What Azaleas? Bryson DeChambeau Game in Full Bloom at November Masters

Posted on: November 9, 2020, 09:48h. 

Last updated on: November 9, 2020, 10:12h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
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Bryson DeChambeau is the betting favorite this week at Augusta National, as the delayed Masters tournament is being held for the first time in November.

Bryson DeChambeau Masters odds golf
The azaleas might not be behind the No. 12 green, but Bryson DeChambeau is in full bloom at Augusta National. (Image: Golf Digest)

The 27-year-old DeChambeau arrives in Georgia ranked No. 6 in the world, and has his game in tip-top form. “The Scientist” claimed his first major in September at the US Open, where he won by a dominating six strokes on an extremely difficult Winged Foot.

DeChambeau is the consensus favorite to don his first green jacket at 8/1. It’s just his fourth trip to Augusta National, his three previous finishes a T21 in 2016 when he was low amateur, a T38 in 2018, and a T29 last year.

His track record at Augusta National isn’t exactly brilliant, but DeChambeau’s play over the past year has been. In his last 19 starts, DeChambeau has made the cut 18 times, finished inside the Top 10 a stupefying 11 times, and won twice.

DeChambeau Man to Beat

Jordan Spieth, who was once ranked the No. 1 player in the world and has a green jacket in his closet (2015), said recently that DeChambeau is more than just this week’s favorite.

This guy [DeChambeau] has to lose the Masters to not win the Masters,” Spieth opined on the Subpar podcast.

Length, which DeChambeau has plenty, as he’s leading the PGA Tour by more than 12 yards per drive at 344.4 yards, could play an even more important role at Augusta National because of expected heavy rain.

Tropical Storm Eta is forecast to become a hurricane as it travels up the Gulf of Mexico and makes landfall on the Florida Panhandle. The weather system is projected to travel through Georgia this week, rain currently expected in Augusta Tuesday through Sunday.

The world’s best players will all be gunning for DeChambeau. FanDuel has world No. 1 Dustin Johnson is at 19/2 (+950), Jon Rahm at 10/1, and Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy at 14/1. With a victory, McIlroy would cap off the career grand slam.

Tiger Woods has waited longer than expected to defend his 2019 Masters title because of COVID-19. His victory in April of 2019 was dubbed the Associated Press Sports Story of the Year, as it completed a comeback for perhaps the game’s all-time best player. Woods is at 40/1 to win his sixth green jacket.

2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia will miss his first major in 21 years by testing positive this week for COVID-19. It will break Garcia’s streak of playing in consecutive majors, which dates back to the 1999 Open at Carnoustie, when he was just 19 years old.

Masters vs. NFL

For the first time ever, Sunday at the Masters will go head-to-head with an NFL Sunday. DraftKings polled its customers to determine where their eyes will be Sunday afternoon.

DraftKings research finds that 53 percent of fans say the NFL will take priority over the Masters. And 79 percent “would rather see their favorite NFL team win on Sunday compared to 16 percent who would prefer to watch their favorite golfer win the Masters.”

The 2020 Masters is traditionally the most-bet golf tournament of the year. The smaller field, which includes past winners who have little to no shot of winning, makes wagering on the favorites a bit more attractive.