Many regard the Masters as the best 96 hours of the sports calendar year. If the opening round of the 2023 Masters serves as any indication of what's to come this weekend, this year's installment of the famed major at Augusta National will certainly go down as an instant classic. We have already seen some big surprises, highlight reel shots, and the best of golf's best exhibiting their greatness on the gorgeous azalea-filled course. Today we will provide you with a between-the-rounds update on the best bets you can make based on what we saw in Round 1 and what we expect to see in the remainder of the 2023 Masters.
LIVE: Updates and highlights from Round 2 of the 2023 Masters | Round 2 tee times, coverage
The storylines have been plentiful, but 25-year-old Norwegian Viktor Hovland dominated them all from his 10:18 a.m. Round 1 tee time — not just with his fancy shirt, but also with his dominating play from wire to wire. The world's ninth-ranked pro shot an opening-round 65, seven shots under par and just two strokes from Augusta's course record. By the time the day was done, OWGR No. 3 ranked Jon Rahm and LIV defector Brooks Koepka joined Hovland atop the leaderboard at -7.
Not surprisingly, Hovland's BetMGM futures odds to win the coveted green jacket have launched from a pre-tournament +3500 all the way up to +1000. The only three golfers sitting ahead of Hovland on the odds board: Rahm (+350), reigning Masters champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (+550), and the resurgent Koepka (+750).
MORE: Tiger Woods' Round 1 | Jon Rahm overcame a double bogey to finish -7 | Tracking LIV golfers
While Koepka might be the black sheep of that foursome, Hovland still serves as the biggest shock of the opening round – not just because of his loud pink floral shirt from J.Lindeberg. He has gone 0-for-12 at majors throughout his four-year career, mostly due to his inconsistent short game and tendency to make costly errors in big moments. But Hovland was consistently great on Thursday — carding an eagle and five birdies — and proving that his recent efforts to improve his short-stick and iron play have paid off handsomely.
Still, recent history reminds us that green jackets are typically donned by the elite class of the sport — and oddsmakers are making it clear that they rank Hovland outside that creme de la creme. The other contenders on the odds boards have all been regarded as true Masters of the game, if you will.
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Scheffler, the OWGR No. 1, has held the top spot for the vast majority of the past year and dazzled the world by narrowly defeating OWGR No. 2 and regular majors contender Rory McIlroy at the 2022 Masters. Rahm has spent some time as No. 1 this season after multiple wins, and has four top-10 finishes in six starts at Augusta. Koepka is a past world No. 1, and he has finished in the top 15 in three of his past five Masters including T2 in 2019. Elite company, indeed.
So, who deserves your bets ahead of Day 2 of the 2023 Masters? Let's dive into the updated odds, and give you some best bets following an exciting opening round.
MORE: Watch the 2023 Masters live with Fubo (free trial)
All odds courtesy BetMGM.
Masters 2023 best bets following Round 1: Top value bet to win outright
Jason Day (+1400)
Day serves as yet another golfer who has spent time as the world's No. 1 and enjoyed plenty of success at the Masters. The Australian spent 51 weeks atop the world rankings between 2015 and 2017, and he logged three top-five finishes at Augusta between 2013 and 2019. But much like Tiger Woods over the past few years, Day battled nagging injuries in the mid-to-late 2010s that kept him from the consistent greatness he once maintained. Well, it appears Day's back injuries and vertigo are all things of the past now, because he has looked like one of the best once again so far in 2023. He has skyrocketed up the world rankings from No. 112 to 35, and he launched right into the mix of Masters contenders with his opening-round 67 (-5). He went bogey-free and carded five birdies, two of which were on the tricky par-3s of holes No. 4 and 16. Day has a game that was made for Augusta — he can drive the ball with power and accuracy, and he's one of the best in the biz around the green. We also love his chances to maintain consistency even if the conditions dampen due to the weather. He's a pro's pro and a Masters win would put him firmly back in the mix of best in the world. He was one of my pre-tournament DFS picks and he's our best value bet to don the next green jacket.
Masters 2023 best bets following Round 1: Best bets to finish top 5
Jon Rahm (-200) and Scottie Scheffler (-125)
As we have mentioned, the best of the best tend to perform throughout the brilliant four-day stretch we call the Masters. And no two golfers have been as on top of their games this year as Rahm and Scheffler. Rahm has seven top eight finishes this season, including three wins since January 8. He has been immaculate around the greens and his approach game and short-stick have looked even more impressive. Many analysts believe he's the undisputed No. 1, and a Masters win would certainly cement that. But Scheffler will have something to say about that — he's the reigning Masters champ, he has two wins since Feb. 12, and he's finished top-four in four of his past five tournaments. Maybe you don't like chalk — we get it — but Round 1 showed us that these guys came to play this weekend, and you can't find better Masters bets than these guys finishing among the top five.
Masters 2023 best bets following Round 1: Best value to finish top 5
Cameron Young (+175)
If it's plus odds you're looking for on a top-five prop, Cam's your man. Young shot an opening-round -5, tied with Day at T4 as the only golfers behind Hovland, Scheffler, and Koepka. One of the best drivers on the PGA Tour, the 25-year-old can light it up off the tee and from the fairway, maintaining the 14th-best tee-to-green SG and top-10 proficiency in approaches between 125 and 200 feet this season. Scramble mode can be daunting at times for Young, and his putter will certainly rear its ugly head on occasion. That said, as we said in our pre-tournament sleepers column: "if he puts it all together this weekend, the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year can easily make a run at his first major."
Masters 2023 best bets following Round 1: Best value to finish top 10
Rory McIlroy (+100)
Rory had a rough go in the first round, carding three bogeys and one double-bogey. But he also had five birdies, and he can turn things around as quickly as anyone in the game. Someone as long off the tee and as strong with his approach game as McIlroy will always have a fighter's chance to compete for a green jacket, especially with wet weather expected to play a significant part in the weekend. He's the world's No. 2 and the defending Masters runner-up for a reason, and he's a great bet at +100 to at least finish top 10.
Masters 2023 best bets following Round 1: Top LIV golfer
Brooks Koepka (-110)
I'm walking this one back after going with Cam Smith to finish as the top LIV golfer in my pre-tournament props picks. Koepka has looked incredible, and it would be downright impossible for me to bet against him after his opening round. He looks confident and poised in just about every aspect of the game, and he's making all the right approaches. We would still not be surprised if Smith (+400) made some noise, but Koepka has earned his status as the top LIV contender.
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Masters 2023 best bets following Round 1: Top amateur
Sam Bennett (-600)
Bennett has been absolutely amazing, finishing the first round at T6 with a -4. He's also teeing off at 9:30 a.m. Friday, well before the worst of the day's weather is expected to dump onto the course later this afternoon. You're taking on a lot of juice if you bet this one, but Bennett looks like an early lock to finish as the best am of the Masters.
Masters 2023 best bets following Round 1: Top Brit
Justin Rose (+170)
Rose opened with a very respectable -3, and he's currently the top-ranked Brit on the Masters scoreboard at T13. We have him edging out Matt Fitzpatrick (currently T17 at -2), Tyrrell Hatton (-1, T26) and Tommy Fleetwood (E, T37) as the best of the English, just as we had Rose as a pre-tournament value bet to place in the top 40. Rose does a lot of things well, and he has the poise to withstand wet conditions and make some noise this early afternoon. He has a very accurate driving game and he's solid with his approach and putting. The veteran Brit has proved throughout his 11-win career that he can catch fire with birdies and eagles at big moments. And while we don't love him to win, we certainly like his odds of finishing as the class of the English.
