Masters 2023 predictions, golf odds, best picks, props: Betting insider eyeing Scottie Scheffler to repeat
Rory McIlroy did not fare well at Augusta National Golf Club early in his career, as he finished no better than 15th in his first five Masters appearances. The 33-year-old native of Northern Ireland has turned his game around, however, posting seven top-10 finishes over his last nine appearances at Augusta. McIlroy will look to continue the surge and record his first victory at the course when he competes in the 2023 Masters, which begins Thursday. This tournament is the only one of the four majors yet to be won by McIlroy, who was the runner-up last year.
McIlroy is 15-2, while reigning champion Scottie Scheffler is the 13-2 favorite in the latest 2023 Masters odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Jon Rahm is 8-1 among the 2023 Masters contenders, while 2015 winner Jordan Spieth and Cameron Smith are 14-1. Before locking in any 2023 Masters picks or golf predictions, you need to see what proven golf betting expert Patrick McDonald has to say, considering his recent track record.
McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. He takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is having a profitable 2022-23 season. McDonald is up almost 17 units this season, meaning a haul of nearly $1,700 for $100 bettors. He is having a profitable season in both outright picks and head-to-head matchups.
McDonald nailed the Farmers Insurance Open, backing Homa (25-1) as his top choice. He hit another 25-1 shot at the Houston Open, taking Tony Finau to win, and finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on his outrights, including a monster 250-1 payout on Hudson Swafford at The American Express. Anyone who follows McDonald's advice has been cashing in.
Now, McDonald has focused his attention on the 2023 Masters field and has locked in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can see them here.
Top 2023 Masters expert picks
One stunning prediction from McDonald: He is fading Viktor Hovland, even though the Norwegian recently tied for third at the Players Championship. It was the seventh top-20 finish for the 25-year-old Norwegian in nine events this season.
Hovland posted four top-10s during the 2021-22 campaign, including a victory in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. He ranks in the top 15 in strokes gained off-the-tee and tee-to-green, but then his troubles begin. Hovland is 79th in strokes gained putting and 164th around the green, and McDonald expects that to be a problem for him at Augusta. See who else to fade here.
On the other hand, McDonald says "Scottie Scheffler should have a legitimate claim to another green jacket." The defending champion is ranked No. 1 in the world and has finished no lower than 12th in eight consecutive tournaments, going 118-under par during that stretch, before reaching the semifinals of the Match Play event.
Scheffler won two of his four starts prior to that event, repeating as champion of the Phoenix Open in February before recording a five-stroke victory in the Players Championship last month. He leads the PGA Tour in greens in regulation and ranks second in both scoring average and total strokes gained. See who else to back here.
How to make 2023 Masters picks, bets
McDonald has locked in his best bets for the Masters 2023 and has found multiple longshots he loves, including one golfer who's had plenty of success at Augusta, but is still listed at nearly 100-1 to win it all. You can only see the picks at SportsLine.
So which players should you target or avoid for the 2023 Masters? And which proven golfer in the Masters 2023 field could bring a monster payday of almost 100-1? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald's top picks for the Masters 2023, all from the expert who is up nearly $1,700 on his PGA Tour picks this season, and find out.
2023 Masters odds, field
See full 2023 Masters picks at SportsLineScottie Scheffler +650Rory McIlroy +750Jon Rahm +800Cameron Smith +1400Jordan Spieth +1400Justin Thomas +1500Will Zalatoris +1600Collin Morikawa +1600Max Homa +1600Xander Schauffele +2000Patrick Cantlay +2000Sam Burns +2500Jason Day +2500Tony Finau +2800Sungjae Im +2800Dustin Johnson +2800Viktor Hovland +2800Cameron Young +3000Brooks Koepka +3000Joohyung (Tom) Kim +3300Hideki Matsuyama +3500Matthew Fitzpatrick +3500Joaquin Niemann +4000Shane Lowry +4500Keith Mitchell +5000Tyrrell Hatton +5500Tiger Woods +6000Tommy Fleetwood +6000Bryson DeChambeau +6500Justin Rose +7000Corey Conners +7500Louis Oosthuizen +7500Patrick Reed +8000Russell Henley +8000Sahith Theegala +8000Abraham Ancer +8500Talor Gooch +9000Si-Woo Kim +9000Mito Pereira +9000Adam Scott +10000Bubba Watson +10000Chris Kirk +12500Min Woo Lee +12500Billy Horschel +12500Tom Hoge +12500Sergio Garcia +12500Scott Stallings +15000Gary Woodland +15000Kurt Kitayama +15000K H Lee +15000Sepp Straka +15000Keegan Bradley +15000Ryan Fox +15000Harold Varner +15000Brian Harman +15000Kevin Na +15000Alex Noren +17500Seamus Power +17500Harris English +17500Cameron Champ +17500Thomas Pieters +17500Charl Schwartzel +20000Jason Kokrak +20000Phil Mickelson +20000Kevin Kisner +20000Danny Willett +22500Adrian Meronk +22500J T Poston +22500Mackenzie Hughes +25000Taylor Moore +25000Francesco Molinari +25000Adam Svensson +30000Zach Johnson +35000Kazuki Higa +50000Fred Couples +100000Bernhard Langer +100000Vijay Singh +150000Mike Weir +150000Larry Mize +250000Jose Maria Olazabal +250000
