US Masters betting guide: what is the US Masters?

The US Masters is one of the four major golf tournaments on the PGA calendar each year. It is the first to be played, taking place in April, and is considered by many to be the top tournament to play in and the most prestigious to win. Played at the Augusta National Golf Club, only the best players on the circuit are invited to the Masters, with the top players from the previous year’s majors competing alongside the tournament’s past champions. Read on to find out about US Masters history and to get some top US Masters golf betting tips.

US Masters history

The US Masters was first played in 1934. In fact, the Augusta National Golf Club was founded – by former amateur champion Bobby Jones and his investment banker partner Clifford Roberts – with the aim of providing a service to the world of golf by hosting a major tournament. While Roberts proposed calling the tournament the Masters from the offset, Jones considered the name too presumptuous, so the event was originally named the Augusta National Invitation Tournament, officially becoming the Masters five years later in 1939. The tournament has been played every year since, except for a few years during the Second World War.

US Master betting tips: who are the previous winners?

Horton Smith became the tournament’s inaugural champion in 1934, and since then, many of the major names in golf have taken the trophy home, some of them multiple times. Previous winners include Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. With so many elite golfers competing, you can study the form of the players as intently as you want, but there are no guarantees as to what will happen on the day, and there’s always the possibility of a surprise champion.

Betting tips for US Masters: which countries have the most winners?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the US has produced more US Masters golf winners than any other country, with the tournament having been won by a US golfer on 63 occasions. It’s worth noting that only 39 US players have won the tournament, which means, of course, that many have won more than once – this is something worth considering when deciding where to place your bets.

The other countries with the most wins are Spain and South Africa, with six and five wins, respectively, followed by England, with four Masters titles. Germany has also won the US Masters twice. Japanese player Hideki Matsuyama won in 2021, becoming not only the first Japanese player to have won the prestigious tournament but also the first player from Asia to ever take home a Masters win.

How do players qualify for the US Masters?

The US Masters is an invitation-only event, and those invites only go out to the most elite golfers in the world. There are a few ways to get onto that exclusive invitation list, including winning other major tournaments such as the US Open, the Open Championship, the PGA Championship or The Players Championship. Winners of the British Amateur, Asia-Pacific Amateur, Latin America Amateur and US Mid-Amateur will also receive an invite.

Other ways to find your way onto the list are winning Olympic Gold, finishing in the top 12 of the previous year’s Masters, or finishing in the top four of the previous US Open, Open Championship or PGA Championship. In addition, any golfer who wins a PGA Tour event, qualifies for the Tour Championship, or ends up in the top 50 Official World Golf Rankings (either for the previous year or in the week leading up to the Masters) will also be invited. Lastly, any previous winner of the Masters is technically eligible to play.

While these are the official ways to qualify, it’s also worth noting that the Masters Committee have the power to invite, at their discretion, any international player who they believe deserves a place in the tournament, even if they have not qualified through any of these channels.

US Masters golf betting tips

There are a lot of different markets available when it comes to betting on the US Masters. If you’re looking for US Master betting tips and wondering what the best way to bet on the Masters is, you could consider any of the following markets.

Outright winners

As with any sporting event, if you think that you know who the overall winner of the tournament may be, you can place an outright winner bet on that player.

Each way betting

Each way betting is when you bet on a particular golfer to win or place highly in the tournament. Check when you place your bet what your sportsbook counts as a place. In golf, it’s generally the top five, but it could be the top four or the top eight. An each way bet is usually split evenly in golf, with half the bet on a win and half on a place.

Finish in the top 10

This bet is exactly what it sounds like – you place a bet that a particular golfer will finish in the top 10 overall at the end of the tournament.

Make the cut for the first round

Another popular bet at the Masters, and other major golf tournaments, is deciding who will make the cut for the first round. This bet settles during the tournament, once the cut is made, before the outright winner and other bets.

Betting tips for US Masters

When it comes to US Master betting tips, there are no guarantees. As with any other sporting event, you’ll want to study the form of the players in the run-up to the tournament and during it if you plan on making in-play bets. Remember to consider the stats we’ve already discussed. A US golfer wins the Masters most of the time, and it’s not unusual for a US player to win more than once.

There are other betting tips for US Masters golf to consider. For instance, outright winner bets will carry good odds, but picking a winner at Augusta is hard. If you’re not a regular bettor, you might want to play safe with a top 10 to win or an each way bet. Study the stats before placing any bet. Are you considering a hole-in-one bet, for example? The Masters has seen 34 over the years, with 24 of them on the 16th hole. Sure, a hole-in-one is a rare event, but the Masters has seen six of them in the past seven tournaments.

##US Master betting tips: FAQs

When does the US Masters take place?

The US Masters is the first US major and takes place in April each year. The 2024 tournament will run from 11th to 14th April.

Who is the favourite to win the Masters?

Jon Rahm is currently the favourite to win the US Masters 2024, with Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth also in the top five.

How to bet on the US Masters?

You can bet on the US Masters right here at LeoVegas. It’s straightforward to register and fund your account. Then, add the bets you’d like to make to your online betting slip.