The Masters golf betting news: Layers fear Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy

The mad scramble to attract business at the start of Major season has seen four bookmakers chalk up each-way terms of a fifth the odds the first ten places for the Masters, which starts at Augusta National, Georgia, on Thursday.

Betfair, Coral (online only) and Sky Bet are paying out on the top ten, Paddy Power are doing likewise for everyone bar UK shop customers (top eight), bet365 are a fifth the odds the first eight, while the rest of the bookmaking community are offering seven or six places. Given the field comprises only 87 players, many of whom have virtually no chance of success, the opening Major of the year is a wonderful opportunity for punters.

The early concerns for the layers centre around the two most high-profile players at Augusta – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Woods is seeking his 15th Major title, chasing Jack Nicklaus’s total of 18, while McIlroy is looking to complete a career Grand Slam.

“Tiger Roll was not the best result at the Grand National,” said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams. “And we would rather not see Tiger Woods in the Masters winner’s enclosure on Sunday night.”

The ever-popular Woods is fourth in the betting at 16-1, while McIlroy is clear market-leader, with no bigger than 7-1 available about the recent Saw­grass champion adding a Masters victory to his triumphs in the US Open, Open and US PGA.

Coral are particularly keen to see the favourite fail and spokes­man John Hill said: “The man we fear this week is McIlroy – punters wasted no time in getting stuck into the Northern Irishman. At bigger prices, Matt Kuchar and Charley Hoffman, who both played well in the Texas Open last week, have been popular each-way options.”

Bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth said a South African is causing them most worry in the early stages of Masters week. “A number of people have been sniffing around Louis Oost­huizen,” said Freeth. “He has gone close to Masters glory before and has been in good nick.

“In our ante-post book, Paul Casey and Francesco Molinari are significant liabilities having traded at 50-1, while there has been some surprising each-way support for Angel Cabrera at 1,500-1.”

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