Masters 2024 Early Best Bets
During Masters week, we will have a full-fledged look at some Masters best bets and a tournament preview from Wes Reynolds, but here are some initial early best bets from our Long Shots crew of Reynolds, Kelley Bydlon, and Matt Brown.
Kelley Bydlon’s Masters Best Bet:
Hideki Matsuyama 25-1
Hideki is one of the guys I added a Masters outright on a few weeks back at a better price and while this 25-1 is a little short to me, he’s still a guy I’m extremely interested in this year. I also have made bets on Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris, but considering the odds and the lack of great recent results, I’d probably stay away from them for now.
Matsuyama does already have a win this season and four other top 25 finishes in his nine PGA Tour starts. He’s a guy who has won at Augusta before and has finished inside the top 20 in four straight years.
Wes Reynolds’ Masters Best Bet:
Xander Schauffele 20/1
While OWGR No. 1 Scottie Scheffler rates at the top of most statistical categories this season, Xander Schauffele is right behind him. Schauffele ended up finishing right behind Scheffler as runner-up at THE PLAYERS Championship. The primary knock against Schauffele is that he cannot win the big one. He has six Top 5 finishes in major championships, including two at Augusta National. Over the last 24 rounds leading into the Masters, Schauffele ranks 2nd for Strokes Gained: Total, 2nd for Par 4 Scoring, 2nd for Bogey Avoidance, 3rd for Greens In Regulation, 4th for Strokes Gained: Off The Tee, and 5th for Strokes Gained: Around The Green. He could not close it out as the 54-hole leader at THE PLAYERS last month, but it gave him a bit of a taste of being back in the hunt at a big event, and that could give him just the little extra that he needs to finally get the monkey off his back and win a major championship.
Matt Brown’s Masters Best Bet:
Will Zalatoris Placement & H2Hs
Zalatoris has bounded back from injury and has proven that he’s still a force to be reckoned with on the PGA Tour. He’s always played well on tough courses and the loaded fields seem to bring out the best in the 27-year-old. The placement market and H2H odds aren’t out yet, but given where he is on the outright board, he’s going to be a prime Top 20 play and will likely have multiple advantageous H2H matchups.
Who’s up and who’s down heading into the Masters
