Thursday’s first round of the Masters has put New Jersey’s bookmakers into a spin. So much so they had to work furiously overnight reshuffling their odds.
This after Augusta National, once more at its splendid best, again stymied the strong pre-tournament +650 favorite, Rory Mcllroy.
The Northern Irishman stumbled badly in his 10th shot at a first Green Jacket. He posted a six-bogey, 1-over 73 as he slipped all of seven shots and 44 places behind the leaders.
Three-time major champion, Brooks Koepke, a major winner in two of his last three, is one of the leaders. Like the unconventional Bryson DeChambeau, the man sharing the lead with him, he shot a spectacular 6-under par 66.
Koepke, seeking a first Masters to go with two US Opens and a PGA title, got the huge galleries buzzing with five birdies in just six holes. But DeChambeau was close behind as he charged home with four birdies on each of the last four holes.
Veterans Mickelson and Poulter in contention
The rampant duo was closely followed by a seemingly-ageless Phil Mickelson. The 48-year-old fired a 5-under-67 to finish a shot clear of World No 1 Dustin Johnson and British veteran Ian Poulter.
Former Masters champion, Adam Scott and Spanish hope Jon Rahm were among the five players a shot back on three under. Also, there were American Kevin Kisner, Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat and South African Justin Harding, perhaps the surprise package of round one.
Tiger Woods, who opened with a five-birdie, two bogeys 2-under 70 was further back in joint 11th place. He is seeking his 15th major title and his first since 2008 and is just three shots off the pace.
The major change forced on the bookies by these round one developments is that Mcllroy has been dropped as the 2019 Masters favorite. His odds have nosedived from +650 to around +2500 (25-1).
Koepke and Johnson are the new favorites – depending on which New Jersey sportsbook you are betting on.
For example, FanDuel has installed Koepke as their new favorite at +490 with Johnson at +600. They are followed by De Chambeau, at +700. Rahm is at +1200 and Mickelson, Woods and Rickie Fowler at +1500.
Play SugarHouse, on the other hand, has installed Johnson as their new favorite at +450. Koepke is on his heels at +500, Chambeau at +650, Rahm at +1200 and Woods at +1400.
With some unexpected first round results creating uncertainty, the punter may find other differences among New Jersey’s sportsbooks. It may, therefore, be worth searching around for the best odds on offer.
Other New Jersey sportsbooks worth taking a look at including DraftKings, StarBets, 888sports, William Hill, PlayMGM, Caesars, and PointsBet
