Justin Rose was a three-figure price to win the Masters – now he is but a fraction of the odds to win his first Green Jacket after his day one heroics
We’re there. Don’t fret. We know you want to fast-forward to the Masters as soon as Christmas is over and the New Year’s hangover is gone.
Augusta National is the home of the first major of the year. It is probably the most immaculate golf course in the world and its beauty peaks in the Spring when the world’s best players turn up.
Scottie Scheffler won his second Masters title at a canter in 2024, just like he did in 2022. The American is still golf’s dominant force a year later, but is this to say he will walk to a hatrick of green jackets without us considering any other star?
Rory McIlroy won the Players Championship and the Pebble Brach Pro-Am in the months leading up to the Masters. This pair of stars emerged as the frontrunners in the betting.
As with the other three majors, the Masters is a chance for fans to watch players from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf League compete without a dividing line in sight.
We published this betting column early in 2025 and as we approached the Masters in the middle of April, we added to our selections with more detail, backing up the selections.
We also have the odds at the bottom of the column updated throughout the tournament to give you an idea of the top end of the betting market and which players are being backed in the next few weeks.
Let’s dive into our Masters Betting 2025 column.
The Masters betting 2025
Venue: Augusta National, Augusta, Georgia, United States Date: April 10-13, 2024 Coursestats: Par 72, 7,555 yards Defendingchampion: Scottie Scheffler (-11)
Jon Rahm won the Masters in 2023, overcoming a rampant Brooks Koepka who looked nailed on to win his first green jacket earlier in the week. Rahm hunted him down, shooting 69 on the final day to win by four shots.
The Spaniard’s record in Georgia is outstanding. Since making his debut in 2017, he has made five top-10s including his victory. His game clearly suits Augusta National. Rahm averaged 318 yards off the tee, ranked third in scrambling and first in greens in regulation in the LIV Golf League in 2024.
Length is key around Augusta as the club endeavours to extend the course to fight golf’s distance boom and he is evidently handy around the greens. These two elements are crucial and probably speak to Rahm’s consistency at the Masters.
Some punters might be put off by Rahm’s lessened activity having moved from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, but Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have shown LIV players still make the grade in the major class. Rahm still hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 at a LIV Golf event, performing well in Riyadh, Adelaide, Hong Kong and Singapore – very different golf courses.
In terms of Data Golf, Rahm’s performances haven’t diminished when compared with more active players on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. He consistently ranks in the top five of Data Golf and in the LIV Golf League, he has made the most birdies and has hit over 75% in greens in regulation.
Round One Verdict:
Not a good day for Rahm. He made five bogeys on his way to a 3-over 75. He was 10 shots behind Justin Rose after the first 18 holes.
Post-Round One Price: 100/1
Ludvig Aberg @ 18/1
Pre-tournament notes:
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Ludvig Aberg made an outstanding debut at the Masters in 2024. For a lot of the week, he looked the winner. The young Swede trailed Scheffler by three shots at the start of the final round but tied things up after seven holes.
He gained over two strokes in putting which is a huge plus, given the difficulty of the greens and this has been a down-point in his game before. He gained over a stroke off the tee and approaching the greens too, which led to his outright second finish.
It obviously wasn’t to be, but 2024 was Aberg’s first year in the majors. He came tied for 12th at the US Open and outside of golf’s big four events, he came second at Pebble Beach, tied for fifth at the Memorial Tournament and tied for fourth at the Scottish Open.
Aberg showed quality at a variety of venues. His inexperience might suggest his second Masters is too soon for him to win, but his first showing might act as a pipe-cleaner and Luke Donald showed no hesitation or doubt over his experience when choosing him as a wildcard for the 2023 European Ryder Cup team.
Aberg’s claims to be the Masters champion in 2025 took a nice boost when he won the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines, making four birdies on the back nine in the final round to win his first Signature Event and truly announce himself on a big PGA Tour stage.
His towering drivers and irons suit Augusta. He is a ball striker. He was seventh in total strokes gained and 14th in strokes gained off the tee last year on the PGA Tour. Statistically, it might be his putting holding him back which might put him on the backfoot if he was in with a chance at Amen Corner on Sunday, but this part of his game was excellent in Georgia in 2024.
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Round One Verdict:
It was good from Aberg. Really good, especially given he was level-par after 11 holes and made four birdies in the last seven holes – a stretch of golf where you can easily come unstuck. The Swede is in contention on just his second Masters starts
Collin Morikawa was unlucky not to win his third major in 2024. He came tied for third at the Masters, tied for fourth at the PGA Championship and came in the top 20 at the US Open and The Open.
He gained over a shot and a half approaching the green at Augusta in 2024 and almost a whole shot on the greens, which is a big positive to take to a course which has such difficult putting surfaces.
You couldn’t say he was in contention at the business end of these tournaments, but Morikawa was fifth in total strokes gained, 19th in strokes gained off the tee and seventh in driving accuracy last season. Similar to Aberg, it might be his putter that cost him a win at one of the big ones in 2024. Morikawa made a very solid start to 2025 by coming second at the Sentry and tied for 17th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational – two events at recognised courses with strong fields.
Morikawa won two majors in 2020 and 2021 in quickfire fashion. Some of us thought he’d perhaps peaked given in 2022 and 2023, he came second four times on the PGA Tour, winning only the ZOZO Championship.
He looks to be back. He has always been one of the best iron players since he turned professional in 2019, and this has and will help him no end at Augusta National.
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Round One Verdict:
Morikawa had a great round going. He made a great eagle on the 13th hole to 3-under for the day. But three late bogeys meant he finished with a 72, seven shots behind Justin Rose.
Post-Round One Price: 28/1
Cameron Smith @ 50/1
Pre-tournament notes:
Cameron Smith is one LIV Golfer who could certainly win a major in 2025. He has a great record at the Masters, without yet winning it. He has made five top-10s in eight appearances, doing his best to fight the dominant Scheffler in 2022.
He was the best putter in the LIV Golf League in 2024 and has always been superb on the greens. Given the difficulty of the putting surfaces at Augusta, this is a huge feather in his cap, and his quality with the short stick was never more obvious than when he won The Open at St Andrews in 2022.
Smith makes a lot of birdies, although he averages about 303 yards off the tee. Is this the difference between his chances and Rahm’s? Smith came second three times in the LIV Golf League in 2024. Although he didn’t get over the line, there’s no hiding that Smith is a winner and this looks an inflated price.
Smith’s putting has unsurprisingly been one of his best traits in 2025, as well as his game around the green where Data Golf is concerned. He is in the top 10 in scrambling and also averages over 300 yards off the tee in LIV’s stats.
Round One Verdict:
It was a very solid day’s work for Cam Smith. He made 16 pars, two birdies and one bogey. He was tied for 11th on 1-under after the first 18 holes, and in the hunt for his first Green Jacket.
Justin Rose re-entered the major conversation at The Open in 2024 by coming tied for second behind Xander Schauffele. Ironically, he also came tied for sixth at the PGA Championship but missed the cut at the US Open and the Masters.
But forgive him. Rose has a good record at the Masters. He came tied for fifth in 2007, tied for second in 2015 and he lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2017. The Englishman could easily be a multiple Masters winner and a cemented legend of the Georgia venue.
Not many players win majors over the age of 40, but there is a timelessness about Rose. He played solidly at Pebble Beach, Le Golf National and Hong Kong in 2024 and he could be in the mindset of ‘I only play for the majors now’. He also came in a tie for eighth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Round One Verdict:
Unbelievable start for 100/1 shot Justin Rose. He has now led five times after the first round of the Masters, which is a tournament record. He held a four-shit lead after a 7-under 65.
