The Danny Willett and Charl Schwartzel bettors could relate to the Will Zalatoris bettors.
Their man in contention on Masters Sunday. Shots away from a green jacket. And hours from a healthy payout. For the gambler.
Alas, it was not to be for Zalatoris or his backers last year, when he finished a shot behind winner Hideki Matsuyama. But had he, a $100 bet on Zalatoris to win would have paid a whopping $15,000, based on his 150-1 odds entering the tournament.
A Zalatoris win would have also continued a notable once-every-five-years run of “sleeper” champs. In 2016, Willett rewarded those who believed in him to the tune of $5,000, while Schwartzel delivered $10,000 in 2011.
In short, while the favorites do well at Augusta, so have players a little under the radar. Is there one this year? Let’s see if we can find a few:
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Corey Conners (+6,600): What’s not to like here? Ball-striking? Yes. Recent form? Yes (third at the Match Play). Augusta success? Yes (eighth last year, 10th at the November Masters).
Seamus Power (+8,000): Something started to click for the Irishman late last year — in order, he tied for fourth at the RSM Classic, tied for 15th at the Tournament of Champions, tied for third at the Sony Open, tied for 14th at the American Express, and tied for ninth at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He’s dipped a bit recently, so the number is now a healthy one.
Robert MacIntyre: (+12,500): MacIntyre finished 12th last year in his first Masters, and Augusta sets up well for lefties.
Kevin Na (+15,000): Another bet that’s relying on somewhat recent form — at the end of last season, he finished in the top 10 in four of his last six events. If you’re looking for a sleeper who can get hot quickly with the putter and ride it, Na’s your man.
Bonus! Bernhard Langer (+75,000): The ageless wonder knows Augusta — and how to play it — better than anyone. He (probably) won’t win, but a $1 flyer won’t hurt ya.)
Our staff likes a few more sleepers, too. They’ve each made a long-shot bet using odds from BetMGM to assist you with your own weekly picks, whether those are for a low-stakes office fantasy league, or (legal!) big-bucks bets with a sportsbook.
(Looking to play any of these bets yourself? We teamed with BetMGM and the online sports book is offering a new promotion: Get a $20 free bet when you bet the first 4 days of the tournament at Augusta! Sign up for an account to get into the action today.)
Let’s take a look.
Staff sleeper picks for the Masters
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Alan Bastable
Sleeper pick: Cameron Young, +10,000. What’s not to like about this guy? Bombs it, makes boatloads of birdies (4.68 birdie average is seventh best on Tour) and can putt. That’s usually an effective recipe at Augusta. Don’t let his MC at the Players fool you; he’s having a breakout year, which could really take off with a win.
Josh Berhow
Sleeper pick: Cameron Champ, +15,000. Champ’s had a rough 2022 and hasn’t fired a competitive round in the 60s since early February, but he has a decent track record at Augusta (T26 and T19 the past two years). With these odds, it’s worth a flier to see if he can have a good week on a course he’s had decent success on.
James Colgan
Sleeper pick: Tony Finau, +6,600. At the time of this writing, Finau has the same odds to win as his 2019 final-round partner, Tiger Woods. Woods has played 16 events in the three years since; Finau has played 70. It’s never been a question of talent for Tony. Maybe he puts it all together this week.
Dylan Dethier
Sleeper pick: Luke List, +10,000. A few names jump out as we get further down the board. Zalatoris at 33-1. Sam Burns at 40-1. Corey Conners at 50-1. Tiger Woods at whatever number you can get him. Max Homa at 100-1, if he has a good chipping week. But once you start wading into the actual sleepers, one name seems undervalued: Luke List. He’s been held back by his putting this season, but List is hitting it so well — No. 1 on Tour in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green — that if he can just get comfortable on Augusta’s slippery carpets for a few days, he’ll definitely be in the mix.
Emily Haas
Sleeper pick: Harry Higgs, +20,000. Think about how happy golf Twitter will be if we get to see the deep V-neck paired with the green jacket. Will Harry win? Probably not — but, boy what a fun Masters that would be. And with odds like these, why not?!
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Luke Kerr-Dineen
Sleeper pick: Stewart Cink, +30,000. Hear me out: 48 year-old Stewart Cink has won each of the past two seasons — his most recent just down the road from Augusta National, at Harbour Town. He finished T-12 at the Masters last year, and that isn’t even his best finish in this event. He notched a 10th in 2006, and a solo third in 2008!
Jessica Marksbury
Sleeper pick: Danny Willett, +15,000. A former champ with odds like these? Yes, please!
Nick Piastowski
Sleeper pick: Seamus Power, +8,000. Something has clicked here. It’s asking A LOT for him to win in not just his first Masters appearance, but his first major. But you’ll struggle to find a more confident player right now. Also the headline possibilities are endless.
Tim Reilly
Sleeper pick: Cameron Champ, +15,000. There’s no doubting his raw ability. Champ has struggled to consistently hone in his talent, but we’ve seen what he can do when he’s firing on all cylinders. With T26 and T19 finishes in the past two Masters, that’s a good sign that he feels comfortable playing at Augusta. And that’s enough for me to consider taking a flier on Champ at these long-shot odds.
