Longshots rarely win the Masters. It’s one of golf’s stiffest tests with one of its toughest fields, so the winner usually comes in with odds of 40/1 or below. That said, it’s not all that rare to see some dark horses sit atop the leaderboard after Round 1.
Justin Rose, Brian Harman, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout were all inside the top seven after play on Thursday last year and it was Rose who set the pace after going off at 66/1 odds. At the 2020 Masters, it was Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey, and triple-digit longshot Dylan Frittelli who shared the first-round lead in the unique November Masters.
The point is, while not every player in the field is live to win the green jacket, almost all of them are capable of putting together a red-hot round.
Here are five sleeper bets to be the first-round leader at the 2022 Masters.
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Bet $5, Win $150 for J. Spieth, R. McIlroy or D. Johnson to make the cut at the Masters
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2022 Masters longshot first-round leaders
Webb Simpson (+7500): It’s been a really rough few months for Webb Simpson, who hasn’t finished inside the top-40 of a full-field event since November, but buying the dip is often a good strategy in golf betting — especially with players of Simpson’s caliber. The 36-year-old has a major title, a Players Championship trophy on his mantle, and has finished T5-T10-T12 in the last three Masters. Simpson profiles as a good longshot bet across all markets.
Robert MacIntyre (+8000): The Scottish Southpaw came undone with a poor Saturday at the Valero Texas Open, but he seemed to put his game back together on Sunday, so hopefully he can carry that momentum into Augusta, where he finished T-12 in his debut in 2021. At some point, MacIntyre will make his way up the odds board and these big prices next to his name will be a thing of the past.
Kevin Kisner (+8000): Kisner’s past performances at Augusta leave plenty to be desired, but he’s got the type of game bettors should look for in a potential FRL play. When Kisner is dialed in, his putter gets white-hot and he can put together birdies in bunches. A strong performance at the WGC Match Play suggests Kisner is in form, so don’t let his track record at Augusta scare you off a play at these odds.
Kevin Na (+9500): Backing players with a strong short game and the ability to scramble their way out of trouble is never a bad idea at Augusta and Na fits that mold. He also has plenty of experience, with this being his 11th try at the green jacket. Na has finished inside the top-13 three times in 10 starts at Augusta and is in good enough form that these odds are worth a flutter.
Lee Westwood (+10000): You’re going to hear a lot about course history as you do your research for the Masters. Few courses reward experience quite like Augusta National and Westwood has had his fair share of ups and downs among the azaleas. Westwood has made 20 trips to this vaunted track and has two runner-ups, six top-10s, and nine top-20 finishes since 1997. He’s worth a flier to set the pace on Thursday.
