The Masters: Expert tips and picks for Augusta National golf major
We have called upon some of golf's best broadcasters for their Masters fancies, as well as four of the UK's leading golf betting writers.
Watch the video for expert picks from...
- Sky Sports pundits Nick Dougherty, Jamie Weir & Ali Whitaker
- Fantasy Golf experts Pat Mayo & Rick Gehman
- PGA Tour broadcaster Will Haskett & our own Ben Coley
Read on for more expert picks for the Masters...
Brian Harman to finish in the top 20
Former Sky Sports Golf editor Dave Tindall is a regular contributor to betting.betfair.com and various other publications.
Left-handers have a superb record at Augusta National and, without necessarily getting in the thick of contention, BRIAN HARMAN has the credentials to give southpaw backers another nice payout.
Harman has improved his Masters result on each visit, finishing tied 12th last year, and he backed that up with a pair of top-20s in the final two majors of 2021.
Also runner-up in the 2017 US Open, Harman returns to Augusta in decent nick with a fifth at the Valspar Championship two starts ago and a top 15 in Phoenix. A top 20 seems a very reasonable expectation at 3/1.
Padraig Harrington to be the top senior
Ben Coley is Sporting Life's deputy editor and long-serving golf columnist and tipster.
In the end I've left this selection out of my specials preview after the top-price 5/2 was slashed, but the remaining 6/4 about PADRAIG HARRINGTON proving the pick of the seniors is still perfectly fair.
Last week he warmed up by dropping down to the Champions Tour and finishing second, with Bernhard Langer a long way behind in 39th. Tellingly, Fred Couples didn't take part, and hasn't done in a tour-level event since November. He's been practicing at Augusta with Tiger Woods, but there are huge doubts as to his fitness.
The rest are unlikely to threaten unless Mike Weir can improve upon recent results and Harrington, who has been threatening to win on the DP World Tour and was fourth in the US PGA last May, is by far the man to beat. He might be worth putting in multiples with the rest here.
Brooks Koepka to finish in the top 20
Matt Cooper is a long-time Sporting Life contributor who previews the women's majors for the website and provides tips for multiple tours for betting.betfair.com and others.
There's surely no need to highlight how relentlessly BROOKS KOEPKA has been able to peak for the major championships.
On the other hand, the focus is most often on his superb win count (four) and top-10 ratio (16 in 30). It makes perfect sense, of course, because they are staggering numbers.
But since he became a full-time operator on the first tier in 2014 he’s also landed 21 top-20s in 27 major starts. That tally also includes eight in his last 10 and 16 in his last 20. In the Masters, he’s three-for-six, but all three came in his last four starts until injury ruined hopes of another last year.
Arriving this time in good health and encouraging form, Koepka is priced up as close to a 50-50 chance to finish in the top 20. Everything he's done as a professional suggests he's entitled to be much shorter than that.
Adam Scott top former winner (each-way)
Martin Mathews writes a regular PGA Tour tipping column on his own website, provides in-play event previews for Sporting Life, and is a regular Paddy Power contributor.
A market I am keen to get involved in this week is top former Masters champion and the one who appeals to me here is ADAM SCOTT.
Aside from Dustin Johnson, who appears to be trending nicely and is a worthy favourite, there are obvious concerns to me about others around the top end of the betting.
Jordan Spieth is really struggling on the greens at the moment while next in the market, defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, has been hampered by a neck injury recently and assuming he does tee it up at all it would be no surprise if he ended up with a weekend off.
Throw in the fact that Patrick Reed’s game has been in the doldrums of late and that Sergio Garcia has a terrible record in majors since his win here, and the ones who appeal most are Scott and Bubba Watson. With Watson's form up and down of late though I will home in on Scott who, with the exception of a missed cut at the weather affected PLAYERS, has been in really strong form this year.
The key to Scott’s solid play in 2022 has been an uncharacteristically strong putter, which see’s him ranked 13th for the season, while his iron play is on song as well. A second Green Jacket for the Aussie may be a bridge to far however he is a cut-making machine here and while the sentimental money in this market might be for Tiger Woods, the 2013 winner has been quietly building momentum.
He looks primed for another strong showing and rates a fantastic each-way bet at the prices.