Three Bargains, Three to be careful of for Masters 2018

The Masters (5^th-8^th April) has seen its fair share of shock winners down the years, with the likes of Danny Willet (2016) and Angel Cabrera (2009) embarrassing those setting odds for the tournament. While it has a decent record of delivering on the favourites, the bookmakers can often get it wrong. 

This year’s tournament at Augusta is still a matter of weeks away, but the odds have been released by most major betting companies. Below are six players with whom it seems the bookmakers have erred. With three they seem to have gone too short, whereas, with another trio, they just might have overpriced their chances for Masters 2018 glory.

The point is not to make a statement if a player will win or definitely perform badly. Rather it is to highlight where the odds-setters have maybe got it wrong and, hopefully, steer you towards some value. To get even more bang for you buck, bet on the US Masters 2018 with Freebets.co.uk who provide links to the latest golf free bet offers. 

The Bargains:

Hideki Matsuyama, best-priced 25/1:

It seems a matter of when and not if Matsuyama will bag his first Major. He has been ultra-consistent over the last couple of years, and certainly should be priced among the favourites. He is currently headed by likes of Ricky Fowler and John Rahm at 14/1. Nobody would bat an eyelid if the brilliant Japanese player notched his first Major ahead of that pair. 

Alex Noren, best-priced 100/1:

Something of a late bloomer in golf, the 36-year-old Noren had a stellar 2016 and a big win in BMW PGA Championship in 2017. He now sits snugly inside the top 16 in the world rankings after losing a play-off to Jason Day in the Farmers Insurance Open. A huge price for a player on the up.

Gary Woodland, best-priced 125/1: 

Five long years without a PGA Tour win came to an end with victory in the Phoenix Open recently. Woodland has suffered the kind of personal tragedy that puts life in perspective, but he has been looking forward to focusing on golf in 2018. Could do much better than those odds suggest, and few would begrudge Woodland a fairy-tale win at Augusta.  

Three to be careful of:

Rory McIlroy 7/1:

McIlroy is certainly capable of getting back to world number one again, but he has been a bit patchy over the last couple of seasons. Put simply, it's a little strange that a player who last won the PGA Tour in September 2016 would be made favourite alongside Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth. He could obviously win, but aren’t the odds a bit wrong? 

Tiger Woods 18/1:

Everyone wants to see it happen and, while there are signs Tiger is making his way back to something resembling a top golfer, he should not yet be considered to be back among the world’s elite. Compare his price to that of Matsuyama for some perspective. Still, imagine the atmosphere if Woods was in with a chance when coming down the back 9 at Augusta on Sunday 8^th April.  

Thomas Pieters 35/1:

Thomas Pieters is a fine young player, and a firm GolfPunk favourite. At 26-years-old he has a bright future, which will likely include a Major win. Bookmakers are probably looking at his tied-4^th finish at Augusta last year when setting the odds… and it does seem as though he loves the course… but should the current world number 38 be priced ahead of players like Henrik Stenson (50/1)? 

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