The Masters is always one of the most hotly-anticipated betting events in the golf calendar, with punters constantly looking for trends and form lines to help them predict the winner.
After diving into Golf Tips Checker's data archives, there was one particular trend that peaked my interest, and it could point to a player who has a great chance of a first Green Jacket at The Masters this year...
Who was the most tipped player in the run up to the Masters last season?
When having a bet on the golf, many punters like myself head to social media and crawl through the preview pieces from the best online golf tipsters. In 2019, Golf Tips Checker launched a service for those who like a flutter, collating all of the tips from the most knowledgable golf betting brains to produce an easily digestible round-up of the most fancied players on any particular week.
Over the course of six tournaments at the start of 2023, starting at the Farmers Insurance Open and finishing at the WGC Dell Match Play, six-time PGA Tour winner Max Homa was tipped a staggering 141 times. On average, Homa was tipped 23 times per tournament, ranking in the top-10 most popular players in 50 percent of his starts.
To put that into context, Homa was overwhelmingly more popular than other Augusta hopefuls such as Collin Morikawa (111), Patrick Cantlay (98) and Tony Finau (108).
The 2023 Masters
Interestingly, the popularity surrounding Homa carried through to Augusta National in 2023, ranking as the 4th most tipped player (28 tips) for the first major of the season.
A final round 78 quelled the enthusiasm, as he eventually settled for a tied 41st place finish, but that was actually the best result of his career at The Masters and demonstrated progress in his fourth attempt.
Could Homa win the 2024 Masters?
My gut feeling is yes, absolutely he could, and the data suggests he could be popular again this year.
In seven events so far this season, Homa has four top-16 finishes, including a tied 8th place at The Arnold Palmer Invitational. He also ranks 17th for Strokes Gained: Total in the past 12 months, so certainly has the game to contend at Augusta.
When you consider that you can still get Max Homa at a best price of 50/1 for The Masters, it might be worth taking an each-way chance on what appeared to be a popular selection twelve months ago.
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