Scottie Scheffler pushing towards Tiger-like Masters odds after PLAYERS triumph

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – THE PLAYERS champion Scottie Scheffler is on track to start as the shortest-priced Masters favorite since Tiger Woods in 2013 after his successful title defense at TPC Sawgrass.

On the 50th anniversary of the storied tournament, Scheffler surged home with an 8-under 64 on Sunday to fittingly become the first person to successfully defend THE PLAYERS. His 20-under total prevailed by a shot over The Open champion Brian Harman, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, all of whom missed birdie tries on the final hole to force a playoff.

Incredibly, Scheffler triumphed despite suffering from a neck strain that needed treatment over the final three days, including mid-round on Friday.

Following the victory, coming a week after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Scheffler was moved from +650 to +500 with BetMGM Sportsbook to win the upcoming Masters, played April 11-14 at Augusta National. Scheffler opened at +950 last summer and was still priced at +850 at BetMGM before his win two weeks ago at Bay Hill.

Should those numbers hold over the next month, or drop even lower, Scheffler will be the shortest-priced betting favorite at the Masters since Tiger Woods was +350 ahead of the 2013 tournament. Woods went on to finish T4 that year.

Updated odds to win the Masters (via BetMGM)

• +500: Scottie Scheffler
• +1000: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm
• +1800: Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth
• +2000: Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka
• +2200: Patrick Cantlay, Will Zalatoris
• +2500: Wyndham Clark, Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith, Ludvig Åberg

They’re also the shortest major championship odds since Jordan Spieth was +500 ahead of the 2015 Open Championship, after having won the Masters and U.S. Open earlier that season. Spieth missed a playoff by one shot that year at St. Andrews.

“Anytime you can be compared to Tiger is really special, but, I mean, the guy stands alone in our game," Scheffler said after his victory. "He really does.

“This is my eighth tournament win now out here, I've tied him in PLAYERS Championships. Outside of that, I got 14 more majors and 70-some PGA TOUR events to catch up. So, I think I'm going to stick to my routine and just continue to plot along, try and stay as even-keeled as I can.”

Consistency hasn’t been a problem for Scheffler. He is a proven performer as a front-runner. But the last two weeks has shown he can fire up a killer instinct from behind. Scheffler fell five shots behind in the third round at Bay Hill before ultimately winning by five. At TPC Sawgrass, he started the final round five shots off the pace, having not overcome more than a two-shot 54-hole deficit in his career prior.

The 27-year-old has been in the midst of next-level ball-striking over the last 18 months, but prior to winning at Bay Hill had failed to salute in an official PGA TOUR event since the 2023 PLAYERS.

Despite finishing no worse than T31 in 18 events, with 14 top-10s (and winning the unofficial Hero World Challenge in December), Scheffler was seen as underachieving thanks to struggles on the greens. He routinely finished near the back end of fields in Strokes Gained: Putting.

But midway through the Arnold Palmer Invitational something clicked and his percentages of made putts rose, spelling trouble for his competitors.

“I feel like I’m much more free in what I’m doing. I’m much more engaged in the process of things,” Scheffler added, an ominous thought for the competition.

As impressive as his Masters odds are, Scheffler is still a long way from the halcyon Woods days of being +150 ahead of majors of which he would go on to win. In his 15 major victories, Woods ranged from +150 at the 2000 Open Championship and 2001 Masters to a “juicy” +1400 at the 2019 Masters. Woods was +500 or less for 12 of his 15 major wins.

“I'm not going to remember the exact numbers, but like we're playing at Riv this year, and I hit my tee ball and this guy yells out like congrats on being No. 1 Scottie … 11 more years to go… 11 more years to go,” Scheffler said while laughing.

“We all idolize Tiger. He's been our guy. Watching what he did in special moments over the years is crazy to watch. I've learned a lot just from being around him. We're just very thankful that he's still a part of our sport.”

Scheffler’s lone major was the 2022 Masters where he cruised to a three-shot win after being priced +1600 pre-tournament. His worst finish from four starts at Augusta National is T19. While he failed to win a major in 2023, the Texan was the betting favorite in three of the four events, priced between +700 and +750 for each.

Should the current figures hold, it will mark the fifth time overall he’s the outright betting favorite before a major: 2022 PGA Championship (MC), 2023 PGA Championship (T2), 2023 U.S. Open (third) and the 2023 Open (T23).

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