AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods has set another record at the Masters. For the 24th consecutive time he’s played, he has navigated the cutline and will play the weekend at Augusta National. Woods has set the standard in so many ways for consistency throughout his career, but does making the cut really mean anything from a betting perspective? Should we be taking him seriously on Saturday and Sunday?
Tiger’s total of 145 after 36 holes places him in the top 30 entering the weekend. It was a remarkable Friday—playing 24 holes as he finished his first round then turned around and teed off in his second round less than an hour later—and displaying a well-round game throughout.
His strongest attribute has been his short game. We all saw the chip-in from off the green on the sixth hole today. He (and everyone) has needed that around the green acumen hitting just 47 percent of his greens in regulation. Now the field GIR average is going to be much lower than usual due to the incredibly windy conditions. I’m following play on property, and there’s just no way anyone can realistically prepare for conditions like this.
Going forward, can we bet Tiger over the weekend? I believe you can.
Tiger is hitting 80 percent of his fairways and gaining almost a stroke per round with his putter. We also know he’s saving strokes around the green. Four rounds of fatigue are his only headwind as we haven’t seen him complete a tournament since the 2023 Genesis Invitational. The gate looks strong, and he has a full day to recover before round three. He currently sits in twenty-fifth place.
I’m going to add him for a top 20 finish to my live betting card (DraftKings +150).
I’m also going to watch for weekend head-to-head matchups where Tiger gets paired with an Augusta rookie or player whose history down Magnolia Lane is inconsistent. Woods’ local knowledge is worth a couple strokes in any matchup like that.
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Let’s increase our action by taking the best player around Amen Corner. With just 50 and ties making the cut, there’s no doubt Woods can win us some more cash at the Masters.
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Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor and content partner with Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith’s winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
