Few golf tournaments, or any sporting events for that matter, carry the historical significance of the Masters. The inaugural Masters tournament was held in 1934. Every year since, the best golfers convene at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia to battle for the coveted green jacket.
History: Masters lore is rich; past winners include legends Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and many more. But you cannot tell the history of the Masters without mentioning Tiger Woods. In some ways, Woods’ illustrious career kicked off at Augusta.
In 1997, as a 21-year-old, Woods won the Masters, his first of 15 major titles. But Woods did not just win the tournament. He dominated the field, finishing the weekend with a score of -18 under par (a Masters tournament record at the time), beating the second-place finisher by 12 strokes (a Masters tournament record that still stands).
Woods also became the youngest player to ever win the Masters (21) and the first non-white player to win the Masters.
Woods shot a 4-over par 40 on the front nine during the first round, a terrible start to the tournament. It looked like he wouldn’t have a chance to make the cut after those first nine holes, let alone win the green jacket.
A lot has changed since 1997. Woods continued winning (and dominating) tournaments, racking up more accolades than one can dream of, but his exhilarating highs were followed by devastating lows.
Starting in 2009, Woods and his ex-wife Elin Nordegren endured an infamous cheating scandal and divorce that may as well have been concocted in a TMZ laboratory.
The highs and lows kept coming for Woods. In 2019, Woods won the Masters in remarkable fashion, more than 10 years removed from his last major win, a 2008 U.S. Open (that he won on a broken leg).
Less than two years after Tiger’s 2019 Masters win, he was making headlines again – this time not for winning a golf tournament. News stations reported that Woods was in a serious car crash, and many worried he would never be able to walk again, forget golfing. But, Tiger is Tiger.
So now, a little more than a year out from the car accident, Woods is almost fully healed and has been playing golf. On Tuesday, Woods played a full practice round at Augusta, indicating that chances are high that he tees off next Thursday with the rest of the field.
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Surprisingly, Vegas is giving Woods a legit shot at winning the tournament. On the Draftkings Inc (NASDAQ:DKNG) Sportsbook, Woods is currently listed at +4000 to win the tournament. This means that a $100 bet on Woods to win the Masters would pay out a total of $4,100 (including the initial $100).
While this sounds like long-shot odds, Woods’ odds to win the tournament are lower than some big name players such as Louis Oosthuizen +4500, Adam Scott +5000 (2013 Masters Champion) +5000 and Patrick Reed +6500 (2018 Masters Champion).
However, it is possible that Vegas oddsmakers such as Draftkings know that people will still bet on Woods because of his popularity, even if his odds aren’t as attractive as other golfers. If someone wants to bet on Tiger to win the Masters, there’s a strong possibility that they want to root for Tiger, and are not doing it just as a “sports investment.”
You will be able to watch the Masters starting next Thursday, April 7, on Walt Disney Co’s (NYSE:DIS) ESPN and Paramount Global Class B’s (NASDAQ:PARA) CBS.
Photo: Courtesy of Shannon McGee on Flickr
