Bookies back Tiger at surprising odds for Masters

Ok so he’s won it four times. The US Masters, I mean.

And there would be some who would argue that Tiger Woods knows just about every blade of grass on Augusta National, having played it more times than I can count.

Tiger Woods (Credit: Anthony Powter)

Yet even a mug punter like me would not back the great man – at age 40 – at 20-1 to win the 2017 Masters.

He’s only just started playing again, for Pete’s sake…after more than 12 months out of the game.

Yet the fact Tiger appeared to pull up OK – and played halfway decent at the Hero World Challenge, already has bookies wary of his talent.

The day after Tiger’s successful return to competition play ended, finishing 15th and 14 shots behind the winner Hideki Matsuyama, he was listed 20-1 to win the 2017 Masters.

Amazingly, despite being ranked No. 650 in the world, Tiger’s quote was shorter than the world’s No 4 player British Open champion Henrik Stenson.

Others to figure prominently in betting included Jason Day at 8-1, Jordan Spieth 8-1,

Rory McIlroy 9-1, Dustin Johnson 10-1, Hideki Matsuyama 15-1, Bubba Watson 20-1 and Adam Scott at 20-1 and Stenson at 25-1.

While bookies rarely make mistakes, the 20-1 about Tiger does seem a little crazy…as does the 25-1 about Stenson, who won twice in 2016 and has shown himself to be one of the best players in the world with an Olympic medal and two runner-up finishes in recent weeks on the US PGA Tour.

Then again, Woods did finish all four rounds in The Bahamas without any health issues, and while he did throw in a few horror holes, he also led the field in the number of birdies.

Now that would come in handy at Augusta.