Leading up to the 2023 Masters Tournament, there were plenty of story lines out there to influence the betting public. Rory dominated so much of the pre round chatter, it seemed almost irresponsible not to bet on him. His odds of +750 reflected the sentiment that it was finally going to be Rory’s year. Well, Rory is on his way home. He missed the cut, going 72-77. Augusta continues to vex him.
Last year’s champion, Scottie Scheffler, had an even shorter price, at +650. With recent wins at WM Phoenix and the Players Championship, Scheffler was showing great form and obviously poised to win his second green jacket. Right? Well, on Friday Scheffler shot an uninspiring 75 and is currently way
down the leaderboard. A repeat seems unlikely at this point.
Brooks Koepka seems to be in control of the tournament, sitting atop the leaderboard at 12 under par. Jon Rahm isn’t far behind Brooks but Rambo’s pre round odds to win the tournament weren’t all that tempting either. Nobody was going to get rich betting on Scottie, Rory, Rahm or even Brooks. But another option that Vegas didn’t see coming is giving a few punters hope of cashing in big. Sam Bennett. Wait, who? Sam Bennett is the amateur who went out and shot a pair of 68’s. Going into the weekend, the Texas A&M senior is sitting high on the leaderboard at 8 under par.
Before the first shot on Thursday, the odds of Bennett winning the tournament were +100000. For perspective, a ten-dollar bet on the favorite, Scottie Scheffler would return $65.00. Where a ten-dollar bet on Sam Bennett would bring home $10,000 dollars! That’s a pay day!
There is still a long way to go before Bennett can make history. And with dogs like Brooks and Rahm to contend with, it won’t be easy. I just hope he bet a little on himself. If Big Money Sam were to put on the green jacket, he wouldn’t receive any purse money, because like all of us, he is still an
amateur.
