Whether it's actual belief he can win the tournament or just the fear of missing out if he does, bettors unsurprisingly cannot stop playing Tiger Woods to win the 2022 Masters.
Name the sportsbook and Tiger is the biggest liability to win the major championship. And finish in the top 10. And make the cut. And miss the cut.
Yes, 25 years after his first Masters win, no one moves the needle in golf and betting on golf like Tiger Woods.
"It's not surprising to see the support," SuperBook VP of Risk Management and golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said. "We've seen him before come back from layoffs or winning the 2019 Masters after injuries. Anytime he's teeing it up, there's involvement from the public with him. Playing well or poorly, he always commands interest."
Sherman posted Woods at 100-1 throughout the year, but action has forced him to cut his odds in half to 50-1. That's roughly where the rest of the market has settled.
DraftKings has taken a $10,000 bet on Woods at 40-1 odds for a $400,000 profit if he wins his sixth green jacket. Woods has twice the amount bets and handle at BetMGM. His interest at PointsBet is triple any other golfer in the field.
The interest goes beyond the outright market.
Tiger is the most popular bet to finish in the top 10 at +280 at FanDuel. Out of all the bets on players to make the cut, more than half of them are on Tiger.
It's not just supporters getting in on the action. Those who don't believe Tiger is ready to compete after his injuries and layoff are investing heavily as well. When it comes to the "miss the cut" market at FanDuel, 53 percent of all bets are on Woods to fall short. The second most popular bet is Bryson DeChambeau at 11 percent.
The betting market for the 2022 Masters can't be accurately compared to 2021 or 2022 for Sherman's book in Las Vegas due to the pandemic. But he said the handle is on pace to surpass the 2019 Masters, which of course was won by Woods.
Ultimately, the results for sportsbooks could come down to Tiger vs. the field. Just like old times.
