Brian Sausa, Last Updated: June 28th, 2024 - NJ Sports Betting - Free $3,250 For Sports Bets In New Jersey
We have officially reached the second of six major championships in the 2020-21 PGA Tour season and finally, it is time for some 2020 Masters picks!
Originally slated for the middle of April, this edition of The Masters Tournament will be played from November 12 through 15 at the world-famous Augusta National Golf Club in Northeast Georgia.
Every major gets a ton of betting attention from the public but none more than Masters week, especially in this current sports landscape. November usually features the start of a new season in several collegiate and professional leagues, but 2020 isn’t a conventional year.
As it turns out, The Masters is one of the only tickets in town for bettors signed up at online sportsbooks in New Jersey and several other states where wagering is legal.
Betting sites offer a wide variety of markets and lucrative odds for every PGA Tour event, but the popularity of this tournament means the betting action will only intensify. Without any more delay, let’s preview the event and win some money with some Masters betting predictions!
The Masters is one of the few events that is played at the same location every year. The tournament is synonymous with Augusta National, which is often referred to as the Mecca of golf, at least for Americans (with no disrespect to the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland).
It was founded and designed by the legendary Bobby Jones, with the first Masters Tournament being played in March 1934 and the garnering a nearly unimaginable amount of prestige in the decades following.
This will be the first of two Masters in a six-month span, which only adds to the excitement of the 2020-21 PGA Tour season. The 84th version of the event will look somewhat different than we are used to, being that the event has only been played in March or April in the past.
We may not see as many azaleas in full bloom and the many types of trees (dogwoods, magnolias, camellias just to name a few) could feature some colors we aren’t accustomed to, but you can still be sure that the course won’t without its natural beauty. In addition to the horticulture we are sure to see adapted to a fall Masters, the course still features notable landmarks such as Ike’s Pond, Rae’s Creek, and Amen Corner.
Despite there being a little bit of uncertainty of exactly how the course will play in the fall, there are very well-known statistical categories that carry weight in this event. Here are some stats to keep in mind when making 2020 Masters picks:
Augusta is a second-shot course and golfers who are able to position themselves well and approach the green. With that said, Augusta also won’t penalize big hitters very much for missed fairways, so it’s bombs away to an extent as well.
The four Par 5s are great scoring opportunities and gaining strokes with birdie or better is one recipe for success. Because every green won’t be hit, scrambling around them is sure to come into play, and getting up-and-down from off the greens will be a key factor as well.
The sloping bentgrass greens are speedy and do play tougher than the average tour stop, so it won’t hurt to get hot with the flat stick, but that’s the case every week.
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The first thing we should note is that it is extremely unlikely that a first-timer wins this event, as it hasn’t happened since 1979. Most times, an elite-level player with some sort of course history winds up wearing the green jacket on Sunday evening. When it comes to choosing an outright winner, don’t go too far down the odds board.
Experience helps at any course but especially at Augusta and The Masters, where the tension and pressure are the highest (even if there aren’t fans adding to the drama this year).
In addition to going with experience and players who match the statistical profile listed above, we are looking to pinpoint golfers who are currently in good form since every recent winner was playing well entering the event. In fact, we’d consider fading most players who don’t appear to be playing well at the moment.
Consider the following in one form or another for your 2020 Masters betting predictions (odds are from DraftKings on Monday, November 9):
The 2020 U.S. Open champion is the favorite by a long shot at online sportsbooks in PA, NJ, and everywhere else, and it’s hard to argue. DeChambeau’s distance gains present an opportunity to virtually break Augusta National, and we have to make mention of him.
What can we say about a guy who hits it farther than anyone else, and also happens to be one of the best putters in the game? If he puts it all together, the track may not be able to contain DeChambeau, even with some holes being lengthened quite a bit.
Compared to other golfers, there’s less value here. We wouldn’t place a pre-tournament wager on him but if he starts slow, he’s a great candidate for a live bet when his line perhaps inflates a bit.
Thomas is another elite name at the top of the odds board, but not one that can be skipped over despite the fairly low odds. This is another prime time performer with a major victory (2017 PGA Championship) whose results at Augusta improve each year.
In his four career Masters, Thomas has finished T-39th, T-22nd, T-17th, and T-12th, in that order. The time has come to notch that top 10 finish, or perhaps even more. As for recent form? Thomas finished T-8th at the U.S. Open, then T-12th and T-2nd in his other two events this season.
Thomas is a top three tee-to-green player in the last three full seasons and a top-four player on approach in the same span of time. The consistency is remarkable. You can throw him out there when the lights are brightest and you’re likely to get his best.
There are very few players on tour with the track record that Schauffele has at majors, even if he hasn’t finished atop the leaderboard at one quite yet. Xander has finished T-10th or better in seven of 13 career majors, with five of those being T-5th or better.
It gets even better, as each of the past three major events were top-10 finishes (including 5th at the 2020 U.S. Open), and he tied for second at last year’s Masters. In three events this season, Schauffele has three top 10s and two top 5s, so the form is there.
It is only a matter of time until the seventh-ranked player in the world finishes the weekend at the peak of the mountain. Schauffele is too consistent tee-to-green, with the putter, and on approach to be left out of the mix for your Masters betting picks. Do some line shopping for the best odds possible on one of the very best players in the field.
Bettors will likely shy away from Tony because of his poor history closing out events but anyone who has been paying attention when he tees it up knows he is a major threat. Plus, his course history at Augusta is outstanding. Nobody puts themselves into better positions to win without actually doing so than Finau, and it’s truly only a matter of time.
In two Masters tournaments (2018 and 2019), Finau has finished in 5th and 10th place. In his 2018 Augusta debut, he managed a top-10 finish despite famously dislocating his ankle in the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday.
Finau is a bomber off the tee who also happens to be an excellent approach player, and that’s absolutely part of the recipe for success. Finau should be considered as one of your Masters picks, especially for a top 10 or 20 bet. His outright odds are much higher at DraftKings than at other sides including BetMGM.
Another past champion and a guy who has been on many people’s fade list for a while now. Look, Spieth’s recent form and clear confidence issues basically bar him from being someone you can wager a bunch of money on in this spot. But he’s still a name to consider in other areas besides outright winner for a couple of reasons.
There’s something to be said for having tons of experience here, and that doesn’t just mean in the big event played every April.
Spieth is one of only a few players who have experience playing practice rounds at Augusta in the fall. Everyone will get their practice in before this year’s event, but any extra time in those conditions could help. Especially for a player like Spieth, who has the memory of an elephant and will not have forgotten the differences.
If there’s one place in the world Spieth’s problems subside for a few days, it’s here at Augusta. The underlying factor in all this is that Spieth’s odds are quite generous, so he could be worth a finishing position or matchup wager. for us, we’d look for him to finish in the top 30 at close to even money (-110 at DraftKings).
When it comes to golf betting, ‘fading’ a particular player due to the expectation they won’t perform is quite a popular strategy. And when a player is going well, it works the same way in the opposite direction.
We’ve been saying this seemingly every week about Smith but it bears repeating: you can’t fade form. So keep going with Smith, at least in a finishing position or matchup capacity since he’s so far down the board.
After a top-40 finish at the US Open to begin his 2020-21 campaign, Smith has rattled off three top 25s in a row, including T-11 and T-4 finishes in each of the past two events. These aren’t your typical early-schedule fields either, as the stars were out at both the CJ Cup and Zozo Championship.
He’s a great putter and ranks pretty well in total strokes gained but for the most part, has a balanced repertoire and still manages to crush Par 5s as the longer hitters do.
We will continue to add and update selections until players tee off on Thursday, so check back throughout the week once all of the 2020 Masters Tournament odds are posted!
We have officially reached the second of six major championships in the 2020-21 PGA Tour season and...
Sports Picks and Predictions
We have officially reached the second of six major championships in the 2020-21 PGA Tour season and...
Sports Picks and Predictions
We have officially reached the second of six major championships in the 2020-21 PGA Tour season and...
Sports Picks and Predictions