The Masters betting tips: Can McIlroy complete the grand slam?

The Masters: Things to consider 

The first of this year's four majors tees off on Thursday, and the usual apprehension and excitement has ramped up over the last few days and weeks. We’ve already had your early value picks before the markets shifted last week, but here’s your ‘Masters week’ run down. 

The field has been set at 96 players, and we will see most of the stars of the game descend upon Magnolia Lane. The winner of the 2025 Masters will pick up a cheque of $3.6m (£2.8m), the trophy and the gold medal. They will also bank a cool 750 FedEx Cup points and a spot in Masters folklore.

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Open Champion Brian Harman (70/1 Ladbrokes) won the Valero Texas Open to warm him up nicely. Unfortunately, LIV Golf Miami winner Marc Leishman who has a good record at the Masters did not secure an invite, nor did the Indian Open winner Eugenio Chacarra.

What’s the recipe for success at Augusta National? We’ve got you sorted with interesting trends and value plays. As the players prepare for Amen Corner, Ike's Pond, Rae's Creek and all the other obstacles in the way of a once-in-a-lifetime Butler Cabin visit to pick up that green jacket on Sunday.

Masters betting odds: Top of the market 

Narratives surrounding the 89th Masters betting include Scottie Scheffler looking to win his third green jacket in four years and Rory McIlroy trying to complete the career grand slam. 

Masters odds are now tightening between the two with McIlroy as low as 5/1 with Coral and Scheffler out to 9/2 with Betway. 2023 Masters champ Jon Rahm (18/1 Matchbook) is seeing some money after a top-10 finish at LIV Miami.

The return to form of both Victor Hovland (35/1 Spreadex) and Justin Thomas (20/1 BetMGM) adds a bit of spice to the Masters betting market. The first-round betting market could be one to get the edge on the bookies this week too. 

Joaquin Niemann 28/1 with Spreadex has received an invite alongside Nicolai Hojgaard and while the former has great things expected of him, maybe it can be Hojgaard that can spring a surprise.

Weather-wise, winds are set to be moderate, while fairways and greens won’t be overly fast and firm – the perfect set-up. 

Power off the tee and a laser iron game is the concoction for success at Augusta National Golf Club, so whose tools are firing ahead of the big one this year? 

Ludvig Aberg is the standout at the top of the Masters betting market for me. He has bagged three wins in his fledgling career, two of which came on the PGA Tour. 

Aberg won the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines South Course which requires a similar skillset to Augusta. Aberg showed his power tee-to-green game at the 2024 Masters when he finished solo second behind Scottie Scheffler. 

Aberg ranks ninth in strokes gained off the tee and 10th in ‘distance of all drives’ using his lengthy carry and baby fade to full advantage. The 25-year-old ranks first in ‘approaches from over 200 yards’. 

He owns a high towering ball flight with his irons which is key to proximity on the multi-tiered Augusta greens. 

Collin Morikawa was a big feature at the 2024 Masters tournament finishing tied for third in the end. The world number four is back in top form. 

He ended 2024 with the lowest 72-hole strokes total at the Tour Championship and continued where he left off with narrow misses and runner-up spots at both the season-opening Sentry and the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational. 

Morikawa had a three-stroke lead around the turn on the final day at Bay Hill.

Coinciding with Morikawa’s great form is a return to the top of the ball striking stats. The American leads both the ‘strokes gained tee to green’ and approach categories. 

He is first in ‘proximity to the hole’ and second in ‘strokes gained total’. Morikawa sits 12th in ‘par five scoring average’. The two-time major winner boasts an excellent Masters record reading t40 - t18- 5 - t10 - t3.

Bryson DeChambeau kicked off the 2024 Masters with the first-round lead opening with an impressive 65, eventually finishing T6. DeChambeau infamously claimed Augusta is a par 67 for him and ironically it wouldn't be far off if he'd just tone it down a little off the tee and get to grips with course management.

Augusta is perfectly set up for Bryson’s power game from the markers and precision iron play. DeChambeau is still the longest driver on the LIV circuit averaging 322.6 yards, but he has dialled it down a little.

There are no greens books allowed at Augusta, so it has taken him a while to adjust but another advantage he has over most of the field is his high ball flight with the irons. 

DeChambeau won the US Open to take down his second major championship last year and was only second to Xander Schauffele (27/1 with Matchbook) by just one stroke in the PGA Championship. 

He finished eighth in the 2024 LIV standings. He recently secured a top 10 at LIV Golf Singapore and added to a runner-up spot in the International Series India.

FIRST’s top tip for the Masters 

Ludvig Aberg showed his course fit at the Masters last year and doubled down on another major venue at Torrey Pines with a win at the Genesis. 

Aberg has drifted to 20/1 (seven places) each way with BetMGM.

Extra tips 

Collin Morikawa is one of the most consistent golfers currently and the double major champion has all the attributes to challenge for a green jacket. Back him at 12/1 (seven places) with Betway.

Bryson DeChambeau is progressing nicely into form and warmed up with a top-five in Miami at Doral last week. Back him each way (ten places) at 14/1 with Coral/Ladbrokes.

The Masters: Value bets 

Min Woo Lee (40/1 Spreadex) after his recent win in Texas and with some pedigree behind him at Augusta (including sharing top debutant honours a few years back) has climbed onto my Masters predictions radar. 

But Irishman Shane Lowry is one of the real form players on tour right now and his Masters performances are getting progressively better. I’ll side with him.

The former Open Championship winner has recorded four top 25 finishes at the Masters with his best being a tied-third place. 

Lowry’s game around the greens is key as is the course knowledge he has accrued. If he's to take down the Masters title in 2025 though it will depend on his approach play.

Lowry leads the all-important 'approaches from 175-200 yards’ metric and is ranked sixth in ‘strokes gained approach’ and ‘fourth in strokes gained tee to green’. 

The Irishman ranks fifth in ‘proximity to the hole’. Lowry was second at Pebble Beach, finished 11th at the Cognizant Classic, seventh at the Arnold Palmer, and was top 20 in the Players Championship. Last time out he was eighth at the Valspar Championship 

In several of these tournaments, Lowry has been leading or close to the lead and another big event title could be near.

LIV Golf contenders

Onto a couple of LIV golfers now who both happen to be former Masters champions….

Patrick Reed was the winner of the Masters in 2018 and has been simmering along incognito style but putting in a lot of good performances including a second place in the International Series Macau. 

Reed led LIV Golf Miami for much of last week. The former world's number six golfer began his year with a couple of top 10s in the UAE on the DP World Tour. 

Reed won the Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour in 2024 and was Top 10 in LIV Golf Hong Kong this time around. Reed was t3 in the scrambling statistics on the LIV Tour in 2024.

Sergio Garcia has returned to playing some of his best golf, winning recently at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling and then finishing fourth in the International Series Macau. 

The captain of Fireballs GC has risen to second in the LIV Golf standings after a third-place finish at LIV Golf Miami. 

He is second on that tour in fairways hit and ranks t1 in scrambling and fourth in ‘greens in regulation’. 

The Spaniard led the scrambling stats in 2024 and was t3 in ‘greens in reg’. The 2017 Masters champ showed he can still do it at the top with a t12 at last year's US Open. 

FIRST’s top value tips for the Masters 

Shane Lowry’s irons are on point this season and could be the catalyst for a big push for the green jacket. Back the Irishman at 30/1 (seven places) with Spreadex.

Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia has been playing some of his best golf in recent years. Back the Spaniard each way (seven places) at 70/1 with BetMGM.

Patrick Reed is another former Masters champ back in top form. Back ‘Captain America’ to win the Masters at 55/1 (ten places) with Coral and Ladbrokes.

Odds correct at the time of writing.