It’s not time for sportsbooks to panic, but the possibility that Tiger Woods could be in the hunt for a green jacket is much more real after two rounds than it was entering the tournament.
Woods shot a 4-under 68 on Friday at the Masters, putting him one back of a five-way tie at the top between Francesco Molinari, Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen.
Some sportsbooks are more concerned about Woods than others. William Hill took a massive bet on Tiger earlier in the week. The bet was for $85,000 and would pay bettor $1.19 million if Woods prevailed on Sunday. The bet was large enough to drop Tiger’s odds at the book from 14-1 to 10-1.
In total, 14% of the total money wagered on futures at William Hill are on Tiger to win.
Other operators with exposure are New Jersey’s top sportsbooks DraftKings and FanDuel. A DraftKings official told The Action Network that 27% of the money bet is on Tiger to win, which is a higher number than any sportsbook surveyed.
A FanDuel official said that 10% of the money bet is on Woods to win. The company also promised to refund all the entries in its fantasy golf contest if Woods wins.
After Woods finished his first round, FanDuel chief marketing officer Mike Raffensperger wondered aloud whether that promotion was a "terrible idea."
In hindsight, this may have been a terrible idea. @FanDuel has over $1M of exposure on Tiger via our Money Back promotion… Um, go @McIlroyRory? #TheMastershttps://t.co/FTKGRFqX4g
— Mike Raffensperger (@mraffensperger) April 11, 2019
Other sportsbooks have less exposure on Woods. He only makes up 5% of the money at PointsBet in New Jersey and 9% at Sugarhouse in Pennsylvania.
Woods sunk a 25-foot birdie on 14 to gain a share of the lead, but bogeyed on 17.
Woods hasn’t won a major since the summer of 2008 when he captured the U.S. Open. Woods has won 14 majors, including four Masters titles (1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005).
