Masters betting: Justin Rose was 80-to-1 to win Masters, is now the big favorite after fantastic first round
For those who bet on Justin Rose to be the leader after the first round of the Masters, congratulations. You had an easy win.
Unfortunately, only 1.1 percent of bettors at BetMGM who wagered on the first-round leader can brag about that win.
Rose shot a scorching first round Thursday at the Masters. He was four strokes clear of Hideki Matsuyama and Brian Harman. Rose was 50-to-1 to be the first-round leader for the few lucky enough to bet him.
That's a nice place to be after the first 18. Rose has shot all the way to the top of BetMGM's odds to win the Masters at +350. Jordan Spieth's late rally lowered his odds to +750 right after he finished his round. He's second behind Rose. That's a massive jump for Rose. He was 80-to-1 to win the Masters before the tournament started.
We can't say nobody saw Rose's first round coming. But only one of about every 100 did.
Justin Rose has remarkable first round
Rose was near the middle of the pack when it came to the betting for the first-round leader. Only 1.1 percent of tickets written at BetMGM for the first-round leader were on Rose as of Tuesday. When you look at the percentage of money bet on that prop, it was even less. Only 0.6 percent of all the money bet on the first-round leader was on Rose.
Rose started slowly, at +2 through seven holes. Then he made eagle on No. 8 and was unconscious after that. He birdied Nos. 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17 and didn't have a bogey. On a day in which it was a challenge to record a great score, Rose made it look easy.
Some of the favorites coming into the tournament can confirm that Augusta was not easy on Thursday.
Favorites struggle on Thursday
The most-bet golfer to win the Masters, and to lead after the first round, was Jordan Spieth. Spieth accounted for 7.9 percent of the wagers on who would lead after the first round. Spieth spent most of his round over par and never threatened the lead, though he did rally to finish 1-under-par. Dustin Johnson had by far the most money bet on any golfer to lead after the first round, with some big bets pushing his handle up to 30.6 percent. Johnson had a tough day, putting up a 74.
Bryson DeChambeau was another popular bet to win the tournament and to lead after the first round. DeChambeau struggled most of the day and finished 4-over-par. Jon Rahm finished with an even-par first round and he was the leader among the five pre-tournament favorites until Spieth passed him.
One popular prop already lost for many bettors. BetMGM offered a prop on whether there would be a hole-in-one, with "no" being the most popular bet at +125 odds. Tommy Fleetwood aced the 16th hole, just the 23rd ace in Masters history, to cash the ticket for "yes" bettors before the first round was over.
Rose has had some good finishes at the Masters and some strong first rounds. If he can play even close to as well over the last three days as he did Thursday, a few bettors will cash a huge ticket.
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