Ricky Dimon
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Sports fans, get your popcorn ready for Thursday! What a menu we have; not only is it Opening Day in Major League Baseball, but it is also Day 1 of the Masters. And we already know for absolute certainty that this going to be an exciting Masters. After all, Tiger Woods is making an unexpected appearance at Augusta National to begin his comeback from a terrible 2021 leg injury. Can Tiger compete is an incredibly strong field led by Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and many others? We will find out soon enough!
With that, it’s time to dive into some of the best 2-ball bets for the first day of the season’s first major.
Dustin Johnson (-120) over Collin Morikawa
Now this is a fun matchup. Both are multi-major champions, and one of Johnson’s wins came at the Masters (2020). He has 4 other top-10 finishes at this tournament. Augusta National simply sets up great for Johnson, in part because of his distance. He also has way more experience than Morikawa, who has played in Augusta only twice, finishing T44 and T18. Johnson recently placed in the top 10 at the Players Championship, whereas Morikawa missed the cut there and was 68th at the Valspar Championship. Advantage: DJ.
Marc Leishman (-125) over Sergio Garcia
Garcia is a former champion of the Masters (2017), but since then he has missed 3 cuts in 3 starts. Combine that with lackluster current form (no top-25 finishes in any of his last 3 tournaments) and it is hard to be confident about Garcia’s chances this week. Leishman has 3 top-16 results in 2022. The 38-year-old Australian has an outstanding Masters history as well. He has 3 top-10 finishes at Augusta National, including a T5 effort last year. Leishman has played 4 consecutive Masters without shooting worse than 72 in the opening round.
Be sure to check out our full Masters 2022 preview, including a +1400 best bet!
Brooks Koepka (-110) over Rory McIlrory
I have McIlroy winning the Masters in my four-leg mega parlay for all four of the 2022 golf majors. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he has to go super low in the opening round. In fact, he probably won’t! As long as he doesn’t shoot himself out it, the Northern Irishman will be fine. You know how the saying goes: the Masters doesn’t begin until the back 9 on Sunday. Obviously that is not 100% accurate, but McIlroy himself is among those who can attest to it sometimes ringing true. Whereas the 4-time major champion started strongly in 2011 and then collapsed on Sunday, in recent years he has put himself in early deficits. McIlroy’s 3 most recent first-round scores are 73, 75 and 76. Meanwhile, 2 of Koepka’s last 3 opening rounds at the Masters are 66 and 70. In those events he went on to finish T2 and T7.
Head over to our Masters 2022 hub for everything you need to know about the big major!
Pickswise brings you the best free expert Masters Picks and Masters Predictions across all of the top golf betting markets. Be sure to check out our Masters Best Bets page for those 3-star plays.
