Only five players in golf history have achieved the career “Grand Slam”—winning the four majors, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Champions. The list is small but powerful: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Many players have come close, winning three of four, including such luminaries as Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Walter Hagen, Phil Mickelson and others.
Rory McElroy has won three of the four, with the Masters being the only outlier. It’s not like he hasn’t had a chance. He’s played in 10 Masters but never put on the Green Jacket. He was runner up in 2022 to Scottie Scheffler and finished in the top 10 five of those times.
Top Leaders
Could this be the year for Rory? He’s on fire, having won the two most prestigious tournaments on the early PGA schedule, Pebble Beach and the Players Championship—often called the “Fifth Major.” He’s well rested, having skipped last week’s Valero Open, so his eye is definitely on the prize.
But standing in his way is Scheffler. He’s won the Masters two of the last three years and he’s looking to be the first golfer to win back-to-back Masters since Tiger Woods in 2001-2002. He’s also looking to be the only player to win three times out of four years since Jack Nicklaus.
Place your Masters Bets at
These two giants are at the top of the betting leaderboard at BetMGM with Scheffler leading the way at +450 and McElroy second at +650.
But if you want to bet longshots, you can concentrate on players who have shot great scores early in the year. Let’s start with Irishman Shane Lowry. He’s played in seven events this season. His best finish was runner-up to countryman Rory at Pebble Beach and he’s got three top 10s. Bet Shane at +3300.
Swede Ludvig Aberg was one of the top rookies a few years ago. But his recent play has been up and down. In seven events this season, he’s either missed the cut or withdrew from three of them. He hit the jackpot by winning the Genesis Invitational, but coming into the Masters he’s missed the last two cuts. So maybe a rebound at +3000.
A player coming off a victory in his last outing, Aussie Min Woo Lee, has been solid all season. His win at the Texas Children’s Open was the first of his career and he could be rounding into form. Worth a shot at +4500.
Bettor Bets
Like any Masters tournament, there are many ways to bet that don’t offer the difficulty of predicting the winner. Let’s start with the leader after round 1. There are plenty of fast starters on the tour, who often fade as the tournament progresses. Will Zalatoris is fast out of the gate, and a good bet to lead round 1 at +4500. Two others to consider are Cameron Smith and Corey Conners, both at +5000.
At BetMGM there’s also a category to bet the winner by nationality—highest American (Scheffler +250), British (Tommy Fleetwood +200), Asian (Hideki Matsuyama (+140), Australian (Min Woo Lee +188) etc. Fun to play.
Also very fun is the LIV golfers, the rogue tour whose players are permitted to participate in the majors but no other PGA event. These are some of the top golfers in the world, so betting on who will be tops among their group is very interesting. Bryson DeChambeau (+360), Sergio Garcia (+1200), Tyrrell Hatton (+800), Dustin Johnson (+1400), Brooks Koepka (+650), LIV leader this year Joaquin Niemann (+500), and 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm (+350).
The most fun is to bet on the Seniors group—golfers over 50. Phil Mickelson defied age when he won the PGA Championship at the age of 50 in 2021, making him the oldest player to ever win a major. He’s a three-time Master champ but in this bet, we’re just wagering on whether he’ll be the leading senior playing the 2025 Masters. He’s got plenty of company and plenty of legendary competitors. Mickelson is at the top of the board at +150, followed by 2009 Masters winner Angel Cabrera (+450), two-time Masters champ Bernhard Langer (+500), 1992 champion Fred Couples (+750), and 2003 champion Mike Weir (+1800).
These are just a few of the ways you can make the Masters your own. Visit BetMGM to see the various bets on the 2025 Masters.
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