The Masters: PGA Best Weekend Picks (2024)
Augusta National Golf Club showed its teeth during Friday’s second round, with less than 20 golfers in the field staying under par. The cut line sitting at +5 is indicative of how difficult it is to win the Masters. Now, players will attempt to climb the leaderboard to win the coveted green jacket, with a mixture of great ball-striking and putting to stay ahead of schedule.
As always, we’ll be looking at a few golfers who have a realistic shot of winning this event following Friday’s cut line. The analysis and recommended unit size for each wager are included for every player available on various online sportsbooks’ outright winner markets. Follow me on X @Matt_MacKay_ to get more free plays and PGA Tour best bets throughout the week.
The Masters: Best Weekend Picks
These plays are 0.5ou and 0.75u, or 0.5% and 0.75% of your betting bankroll. An exception is being made for the odds-on favorite, Scottie Scheffler. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Scottie Scheffler +125 (2 units)
The World No. 1 has looked sharp through the first two rounds at the Masters. Yes, he had a few bogeys on Friday, but that was a good outcome compared to how the field fared. With Scottie Scheffler in position atop the leaderboard in a three-way tie, this is a rare 2-unit wager to place in the outright winner market at Augusta National. He knows what it takes to win the green jacket and is top-five strokes gained on approach, tee-to-green, and around the green, making this worth the additional units.
Max Homa +500 (0.75 units)
Max Homa’s name hasn’t been atop many leaderboards lately but the Californian has changed this through two rounds at the Masters. Homa is still seeking his first major win and the coveted green jacket is well within reach after going one-under-par on Friday to gain a piece of the lead at -6-under-par. Recording only one bogey is a good sign and Homa’s ability to scramble and save from the bunker is going to come in handy down the stretch.
Ludvig Ã…berg +2200 (0.50 units)
Yes, newcomers to the Masters don’t tend to fare well when it comes to winning this major outright. However, Ludvig Åberg is special. He was the best performer in Round 2 and should continue to lean on his irons, ranked 26th strokes gained: approach and 15th strokes gained: off-the-tee. At 22-1 odds, we’re certainly investing half a unit to watch Åberg attempt to become the first debutant since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win at Augusta National.
Cameron Smith +3500 (0.50 units)
We’re only two years removed from Cameron Smith logging a third-place finish at Augusta National. The Aussie and current LIV golfer has four total top-ten finishes, including a runner-up in 2020. His ball-striking and putting remain sharp, so while he’s sitting at -1-under-par entering Round 3, we need to take advantage of his +3500 odds by staking half a unit on Smith to go on a run during his final two rounds. After all, he’s demonstrated he’s more than comfortable at this course and managed to go even par on a day where bogeys were abundant.
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Saturday:
- NHL Prop Betting Cheat Sheet
- Top MLB Odds, Picks & Predictions
- The Masters: PGA Best Weekend Picks
- UFL Week 3 PrizePicks Player Predictions
- UFC 300 Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions
- Premier League Matchday 33 Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NASCAR at Texas Odds, Picks & Predictions
Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros and BettingPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.