Masters Golf Favorites: How Often Do They Win?

Sports Betting News Archives |
Written By Mo Nuwwarah | Published at April 8, 2025
masters favorites

For the second year in a row, the Masters has a relatively straightforward favorite. Scottie Scheffler managed to cash in on short odds in 2024. He hasn't been at his best in 2025, but the market still likes his chances narrowly over the hotter Rory McIlroy. Masters week seems the perfect time to examine the history of favorites in this event.

How have Masters favorites done over the years? Have they produced a positive ROI? Let's delve into what history tells us about Scheffler's chances for a repeat.

Masters Favorites: Top 10 In 2025 Odds

Find odds for this year's Masters favorites below. Click any odds to wager on Masters odds at betting apps in your area.

[metabet_core_side_odds_tile query="golf_tournament_stroke_winner/583704" size="100%x250" site_id="thelines" rows="10"]

Masters Favorites Have Lost 9 Units

Over the past 40 years, Masters favorites have entered the event with average odds of +535. They have won six times, producing 25 units of profit, assuming 1 unit flat bets on each.

However, the 34 that didn't make the entire betting strategy net out to -9 units.

Here's a look at the full strategy by the numbers.

Sample/Units SpentAverage OddsUnitsROI
40+535-9-22.5%

Betting on Masters favorites over the past 40 years produced a -22.5% ROI. Needless to say, that's not great. That's substantially worse than the expectation of making a blind bet every year, assuming normal sports betting vig/hold.

On average, these favorites produced a finishing position of 10.5. However, this ignores the four favorites who missed the cut, including two in the past four years (D. Johnson 2021, R. McIlroy 2023).

Before Scheffler in 2024, Tiger Woods was the last Masters favorite to cash in back in 2005. Woods accounts for many of the favorites' best finishes, posting four wins plus five more top-five finishes.

Recent years have been especially unkind to the favorites. Scheffler's win aside, the only other top-five finish in the past nine years came from Jordan Spieth (third, 2018).

See below for a complete list of results from Masters betting favorites.

List Of Masters Favorites' Results

YearPlayerOddsFinish
1985T. Watson+40010
1986S. Ballesteros+5004
1987B. Tway+500CUT
1988G. Norman+3505
1989G. Norman+4003
1990G. Norman+500CUT
1991N. Faldo+60012
1992F. Couples+5001
1993G. Norman+60031
1994G. Norman+60018
1995N. Faldo+60024
1996G. Norman+9002
1997T. Woods+8001
1998T. Woods+7008
1999D. Duval+6006
2000T. Woods+2005
2001T. Woods+1501
2002T. Woods+2001
2003T. Woods+15015
2004T. Woods+35022
2005T. Woods+3501
2006T. Woods+2004
2007T. Woods+1502
2008T. Woods+1302
2009T. Woods+2206
2010T. Woods+5004
2011P. Mickelson+60027
2012T. Woods+45040
2013T. Woods+3504
2014R. McIlroy+10008
2015R. McIlroy+6504
2016J. Day+65010
2017J. Spieth+65011
2018J. Spieth+10003
2019R. McIlroy+80021
2020B. DeChambeau+90034
2021D. Johnson+800CUT
2022J. Rahm+120027
2023R. McIlroy+700CUT
2024S. Scheffler+5001

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