When Dustin Johnson mastered Augusta National, it wasn’t just the rest of the field at the Masters that were given a beating. Online sportsbooks also took a bath when Johnson donned the traditional green jacket as Masters champion.
On the eve of the Masters, online sports betting site MyBookie was touting Johnson as their second betting choice to win at Augusta, noting the action that Johnson was getting in the lead-up to the tournament. The odds on the golfer ranked No. 1 in the world had shortened from +1100 to +800 in the two weeks prior to the Masters.
Johnson entered Masters week ranked third in driving distance (328.8) and second in scoring average (66.8). He’d also finished second in the 2019 Masters. Even though before this year he’d never won at Augusta, Johnson was also a top-10 performer there in 2018 (tied for 10th), 2016 (tied for fourth) and 2015 (tied for sixth).
Coming into the Masters, Johnson had also finished either first or second in five of his six previous tournaments, so he was clearly carrying a hot hand.
Raised just 60 miles from Augusta in Columbia, S.C., as a golfer, the Masters was always going to be the event at the top of Johnson’s bucket list.
“Growing up so close to here, I was always dreaming of playing in the Masters, putting on a green jacket,” Johnson told casino.org. “Ever since I played in my first Masters, it’s always been the one I wanted to win the most. It still seems like a dream. But hopefully, it’s not.”
“Dustin Johnson” by myophoto is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Plenty of Action On Masters
There was a lot of action on the course at Augusta and even more action on the players at online sportsbooks around the world. The push back of the tournament from early April to mid-November due to the COVID-19 pandemic offered bettors plenty of time to get their wagers in on their favorites. The Masters future book opened within moments of the victory by Tiger Woods at Augusta in April of 2019.
“The market’s been up for so long, we’ve had lots of favorites,” explained William Hill Director of Trading Nick Bogdanovich.
That left bettors with more than a year to get their wagers down on the participating golfers. And with the tournament coming so much later into the golf season, the form charts on players were much more detailed.
“The Masters was the most-bet golf tournament ever at BetMGM,” BetMGM vice-president of trading Jason Scott told casino.org.
Johnson Cashes In
Even though Bryson DeChambeau teed it up as the pre-tournament favorite, there were also plenty of wagers backing Johnson to win it all.
“The book had significant liability on Tiger Woods,” Scott said. “But Dustin Johnson winning the tournament didn’t come without the sportsbook taking a hit, as we had a significant amount of tickets and handle on DJ.”
BetMGM took a $10,000 wager on Johnson at +1200 that won the bettor $120,000. In retrospect, getting odds of +1200 was a healthy offering to be able to be given access to for the world’s top performer. Johnson’s line quickly shortened after the tournament teed off and he carded an opening-round of seven-under par 65.
By the start of the fourth and final round, Johnson held a four-shot lead. His odds to win the tournament were down to -300, meaning a bettor would need to wager $300 to win a $100 profit on a Johnson victory.
He ended up taking the title by a five-stroke margin.
BetMGM wasn’t the only sportsbook left holding the bag by the Johnson victory.
William Hill indicated that five percent of its wagers and six percent of the total money wagered on the Masters was on Johnson. BetMGM offered that Johnson accounted for five percent of its bets and more than 12 percent of its handle. DraftKings reported Johnson’s name being on eight percent of its ticket slips and 11 percent of all money wagered.
By the way, the future book is already out for the 2021 Masters. If you want to bet on Johnson being the first player to win back-to-back titles at Augusta since Woods in 2001-02, he’s the opening-line favorite at odds of +650.