Included in this edition:

• Everything I’m Betting this week

• My Thesis on how this tournament shakes out

• My 10 favorite things about this week

Not going to post a big chunk of the preview this week because:

1. It’s Augusta, you should be caught up by now

2. I wanted to leave room for other stuff

3. The entire preview is free to read this week, so go check it out on-site

Just going to include an excerpt about some of the small changes to the course over the past couple of years. Again, the entire thing is free to read

Augusta National Golf Course

Perhaps the player whose opinion carries more weight than any other, Tiger Woods, had this to say about all the changes to the course over the years. “Augusta National has been at the forefront of trying to keep it competitive, keep it fair, keep it fun, and they have been at the forefront of lengthening the golf course. But also, they have been at the forefront of trying to keep it exciting. As the game has evolved, we have has gotten longer, equipment’s changed, and they are trying to keep it so that the winning score is right around that 12- to 18-under par mark, and they have.”

The only official change to Augusta National for this year’s Masters is the tee box at the par-5 second hole extended back and to the left by 10 yards. This increases the official scorecard yardage to 7,555 yards.

Three other “unofficial” modifications to the course have been noticed by observers. The back section of the second green has been enlarged towards the middle along with the slope leveled off the right greenside bunker. The former allows for a different pin position, while the latter negates the use of the front right portion of the green as a backstop for putts coming from the opposite direction.

Another alteration is the front right slope on the fourth green has been softened. This will help keep quality approach and bunker shots from bouncing away from the pin. Finally, the back right plateau on the par-3 sixth green has been enlarged and the back left section flattened. The goal is to prevent shots that are within 25 feet of a back left pin from funneling off the green. Meanwhile, on the back-right section of the green, the slope has been increased making the penalty for a miss in that area more severe.

If you haven’t already, also be sure to check out Noonan’s Players Guide

Swing into the Season for some great spring deals on golf gear and apparel. $200 off select TaylorMade and Callaway clubs, BOGO 50% off Walter Hagen gear, and more

More Bets

I think I’ve damn near got the full card for the week, I’m sure I’ll add more this evening, but I’ll tweet that sort of thing out.

From Monday:

Xander +1600
Brooks +2500
Niemann +2800
Bhatia Top Debutant +850

Adding On:

Rahm +1350

Xander Schauffele Top 10 +150

Sahith Theegala Top 20 +150

…and some props

Phil Mickelson to make the cut +115

Over 2.5 Total balls to hit water on No. 12 in Round 4 -150

Over 9.5 LIV Players to make the cut +115

No Hole in One +160

Hideki Bogey Free Round 1 +2200

Rory to miss the cut +650

Good Luck, Have Fun.

My Thesis

We talked about this on any media I did this week, but I am leaning towards this being another year of someone in the upper crust taking the jacket again. While some of the debutants are very talented, the experience factor still tends to rear its ugly head and show who’s been here and who makes the mistake first.

I can see one of the big name first timers squeezing into the top ten and making some noise, but in the end, Scottie, Rahm, Xander, Brooks, Niemann, Rory, and Hideki seem like a group that’s going to control the top of the leaderboard in some capacity.

That’s the fun though, golf is hard and unpredictable and sometimes shit happens. If Phil could T2 last year, why can’t someone with plenty of logged rounds here sneak up into that group as a bit of a surprise? Reed, Scott, Sergio, Bryson, DJ…

Guessing this rain will make conditions a bit easier once it’s through and we’ll see a final score of -13. Cut Line prediction: 146.

Overall, I just want to be spoiled with a great ending, preferably two of my outrights dueling it out down the stretch while I smile from the recliner.

Speaking of the Weather though…

It does indeed look bad on Thursday morning. I would expect delays, but it’s really tough to say how long and if we’ll still complete round one before sunset. It makes the wave advantage issue a bit a puzzler, something I’ll leave to the DFS guys.

Countdown: What I Love About Augusta

A quick love letter to this week, in the form of a countdown of the ten things I love most about the Masters.

#10 Ceremonial Tee Shots

Another one that every tournament should have. Legends of the damn game starting things off gives you something to look forward to Thursday morning.

Other sports have the anthem, golf has Tom Watson hitting a piss missile at 8 am at age 74.

#9 Work Grinding to a Halt

This is truly #1, but there’s an off chance my boss made it this far, so we’ll downgrade it a bit.

There’s something grand about just putting golf on three different monitors and half-assing it for two days. Already have the reps in from March Madness

#8 Champions Dinner Menu

Not something I cared about until Twitter. The wild range of takes every year kills me. Seeing grown men get mad over a meal is my favorite part of the run-up to the tourney. For the record, I thought Rahm nailed it and would crush that ham with him if I were (much) better at golf.

#7 Hole Names

Always a fan of this anywhere. But the attention to detail in the shrubbery and how iconic some of them are is a nice touch we don’t see much on tour outside of a few 3-hole stretches that have nicknames. Bonus points for some of them sounding a little dirty.

#6 Rory Not Winning

It’s been a while since I shat on Rors, and while I’m softening my stance on him a bit, as a known McIlroy hater, I’ve enjoyed watching this one illude him over the years.  

#5 Glassware

This is a dumb one to most maybe, but honestly, I started with it higher up the list. I LOVE stupid traditions like these where you get a prize at the end of the day.

If you hit a hole-in-one, after the round they just give you a big crystal bowl

Also, goblets are handed out for Eagles (it’s my understanding that you can collect unlimited goblets if you keep coming back and scoring some big birds), a nice crystal vase for the golfer with the lowest round each day, and another giant bowl should someone card a double eagle.

There is actually additional crystalware awarded today at the Par-3 Contest as well. The winner gets a (different) big old bowl, while anyone who aces a hole gets a vase. There’s also a closest to the pin competition in the tourney where a crystal pitcher is awarded to the winner.

#4 The Lottery

Bittersweet for me since I’ve yet to be picked, but it’s awesome seeing guys you know get the chance.

#3 The Tiny Caddie Jumpsuits for the Kids

Maybe it’s because I’m old and have kids and have become super soft but c’mon, look at how adorable these little jumpers are. They are tiny caddies!

#2 The Coverage

There’s nothing we complain about all year round more than the coverage, so I don’t take the amount of streams available right away Thursday morning for granted. Plus it’s a full weekend of the varsity from CBS and we shouldn’t see any “Playing Through”.

#1 The App

Kinda goes without saying that it’s maybe the best sports app ever made. It continually breaks my brain that it’s so good and somehow the PGA app for every other week of the year is so bad.

If you haven’t yet: Apple | Android

Bonus: The Rabbit Hole. Modeling Augusta has been difficult compared to most weeks, but that’s part of the enjoyment. Check it out for yourself at BetspertsGolf.com

Enjoy the week, gamble responsibly, take it easy on the egg salad and we’ll see you next week for more golf.