Patrick Reed among outright picks at Augusta

Welcome to Masters Week. 

One of the great betting events of the year has finally arrived, and there is plenty of business to attend to before we get to some picks. 

First of all, Mother Nature looks like she will play a significant role at Augusta National this week.

Forecasts are calling for thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon, and there is heavy rain expected all day on Friday and Saturday, with the wind picking up on the latter.

Sunday looks a bit better, but there is still some precipitation expected on that day, too.

And it’s not just the weather that will add some chaos to this event, but also the arrival of the players who defected for LIV Golf.

This will be the first time we see LIV and PGA Tour players go head-to-head in a major championship since the schism.

That presents an interesting conundrum for punters: Should you draw a line through LIV players?

Or go the other way and expect they’ll be undervalued across all formats (betting, DFS, pools) because nobody wants to play them?

All of this creates chaos and will add to the fun of handicapping one of the best events on the sporting calendar, but the best part of the Masters is that you’ll find some great prices on world-class players.

With so many big names in the field, there are always a few standouts that drift down the board and into ranges you rarely find them.

And it’s not like we haven’t seen some big prices cash at Augusta National.

While stars like Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, and Dustin Johnson have recent wins here, so do Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia, Hideki Matsuyama, and Patrick Reed.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some tantalizing prices at Augusta National:

2023 Masters odds: Outright winner predictions and picks

Hideki Matsuyama (+4600, FanDuel)

It is no secret that course history matters more at Augusta National than perhaps anywhere else in golf, so it’s a little peculiar that Matsuyama’s number has found its way this far down the board.

Not only did the native of Japan win the Green Jacket in 2021, but he’s been lights out at this course for a decade now.

Matsuyama has finished 5-T7-T11-19-T32-T13-1-T14 since 2015 and has missed the cut just once in 11 starts at Augusta National.

There’s also nothing wrong with Matsuyama’s current form, as he came in fifth at THE PLAYERS and was T15 at last week’s Valero Texas Open.

Shane Lowry (+6500, FanDuel)

Lowry is the type of player you want to have some action on when conditions get tough.

He also showed a penchant for popping at big events, like when he won the 2019 Open Championship in windy, wet conditions at Royal Portrush.

And even if his form has been up and down in 2023, Lowry has some solid course history at Augusta, including a T3 last year.

Patrick Reed (+7000, FanDuel)

Nobody ever wanted to back Patrick Reed before he doubled down on his role as golf’s biggest villain by defecting to LIV, so it’s hard to imagine folks will be lining up to punt on him now. 

That is good news for shrewd bettors because it means that there will be contrarian value on Reed in the sports betting market, DFS contests, and pools.

The upside with Reed is plain to see. He won the Green Jacket in 2018 and has two top-10 finishes in his last three outings at Augusta National.

The downside is also easy to see — as it is with every LIV player — we just don’t know where their form is at compared to their PGA Tour counterparts.

But Reed’s play on LIV, for whatever it’s worth, has been decent.

He’s put up better results with every showing this season going from 38th to 18th to fourth last week in Orlando.

Plus, Reed finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January.

There are a lot of reasons to doubt Reed this week, but let everyone else pile on while you take advantage of a really strong price on a player who thrives in this role and at this course.

Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps

Danny Willett (+21000, FanDuel)

We’ve seen plenty of repeat winners at the Masters, so why not chuck in a long shot with a Green Jacket in his closet?

Even better, this particular long shot is known for his prowess in ugly weather and tough conditions.

A surprise winner at Augusta National in 2016, Willett is a player to have circled in case conditions truly go off the rails this week.

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