Scottie Scheffler’s Masters Dominance a Bad Outcome for Sportsbooks

Posted on: April 15, 2024, 08:37h. 

Last updated on: April 15, 2024, 10:16h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is in a league of his own, a dominance in the sport of golf not seen since Tiger Woods in his prime. His -4 round on Sunday propelled him to his second green jacket in three years.

Scottie Scheffler Masters odds golf
Scottie Scheffler was unbeatable Sunday afternoon at Augusta National Golf Club. Scheffler’s second Masters green jacket wasn’t a great outcome for sportsbooks. (Image: Getty)

The 27-year-old Texan, the pretournament betting favorite at around +400 to +450, marched around Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday unfazed by both the ups and downs, his cool demeanor never changing. There were certainly more ups than downs, as Scheffler offset three bogeys with seven birdies.

Scheffler birdied holes three, eight, nine, 10, 13, 14, and 16. The most notable came on nine, a wedge that spun back down off the middle tier to just inches. The birdie on 10, his third consecutive, seemingly suggested the best player on the planet was about to separate from the contenders and enjoy a Sunday evening stroll around Amen Corner and the back nine of golf’s first major of the year.

Sweden Ludvig Aberg did his best to change that narrative. The 24-year-old rising star competing in his first major pulled off his own heroics on the ninth with a 25-foot sidewinder for birdie. Aberg’s momentum, however, slowed when he pulled his approach on the 11th into the water and made a double bogey.

Perhaps the one thing that could have prevented Scheffler from donning another green jacket was his wife. Scheffler pledged to immediately withdraw from the Masters should his wife Meredith go into labor with their first child. Fortunately for Scheffler and the many bettors who put money on him, her labor held off.

Sportsbooks Pay Big Losses 

Ahead of the Masters, every regulated sportsbook in the United States had Scheffler as the betting frontrunner. After finding his putting stroke in early March, Scheffler won back-to-back at the Arnold Palmer Invitations and The Players Championship. He finished tied for second the week before players arrived at Magnolia Lane.

BetMGM said Scheffler was on 14.5% of its Masters tickets and behind more than 19% of the money wagered. Fanatics reported Scheffler accounting for 15% of its Masters money and 9.5% of the tickets. ESPN Bet reported even more robust action on Scheffler at 22% handle and 10% of the tickets.

At +400, winning $100 bets netted $400. To make big money on the big favorite, some bettors went big.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy had $300K on Scheffler at DraftKings, which won $1.35 million. Fanatics said it took nine pretournament bets of more than $1,000 on Scheffler winning outright, including one $5,000 wager placed at +430 that netted $21,500.

Tiger Delivers Offsets Sportsbook Losses

Scheffler appears to be in the early stages of a World Golf Hall of Fame career after winning his second Masters in three years.

For 48-year-old Tiger Woods, his prime is well in the rear-view mirror, but that doesn’t stop bettors from habitually wagering on the 15-time major winner, especially at the Masters where he’s won five titles. Woods made the cut — an impressive feat for a man who has continually rebuilt his body and who deals with nagging injuries — but he finished dead last among the 60 players who played the weekend.

Several books, including BetMGM, said Woods was its biggest liability, as the hordes of tickets on long odds would have been a major financial blow.