Online Reporter
THE air of invincibility surrounding Scottie Scheffler has thinned out a bit as the world’s top-ranked golf player searches for an elusive first victory in 2025.
He still drives down Magnolia Lane as the defending Masters champion this week and the consensus pre-tournament favourite to don his third green jacket at Augusta National. But, the perceived gap between Scheffler and second-ranked Rory McIlroy has closed significantly – at least in the eyes of oddsmakers.
McIlroy has already won twice this year – claiming a signature event at Pebble Beach and a second career title at The Players last month. The Northern Irishman is also in Year 11 of his quest to complete the career grand slam with a win at the Masters.
Scheffler is the +400 favourite at DraftKings, but has drawn just the third-most money to win this week at 10 percent.
Meanwhile, McIlroy has been backed by 16 per cent at +650, followed by Bryson DeChambeau with 11 per cent at enticing +1800 odds.
McIlroy also leads the field with 11 per cent of all total bets placed on this week’s winner. That’s ahead of Scheffler (10 percent) and DeChambeau (9 percent).
The story is similar at BetMGM, where McIlroy opened at +1200 but now sits at +650. He has been backed by the most money (14.8 percent) and total bets (10.6 percent).
However, he’s not the book’s biggest liability so far. That honour belongs to DeChambeau, who has drawn 9.5 and 8.1 per cent of the action, respectively, while his odds have ticked up from +1400 to +1600. – AFP/Sports Reporter
