a reliable way of handicapping their chances of winning the Masters. When you look at the past 12 Masters tournaments, you’ll notice an overwhelming majority of the winners had a top-five finish in another tournament.

Of the past 11 Green Jacket winners, 10 of them had a top-five finish in another tournament earlier that year.

Charl Schwartzel is the only golfer in the past 11 years to win the Masters without a top-five finish earlier on in the calendar year. Phil Mickelson tied for 8th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2010, but his final score was one of the five lowest results in the tournament, so we counted him as one of the 10 in this trend.

Specifics aside, you should look at a golfer’s track record leading up to the Masters. It’s highly unlikely they’ll win if they’re not in top form heading into the tournament.

2) Second-Place Finishers Aren’t Worth the Risk

Second-place finishers from the previous year’s tournament are a popular subject related to Masters betting trends. When you look at the numbers, it’s clear that previous second-place finishers don’t hold much of an advantage.

From 2009 to 2019, only two out of 12 golfers who finished as a runner-up in the previous Masters tournament have gone on to win the next year:

  • Dustin Johnson – runner up 2019, winner 2020
  • Jordan Spieth – runner up 2014, winner 2015

There’s been 12 golfers who finished as a runner-up in the last 11 tournaments, in case you’re wondering. Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry lost a championship playoff to Angel Cabrera in 2009.

Last year, 2020 Masters Tournament runner-up Sungjae Im was listed at +3300 odds at DraftKings to win the 2021 Masters tourney. Sure, a successful $100 bet on Sungjae Im would bring a total payout of $3,400, but it was still a very risky bet despite his second-place finish in 2020. He would ultimately not even reach top 10 status in the 2021 Master Tournament.

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Sungjae Im might be a more tempting runner-up than usual considering the last Masters was less than six months ago, but playing at Augusta National is a challenge for the best of pros, even if they’ve played well at the course as of late.

3) Golfers in the Top 10 Aren’t a Lock

Inexperienced bettors might turn to the official world golf ranking list to choose a golfer to wager on. That’s a fine way to get started if you’re unfamiliar with the players, but don’t consider golfers in the top-10 a lock by any means.

Since 2010, only four of 11 golfers with a top-10 world ranking have won the Masters. That gives golfers outside the top 10 a 74% winning percentage over the past 11 tournaments.

For context, here’s the top 10 heading into the 2023 Masters:

2023 Rank Golfer
1 Scottie Scheffler
2 Rory McIlroy
3 John Rahm
4 Patrick Cantlay
5 Max Homa
6 Cameron Smith
7 Xander Schaufelle
8 Will Zaratoris
9 Viktor Hovland
10 Justin Thomas

This trend doesn’t suggest you should disregard any of the golfers in the table above. Sportsbooks favor these players for a reason, and there’s a good chance one of these guys walks away with the Green Jacket this year.

Just keep in mind, winners from outside the top 10 are more common than you might think.

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If you’re looking for more concrete guidance from this trend, consider the fact that in the past 11 tournaments, nobody with a world ranking lower than 30 has won the Masters. Charl Schwartzel was ranked 29th when he won in 2011, with Patrick Reed the next lowest ranked winner (24th when he won the 2018 Masters).

It might seem somewhat obvious, but don’t let the long odds with big payouts fool you. Choosing a golfer outside the top 30 to win the Masters is simply not advisable.

4) Winning the Masters Twice or More Is Rare

Augusta National is known as one of the most unforgiving courses in the world, and the lack of repeat champions is a testament to this fact.

In the past 11 tournaments, Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, and Phil Mickelson are the only players to win a Green Jacket for at least the second time in their respective careers.

Golfer Masters Tournament Wins
Tiger Woods 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019
Bubba Watson 2012, 2014
Phil Mickelson 2004, 2006, 2010

There’s a substantial number of players who could alter this trend with a winning performance at the 2023 Masters. We’ll keep this guide updated if anything changes, so make sure you check back here again in the back nine of 2023.

5) Back-to-Backs Almost Never Happen at Augusta

If the lack of repeat champions hasn’t convinced you of Augusta’s unforgiving nature, then take a swing at this trend: only three golfers in history have won the Masters in back-to-back years.

Here are the three elite golfers who have managed to defend their Masters championship:

  • Jack Nicklaus won in 1965 and 1966
  • Nick Faldo won in 1989 and 1990
  • Tiger Woods won in 2001 and 2002

2020 champion Dustin Johnson has a decent chance to become the fourth back-to-back winner, especially considering the last Masters was only six months ago. Nevertheless, the stats argue it’s an extremely difficult feat to accomplish, and it will be no small task for the world’s top-ranked golfer in Dustin Johnson.

Masters Betting Trends FAQ

Still have questions about Master betting trends? Let’s see if we can help out in that department.

How can I use Masters betting trends to improve my betting strategy?

Understanding Masters betting trends can give you a more informed betting strategy because you'll understand key insights and stats on a deeper level.

Where can I find information on Masters betting trends?

This page has plenty of useful information when it comes to Masters betting trends.

Why are Masters betting trends important?

Masters betting trends are important for bettors because they give you an understanding of how certain scenarios have played out in the past and how they could potentially play out in the future based on data.

Master Your Betting Strategy with Our Guides

Sports Betting Dime is your number one resource for knowledge that helps you bet with confidence.

Check out our ‘How to Bet on Sports’ section for more guides and trends for your favorite games. In addition to that, the latest Masters Odds can be tracked here, from top contenders to the favorites of this years tournament.

We can’t guarantee any hole-in-ones, but we can give you all the fundamentals you need to take a swing on some well-informed wagers.

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