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2023 Masters Picks & Predictions: Golfers to Avoid

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It’s Masters week, the unofficial start of golf season — at least for those of us in the northern parts of the country.

The Masters is the first major of the golf season and arguably the best. Augusta National is a special place — a visually stunning course that tests the mettle of the best players in the world. Augusta requires precision approach shots and a deft touch on pitches and chips. Its lightning-fast greens can make even the best putters in the world look like amateurs.

Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, won his first major at Augusta last year and is among the betting favorites this week, along with Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm.

As if the world’s greatest golfers taking on arguably the world’s greatest course wasn’t enough, we get some extra spice with some of the prodigal sons of the LIV Tour joining their former colleagues in this week’s field. Players in the Saudi-backed LIV Tour have been banned from playing in PGA Tour events, but they are welcome at Augusta, which means we’ll see former Masters champs Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson.

Welcome to the second annual BettingPros Guide to The Masters. We’re going to drill down on the many wagering opportunities this tournament presents. We’ll take a closer look at the golfers with the best chances of earning the coveted Green Jacket. We’ll examine which bets look like sucker plays and which bets provide better value than a $1.50 pimento cheese sandwich at an Augusta concessions tent.

Check out all of our picks and predictions for the week in our 2023 Masters Betting Guide >>

2023 Masters Picks & Predictions: Golfers to Avoid

Get an Odds Boost of +1000 to Any Golfer to Win The 2023 Masters! >>

Viktor Hovland

I think Hovland will win a Masters before his career is said-and-done, although I believe he is not quite there yet. He is still young and improving, but I would need to see a price longer than 40/1 to take the 25-year-old to beat this absolutely loaded field. With that said, he looked strong in his T3 finish at THE PLAYERS, which featured a field similar to the one he will face this week. Hovland is likely just a couple more years of development away from being one of the betting favorites at the Masters, but for now, I will wait and see how he continues to improve before backing him in this event.

Tyrrell Hatton

Hatton’s recent form suggests that he’s capable of contending, but his fraught history at Augusta National suggests otherwise. As noted earlier, Hatton has broken par in 3-of-20 competitive rounds at Augusta. He’s only posted one Masters round in the 60s. Fade the temperamental Englishman this week.

More 2023 Masters Golfer Previews

Check out our previews for each of the top golfers competing for a Green Jacket this week.

Masters Odds Boost: Add +1000 to Any Golfer to Win! >>

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