Masters 2023 Odds Entering 2nd Round With A Cantlay-Schauffele Matchup Bet
Round 1 of The Masters Tournament 2023 wrapped up with Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka tied atop the leaderboard after all shooting 7-under par Thursday.
Hovland's eagle on the 2nd hole began what was perhaps the most impressive 1st round in the field. He didn't bogey a single hole and Hovland had the best day on the greens at Augusta, per DataGolf.com.
Rahm started in a 2-stroke hole with a double bogey after four putting on the 1st hole. From there Rahm went nuclear with back-to-back birdies and Rahm scored birdies in four of his final five holes of Round 1.
The Masters Tournament 2023 leaderboard following the 1st round courtesy of Masters.com.
Koepka is the only LIV Tour golfer in the top-10 at the Masters after 18 holes. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach (APP) and played like the golfer that won four majors from 2017-19.
Rahm's 1st-round 65 cashed an "End of Round 1 Leader" bet (+1800) I gave out earlier this week while previewing the Masters. Since Rahm is in a 3-way tie for 1st, the ticket got chopped down to +600.
Masters Betting Odds Entering Round 2 (DraftKings)
DraftKings Sportsbook's odds for the top-10 golfers to win the 2023 Masters Tournament after Thursday.
The entire Masters field should be very concerned about Scottie Scheffler. The reigning Masters champion is only three strokes back despite being tied for the 2nd-worst day on the greens at Augusta.
Otherwise, Scheffler was 2nd in SG: Tee-To-Green (T2G) behind Rahm, 2nd in SG: APP after Koepka and 6th in SG: Around-the-Green (ARG). All Scheffler needs to do is get hot with the putter and he'll be a threat.
Scottie Scheffler reacts after missing a short putt for eagle on the 13th green at Augusta in the 2023 Masters. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Jason Day showing out with a 1st-round 67 gives me hope he'll cash my "Winner Without Scheffler, Rahm, and Rory McIlroy" ticket at +1600. Day was mediocre off-the-tee but excelled putting, APP, ARG, and T2G.
Speaking of Rory, he has the 8th-best odds at DraftKings despite shooting a 72 to finish the 1st round even-par and tied for 37th. The driver was the only thing working for McIlroy as he lost strokes on APP and ARG Thursday.
At the moment, I'm not ready to jump in live on any golfer to win the Masters. My pre-tournament looks are at the bottom of the post. Instead, I'll focus on a head-to-head matchup in the 2nd round.
Patrick Cantlay (-105) > Xander Schauffele in Round 2
Schauffele finished the 1st round T6 at 4-under par while Cantlay is T26 entering Round 2 at 1-under. However, Cantlay struck the ball a little better than Schauffele and struggled on the greens, which is unusual.
Cantlay was 69th in SG: ARG and 80th in SG: Putting out of the 87-golfer field. But, entering the Masters, Cantlay had the most SG: Putting on Bentgrass greens. Putting is fairly random so I'll bet he has a bounce-back Round 2 on the greens.
Patrick Cantlay looks on at the 3rd green during the 1st round of the Masters. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Also, Schauffele ranked 63rd in SG: Off-the-Tee (OTT) in the 1st round despite shooting a 4-under. If Xander doesn't clean it up with the driver he'll end up losing strokes to the field eventually.
Finally, it's important scoring on the Par 5s at Augusta. Over the last 50 rounds, Cantlay leads the field in Par 5 scoring and Par 5 Efficiency: 550-600 yards. There are three Par 5s at Augusta that are within that distance range.
BET: 0.25 unit (u) on Patrick Cantlay (-105) to beat Xander Schauffele in Round 2 at DraftKings
Pre-Tournament Handicaps
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