*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
With Tiger Woods gearing up to play, anticipation for the start of the Masters is reaching fever pitch and it’s time then to turn our attention to the side markets, where, as always Paddy have priced up plenty for us to look at.
So let’s start things off by focusing on the First Round Leader.
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First Round Leader: Sepp Straka and Cameron Young
Looking at the weather forecast and wind does look like it could be a factor on Thursday with it increasing as the day progresses, so from that point of view I am going to focus on the AM tee times and chance a couple of debutant players Sepp Straka and Cameron Young at bigger odds.
Straka, who I risked in this same market recently at Sawgrass, tees off at 8.22am local time.
While not quite rewarding us at the Players, the Austrian, who now resides in Georgia, gave us a good run on Thursday before actually going on to finish in the frame come Sunday. With confidence still surely high then from that performance and his win a couple of weeks prior he should be relishing his Masters debut in his adopted home state. A possessor of a superb tee to green game, Straka is the type of strong ball striker who we have seen thrive at Augusta over the years and I’ll risk him at juicy odds to start quickly.
Big hitting Young, who tees off at 8.55am, has been a revelation in his debut season on the PGA Tour, posting two runner up finishes already, and it was only the brilliance of Joaquin Niemann that prevented him from landing the title at Riviera. With that track always being a great pointer to Augusta, the signs are that Young should enjoy himself here particularly as his distance off the tee will be a huge asset on the par fives.
Eleventh on tour in the round one scoring averages shows Young is accustomed to getting out of the blocks quickly and, in a market which Paddy are paying to six each way places, I am happy to jump on board.
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Top Continental European: Thomas Pieters
Moving on and in the Top Continental European market and with the safety net of three each way places on offer, I am happy to take a risk here that Thomas Pieters can upset the big three.
The big hitting Belgian has a fourth place finish on his Masters debut back in 2017 on his CV so we know that he is more than at home at Augusta and with a win to his name already in 2022 in Abu Dhabi he should arrive here with his confidence high.
Jon Rahm justifiably dominates this market however while he will no doubt have a solid week he has had his struggles on the greens of late and with Viktor Hovland yet to show he has the short game to conquer Augusta, and third favourite Garcia having missed all three cuts here since his victory in 2017, Pieters looks the value play to me.
Top Former Champion: Adam Scott
Another market that catches my eye is that of Top Former Champion and my pick here is Adam Scott.
Dustin Johnson is the worthy favourite here however behind the 2020 Champion we have players with a lot of question marks about them. Jordan Spieth has been having a torrid time on the greens of late and last year’s recipient of the Green Jacket Hideki Matsutama has been struggling with a neck injury.
With Partick Reed’s game off the boil recently and Garcia as already noted having his struggles here since his win, Scott and Bubba Watson are the two who stand out.
Driven by some uncharacteristically great putting numbers and solid iron play, Scott has quietly been putting a strong 2022 together. The 2013 Champion has been a cut making machine here over the years and while the sentimental money in this market may be for Tiger Woods it is the Aussie who gets the nod.
Top 20 Finish: Justin Rose
Finally I will turn my attention to the Top 20 finish market and side with Justin Rose.
Rose has lost his way somewhat over the past couple of years however his record here is one of huge consistency having only missed the top 20 three times in the past 11 years and with the wind set to be a factor the Englishman’s experience around Augusta could well be invaluable as the week progresses.
Rose’s game is certainly in better shape this year than it was last year when he still managed to finish seventh and I am happy to take him to produce another solid top 20 this week.
Masters betting tips
First round leader: Sepp Straka & Cameron Young
Top continental European: Thomas Pieters
Top former champion: Adam Scott
Top 20 finish: Justin Rose
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
READ MORE
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The latest US Masters odds are on PaddyPower.com now
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