3 to Live Bet, 3 to Fade for Second Round of the Masters
Tiger stole the show in the first round of the Masters, gritting his way to a 1-under 71, which leaves him in a tie for 10th place. Iain MacMillan already explained why you should fade him in the second round, but there's plenty of other opportunities to set yourself up for betting success on the weekend before the cut is made.
Here are three players to consider betting on and three to avoid betting on before the second round begins.
Masters Bets
Dustin Johnson (+600)
Currently 3-under par, Johnson was cruising in his first round before bogeying the tough par-4 18th. With the wind expected to pick up later in the afternoon, Johnson (10:12 AM tee time) has the more favorable end of the draw when it comes to weather and also has all of the tools needed to go low in the second round. His odds aren't great, but this might be your last time to get him with over +500 odds. He'll, he might be +200 heading into the weekend.
Sung-Jae Im (+800)
The outright leader at 5-under, Im also has an early tee time (9:39 AM) and a history of success at the Masters. He finished T-2 at the Masters last year and shot under par each round. If he does that again, he could be donning a green jacket on Sunday.
Rory McIlroy (+3000)
Mcilroy only made two birdies on Thursday and struggled on the greens, which is historically the weakest point of his game. But, as BetSided's Ben Hiesler pointed out, McIlroy has historically performed worst in the first round of any major. The fact that he's only six shots off the lead could actually be viewed as a good thing based on his past struggles in the first round. Coupled with his outstanding driving (No. 1 in the field off the tee in the first round) and an early tee time (10:45 AM), I like him to get into red figures heading into the weekend.
Masters Fades
Patrick Cantlay (+1100)
Cantlay come on strong on the second nine, shooting 2-under par, which is his current score, just three off the lead. Why would I fade him now? He struggles putting from around 7-feet, ranking 196th on tour in that distance. In the first round, he gained only +0.36 strokes putting. That'll always get you eventually at Augusta. I also don't like how short his odds are -- he's currently the fifth-betting favorite.
Collin Morikawa +4000
Speaking of bad putting, Morikawa gained -1.50 strokes putting in the first round of the Masters, 13th worst of the field. That's not good. He may be an outstanding iron player, but his putting is streaky and it's clear it's not streaking in the right direction this week.
Danny Willett, +7500
Currently just two strokes off the lead, Willet shot a 3-under thanks to his putting. He gained the most strokes putting in the field in round one. In the second round, he tees off at 12:57 PM, when the wind will be howling. You can't putt your way to a good round in those conditions. The odds may be intriguing for someone this close to the lead, but don't fall for it.