Scottie Scheffler Heads into Masters Sunday with the 54-Hole Lead
In our latest episode of Going for the Green, we highlighted how only one golfer since 1985 has ever won the Masters while going off as a +450 favorite or shorter.
Well, after 54 holes of the 88th Masters Tournament, betting favorite with pretournament odds of +400, Scottie Scheffler holds a one-stroke lead heading into Sunday.
If you’re at all interested in betting on Scheffler to win his second green jacket, you can join the fun at -110, which seems to be the consensus on his odds heading into Sunday’s final round.
Backing Scheffler with a 54-hole lead at minus odds in non-majors isn’t always a terrible idea. However, heading into the final round of the Masters, I would proceed with extreme caution.
Scheffler’s wife Meredith is in the final month of pregnancy, due at the end of the month. During the Par 3 Contest, Scottie did not hesitate to say that he would leave at a moment’s notice if he got the call that she was going into labor. He was then asked again Saturday evening if he would leave, his answer remained the same.
Should Meredith not go into labor, Scheffler will have overcome the talent golfers within striking distance of him: Colin Morikawa (+350), Max Homa (+750), Bryson DeChambeau (+2000), and Nicolai Hojgaard (+10000).
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There are four within four strokes, including two former major champions trying to chase him down.
Collin Morikawa’s third-round 3-under-69 has him just one stroke back. With a win, Morikawa will win his first green jacket and third major championship (2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship).
The 2020 US Open winner and LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau sits four back and his shot at glory is still alive after holing out from the fairway on 18 for birdie.
The saying “No lead is safe at Augusta” comes from the many Masters winners who overcame larger than three-stroke leads on Sunday.
According to GolfWeek.com, 31 different times have the eventual Masters Champion come from behind while being down after all three rounds. However, Faldo, in 1989, was the last Masters Champion who started the round from outside the top four and was down by more than three strokes.