Books heavily favor Scheffler, McIlroy for Masters

Going into the 2025 Masters Tournament, one of golf's perennial questions is as prominent as ever: Can Rory McIlroy finally claim a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam and end his over decade-long major drought?

Bettors and bookmakers certainly see it as a possibility, but McIlroy will likely have to overcome golf's top player to do it.

Scottie Scheffler enters the Masters as the consensus betting favorite to win, showing +475 odds at ESPN BET. McIlroy is next on the odds board with +625 odds, with the next-closest golfer, Collin Morikawa, coming in at +1400.

Scheffler, the reigning Masters champion, has yet to win a tournament in 2025 -- the first time that has happened ahead of the Masters since before his first PGA Tour win in 2022 -- but he does have five top-20 finishes in six starts.

McIlroy, on the other hand, has gotten off to a blazing-hot start to the year, winning two tournaments and finishing 17th or better in all others.

Bettors seem to be buying into the hype, as McIlroy is the most-backed golfer by total bets at ESPN BET and BetMGM, which counts him as its largest liability.

"If he's going to strike, the time is right -- right now," Caesars Sportsbook's lead golf trader Anthony Salleroli told ESPN. "The public loves him. The book's slightly fair, I suppose, but short odds and very much deservedly so."

Another popular play is Bryson DeChambeau, who has attracted the most tickets aside from Scheffler and McIlroy at several sportsbooks. At +1500 at ESPN BET, he has the shortest odds of any LIV Golf player, though he shortened from +1600 to get there, while LIV league-mate Jon Rahm lengthened from +1400 to +1600. There is little consensus on DeChambeau across the marketplace, with some books listing him as long as +2000.

Among PGA Tour players outside the main favorites, Ludvig Åberg has been a very popular play, ranking in the top five for ticket and handle percentage at ESPN BET and BetMGM, where he is also a large liability.

"Despite a down year by his own standards, Scottie Scheffler is the clear favorite this weekend in Augusta, but bettors are finding more value elsewhere," BetMGM senior sports trader Matt Wall said via email. "Rory, Ludvig Åberg and Bryson are the worst results for the book, and we wouldn't mind Scottie getting his third green jacket."

Other players getting significant line movement in recent weeks, according to ESPN BET, include Corey Conners (+5000), Sergio Garcia (+8000), Brian Harman (125-1) and Denny McCarthy (150-1).