At 11:45 a.m. ET, on Dec. 28, on your smartphone or computer, you were notified.
“It will be April 7 before you know it …” the GOLF.com social media post read, next to a photo of an Augusta National leaderboard and the words “100 days until the Masters.”
At midnight, on Jan. 1, you were alerted.
The start of the new year. Along with major szn now just double-digit days away. In other words, two of the best reasons (excuses?), on the first week of January, to bet on the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship. Go ahead, you even have our permission to wager on the winners of the four majors of men’s golf.
In fact, we’re here to help. Members of our staff have each made to-win bets using odds from BetMGM to assist you with your own futures selections, whether those are for a low-stakes office fantasy league, or (legal!) big-bucks bets with a sportsbook. But enough now with the small talk.
On to the picks!
Masters futures picks
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Jon Rahm, +900
The world No. 1 sealed his first major win last year, and his T-5 finish at Augusta last year makes me think he’ll put on quite a show in April. — Claire Rogers
Jordan Spieth, +1,200
It’s so hard not to root for Speith at Augusta. Factor in that new dad magic, and this feels like a lock. — Emily Haas
FIVE top-3 finishes since 2014?! Count me in on resurgent Jordan. — Jessica Marksbury
The man is a machine at Augusta, and this is the year he completes his comeback to the top of the sport. — Zephyr Melton
While 2021 didn’t give us much to celebrate, it did give us the Spieth comeback. The Masters will be the culmination of his comeback Tour. — Tim Reilly
Justin Thomas, +1,400.
JT’s temperamental putter is the biggest cause for concern, but Thomas’ game seems like a Masters-champion-in-waiting. He’ll be wearing green one of these days. — Luke Kerr-Dineen
He’s going to win this one year. That’s as sure a bet as you can make. And as the sixth player on the board, it’s a decent return if he does it in 2022. — Nick Piastowski
Xander Schauffele, 1,800.
A strong Augusta record. The brain cramp that did him in on 16 last year will not happen again. — Josh Sens
Patrick Cantlay, +2,000
20-1 is the most appealing number, assuming he’s played any golf since we last saw him at the Ryder Cup. — Dylan Dethier
Daniel Berger, +4,000.
We’re getting a first-time major winner in 2022, so why not Berger in the first major of the year? He’s hitting his athletic prime as a four-time PGA Tour winner with top-10s in all-but-one major. Berger is nails holding onto late leads — a quality that should serve him well late on Sunday. As my coworkers have pointed out, his shot shape could be an issue at Augusta. But I’d rather be concerned about his approach angle on 14 than whether he’ll be gripping the club too tight. Give me the Bergermeister. — James Colgan
Robert MacIntyre, +8,000.
Augusta loves a swing swingin’ lefty. Keep your eye on Bobby Mac, who T12’ed at last year’s Masters. — Alan Bastable
PGA Championship futures picks
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Collin Morikawa, +1,400
The LAST time the PGA was held at Southern Hills, the world No. 1 reasserted himself as the best ball-striker in the game with an awe-inspiringly casual win. This year, Collin Morikawa, as world No. 1, will do the very same thing. — James Colgan
I took a quick look at past Southern Hills majors and couldn’t make sense of any of them, so why not ride with the steadiest hand in golf? — Luke Kerr-Dineen
Brooks Koepka, +1,600
Koepka has five top-5s at the PGA since 2015 — including two wins. He seems made to contend in this major. — Jessica Marksbury
When he shows up to play in Tulsa, it will be pushing three years since his last major win. Way overdue. — Josh Sens
Jordan Spieth, +1,800
Spieth will use his Augusta momentum to complete his major grand slam. It’s time. — Tim Reilly
Viktor Hovland, +2,500
He wins his first major, in his “U.S. home” of Oklahoma. — Nick Piastowski
Patrick Cantlay, +2,800
Patrick Cantlay is this much less likely to win the PGA Championship? Looks like it’s 2 for 2 to start the year for PC. — Dylan Dethier
Louis Oosthuizen, +4,000.
It’s King Louis’ time. After an excruciating run of near-misses, Oosty will pick off his first of two major wins this year at Southern Hills. Classic swing for a classic course. — Alan Bastable
Louis has had SO many close calls in major championships over the past few years. He’s gonna earn his second major title in 2022. — Claire Rogers
Scottie Scheffler, +4000
The first two majors of the season will be bathed in Burnt Orange. With no finishes outside the top 20 in majors over the past two seasons, Scottie is a great bet to finally get it done. — Zephyr Melton
Abraham Ancer, +6,600
These odds seem crazy for a player who’s ranked 12 in the world. Tiger Woods is +5,000 for this event, and Abe is way less of a wild card when it comes to his health. — Emily Haas
U.S. Open futures picks
Collin Morikawa, +1,400
Brookline feels like a place Morikawa will thrive. — Jessica Marksbury
Xander Schauffele, +1,800
Xander brought home gold to the U.S., and he’s going to win his first major at the U.S. Open. Move over, Patrick Reed, we’ll be talking about a new Captain America come June 19. — Tim Reilly
Xander had a solid showing at the 2013 U.S. Amateur at Brookline, making it to the round of 16. That was long before most of us knew his name, so I’m excited to see him return (and hopefully win) this summer. — Claire Rogers
Patrick Cantlay, +2,500.
Relatively long odds for such a big-time player who is bound to bag a major before long. — Josh Sens
Viktor Hovland, +2,500
Seems like the perfect personality to win a major championship in what is sure to be a boisterous environment in Boston. And as a European, he’ll exact a stroke of revenge from last year’s Ryder Cup romp. — James Colgan
Tony Finau, +3,300
My new strategy for U.S. Open picks is to bet only on physically big and/or beefy golfers. It’s a simple screen that, at least in recent years, has proven accurate. Under those guidelines: It’s time for 6-foot-4, physical specimen Tony Finau to get his major. — Luke Kerr-Dineen
Sam Burns, +5,000
LOVE the odds for a big hitter and one of the hottest players at the end of last year. — Nick Piastowski
Abraham Ancer, +6,600
Too steady not to cash in at a major sooner than later and proved he can beat a world-class field at the WGC in Memphis last year. — Alan Bastable
Matthew Wolff, +6,600
66-1 is easily the most appealing number here. Built for U.S. Open golf. — Dylan Dethier
Phil Mickelson, +8,000
Lefty has five more cracks at winning the U.S. Open (assuming he doesn’t have another Kiawah-esque week at another major), so why not pick him in Boston? — Zephyr Melton
Cameron Champ, +12,500
I feel like there’s always one wild-card pick who wins a major — this is mine. Cameron Champ seems like a guy who’s due after a lackluster 2021 season. — Emily Haas
Open Championship futures picks
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Jon Rahm, +900
He’ll win a major in 2022. Why not at the Home of Golf? — Nick Piastowski
Bryson DeChambeau, +1,400
I’m making this selection for no reason other than my own childish desire to watch Bryson rip a 420-yard missile down the widest fairway in golf while holding a one-stroke Sunday lead. Doesn’t feel like too much to ask for. — James Colgan
The longest driver on tour, longer than he ever was, on the most wide-open, scorable course in the Open rota? And one that has routinely rewarded great drivers of the ball? Bryson is going to eat St. Andrews alive. — Luke Kerr-Dineen
Rory McIlroy, +1,400
A Rory win at the Home of Golf is one of those storylines we’re all rooting for, and I think it could happen. He’s ranked fourth in driving distance, he’s definitely due for a major win, and he knows how to play links golf. — Emily Haas
Louis Oosthuizen, +2,000
A winner on the Old Course before, Oosty does it again, smoothing his way around St. Andrews to cap the 2022 major season in style. — Alan Bastable
Twelve years after his lone major triumph here, wouldn’t it be cool to see him bag another? Given his major form in 2021, you know he’ll be in the mix. — Jessica Marksbury
Twelve years and six major runner-up finishes later, King Louis finally adds a second major title to his resume. — Zephyr Melton
Tiger Woods, +4,000
There’s magic in that fescue. — Dylan Dethier
The Open’s return to St. Andrews is something Tiger has had on his mind for years. It’s his favorite course in the world. Yes, Tiger still has a ways to go in his recovery. But the PNC showed us that the game is still there. It’s now a matter of if his legs can hold up to a full week of competition. If Tiger can continue to make positive progress and control his workload leading up to the Open, I’ll go with Tiger to top his improbable 2019 Masters win. — Tim Reilly
I won’t get my hopes up for the earlier majors, but I like to imagine Tiger will be good and ready to tee it up at the Old Course come July. — Claire Rogers
Cameron Smith, +5,000
A game honed on the firm, fast courses of Australia should translate well to the grandest of all links. — Josh Sens
