Opinion & Analysis

Tiger shoots opening-round 68 at Bay Hill, is now the Masters betting favorite

Published

8 years ago

Mar 15, 2018

It’s happening. Tiger Woods is playing good golf, and the Masters hype train is full-steam ahead. After opening at 100-1 odds to win the Masters, Tiger is now the favorite to win at Augusta in 2018, according to Jeff Sherman, an oddsmaker for golfodds.com (according to his Twitter bio).

2018 Masters updated

T Woods 8/1
D Johnson 9/1
J Thomas 9/1
J Spieth 12/1
J Day 14/1
J Rahm 14/1
R McIlroy 16/1
J Rose 16/1
P Mickelson 16/1
R Fowler 18/1
B Watson 25/1
P Casey 25/1
S Garcia 30/1
H Matsuyama 30/1
T Fleetwood 30/1
M Leishman 40/1
A Noren 50/1
P Reed 50/1

— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) March 15, 2018

After 9 holes (he started on the back nine) at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill — where Tiger has won eight times — he was sitting at 3-under par. What also happened at that time was Sherman updated Tiger as the favorite to win the Masters. Clearly, bettors and Tiger fans had seen all they needed to see in order to put their money down on him winning another Green Jacket in 2018.

Related: See the clubs in Tiger’s bag

On the course’s third hole, however, with water looming left, Tiger hit a foul ball with a 3-wood off the tee and later realized the shot had gone out-of-bounds. Tiger was hot under the collar after hearing the news, and he threw his 3-wood headcover backwards in disgust as he started walking back to the tee to reload. He salvaged double-bogey, and he then made three more birdies coming home to complete his 4-under par round of 68; one of the birdies was a 71-footer after which all Tiger could do was smile.

WOW!!! ????@TigerWoods from 71 feet …#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/xO7XWJVv9p

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 15, 2018

Woods currently sits in a tie for fifth place, just two shots behind the leader Henrik Stenson.

Can Tiger win at Bay Hill for the ninth time? Will you bet on Tiger as the favorite to win at the Masters? Will Tiger win the Masters?

The questions above would have seemed ridiculous to ask just a month ago, but they’re now legitimate. Welcome back to the spotlight, Tiger.

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7 Comments

John

Mar 16, 2018 at 12:52 pm

No offence to any Tiger fans out there but if I can get a bet on him missing the cut I’ll be lumping on. He might be doing better than people expected but Augusta will expose any flaws in his game and confidence.

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J Jackson

Mar 16, 2018 at 6:42 am

It is very disappointing that the tv coverage is so centred on one player.

Reply Report comment
WigerToods

Mar 15, 2018 at 8:27 pm

Weird Stenson shot a blistering -8 and we’re talking about a guy who’s 4 shots back and didn’t do anything really special besides sinking a 71’ putt…. all while 2 guys holed out for eagle, 1 from a fairway bunker

Reply Report comment
- Dr Troy
  
  Mar 15, 2018 at 9:22 pm
  
  I get it, but you’re missing the point. The point is, Stenson doesnt create the buzz stories like Tiger does. Are most people interested in Stenson or what Tiger is doing in his comeback?? Yea, you guessed it. Not Stenson.
  
  Reply Report comment
- AP
  
  Mar 15, 2018 at 11:18 pm
  
  Did you see Stenson last week, atrocious… Him an Spieth looked like clowns, -8 under today, +5 tomorrow…..Consistency wins championships, not a great performance 25% of the time. TW wears the other leaders down, he shoots 68, 69, 70, 66 and wins because the other people don’t put up consistent rounds in the same tournament. Don’t jump on the Stenson bandwagon until he can string 3 decent rounds together. TW has done that in his limited starts and is only getting better stats-wise.
  
  Reply Report comment
- HKO
  
  Mar 16, 2018 at 12:34 am
  
  weird you complaining not talking about stenson in an article about tiger woods. if you don’t like him, just don’t come don’t read it. lots of ppl still root for him and not all o’ them are weird.
  
  Reply Report comment
Tartan Golf Travel

Mar 15, 2018 at 5:48 pm

This is hilarious. Vegas isn’t predicting a winner. Dumb people are running and betting him so they are lowering the odds. Tiger last won the Masters in 2005. There were a lot of healthy years in there. Frankly I can see DJ, JT and JS being around 10/1 but even those are terrible odds. Too many great players. Look at Louis at 50/1!

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Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

6 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

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Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

1 week ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

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Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.