It doesn’t matter that Tiger Woods has played one round of tournament golf in 2024 or that he hasn’t won a Major since 2019 or that he’s dealing with daily aches and pains from a worn-down physique.
When “Big Cat” shows up at the Masters, bettors show up at sportsbooks ready to wager on an outright win.
“The man is a legend.” Caesars Sportsbook Golf Lead Anthony Salleroli told Covers. “Any time legends tee up people want a piece of the story.”
Woods isn’t anywhere near the top of the Masters odds list. In fact, there are more than 40 golfers ahead of Woods, who's +14, 000 to win the Masters, at DraftKings.
However, the all-time great is the online sportsbook’s biggest liability.
Woods opened up at +10,000 and fell to +12,500 at BetMGM, but that’s not stopping bettors.
Despite being outside the Top 5 in bets or handle, Woods is BetMGM’s largest liability.
Fan favorite
As of Wednesday afternoon, Woods was receiving 5% of the handle and 6% of the tickets at DraftKings.
"For years, Tiger had such short odds to win. Now, bettors see a favorable number for one of the greatest golfers of all time and want to jump on it," Johnny Avello, DraftKings' director of race and sports operations, told Covers. "We did see him win in 2019 as a relative longshot, so the belief is he can do it again."
He was over 4% at BetMGM, and FanDuel said at +15,000, Woods is getting the second-greatest share of bets behind favorite Scottie Scheffler and the third-highest handle to win outright.
“Betting action has been consistent for Tiger any which way they can bet him, but tournament winner is by far the most popular,” Salleroli said. “His swing looks good. He spoke confidently, and TV couldn't talk/show enough of him. The media definitely assists in magnifying his action.”
Going exotic
A sixth Green Jacket for Woods would tie him for the all-time lead with Jack Nicklaus and fill bettors’ pockets with green as well.
But defeating a loaded field of golfers isn’t the only action getting attention. Many online sportsbooks are offering “Tiger Specials.”
At FanDuel, one of the most popular markets is to “make birdie or better on the first hole” at +800. Another prop that’s gaining steam is Woods to make a hole-in-one at +10,000.
Woods has made 23 consecutive cuts at Augusta National, and sportsbooks are taking heavy action on whether or not he’ll be around for the weekend.
Woods has the highest handle and number of bets to make the cut (-115) at DraftKings.
At BetMGM, he’s getting 88.3% of the tickets and 89.4% of the amount wagered, the most of any golfer, to get to the third round.
‘Hurt every day’
There’s no denying that the 48-year-old isn’t anywhere close to where he was physically when he won the Masters in 2019. He’s undergone several surgeries and had to recover from a car accident.
Last year, he had a foot issue that forced him to withdraw from the Masters after the second round.
So it’s important to note that an early withdrawal could result in losing tickets once he takes his first shot on Thursday at 1:24 p.m. ET.
“I hurt every day,” Woods said Tuesday. “I ache. No, I ache every day. And I prefer it warm and humid and hot. And I know we're going to get some thunderstorms. So, at least it will be hot. It won't be like last year.”
