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Analysis of Latest 2017 Masters Odds

The analysis of the most current Masters odds are of particular interest to many sports fans. According to Stephen Campbell, Jason Day was ahead of Jordan Speith. Spieth was essentially an old time favorite and very highly respected among the game’s elite. Players abilities based on past tournaments are constantly being analyzed. Sometimes accurate analysis is made, but other times this analysis can be completely inaccurate.

Another rising star, Rory Mcllory, managed to surpass Jordan Speith as runner up to the list of favorites. It appears some very talented golfers have surprised many with their unique playing skill and ability to beat some of the best golfers within the industry.

Bubba Watson and Adam Scott are respected golfers with a consistent record of impressive scores. However, it has been speculated that once the 81st Masters gets underway that these two well known professionals would more than likely be beaten by newer and more talented players.

Odds of winning the tournament are always published and made available to the public. The odds of successfully winning the Masters Tournament are quite interesting to say the least. A sample piece of what appears on the list of players and their chances of winning this very important tournament.

For example, Jason Day’s odds were listed as 7-1, followed by Jordan Speith 10-1, Bubba Watson 12-1, Adam Scott 12-1, Rickie Fowler 16-1 and the list goes on.

After a very disappointing year when Day finished 28th, many still speculated that Jason Day had a strong chance of rebounding and essentially winning the Masters. In addition, many feel that Jason Day would not only win his first Masters but his second major also.

Jason Day through all his efforts and obvious talents earned a 6th PGA Tour win. A PGA Tour win is quite an honor for any player and it always seems to garnish a great deal of attention from the media as well as the public.

Rory Mcllroy has won every single Major Championship with the exception of the Masters. Which many were surprised that Mcllroy has not had the pleasure of winning the Masters. Mcllroy was able to finish 14 consecutive rounds since 2011, which is still a good record. However, it seems apparent that Rory Mcllroy is no match for Spieth.

It seems that Rory Mcllroy has accepted the fact that Spieth is ahead of him in many ways and will more than likely continue to get better. Spieth seems to be one of those talents that only improves over time. Mcllroy has accepted that fact and he basically supports Spieth 100%.

Spieth posted one of his most impressive scores within his entire career. Spieth’s best score was 64 which he was able to achieve in 2015. With a score of 64 Spieth finished in 2nd place. However, in 2016 Spieth seemed to slip a bit and he was certainly not as effective on the course as he had been in previous years.

An analysis of Masters odds clearly shows that predictions can not always be accurate. However, once a skilled player enters the golf course almost anything can happen.

Impressive Masters Records

I was checking records set at the Masters tournament and found some really interesting information that most people would like to know. Therefore, I decided to share it here today.
The Masters records I am sharing with you include most wins, wire-to-wire winners, youngest winners, most runner-ups, and most top five finishes.

Most Wins

In the category of the most wins, the first spot belongs to Jack Nicklaus who did it six times in 1986, 1975, 1972, 1966, 1965, and 1963.
Arnold Palmer is on the second spot having it done four times in 1964, 1962, 1960, and 1958. Tiger Woods’ name is also on the second spot with most wins in 2005, 2002, 2001, and 1997.
Five players hold the record for winning the event three times. Jimmy Demaret won in 1950, 1947, and 1940. Sam Snead did it in 1954, 1952, 1949. Gary Player had three in 1978, 1974, and 1961. Nick Faldo did it in 1996, 1990, and 1989. Phil Mickelson had three in 2010, 2006, and 2004.
Twelve players had most wins twice in their career which includes Bubba Watson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Horton Smith.

Wire to Wire Winners

There are five players who are wire-to-wire winners or have held outright lead after all four rounds. Craig Wood was the first one to do it in 1941. Next was Arnold Palmer in 1960. Jack Nicklaus did it in 1972. Raymond Floyd was the fourth player to do it in 1976.

After four decades, Jordan Spieth was the fifth and last man to do in 2015.

Youngest Winners

The category of the youngest winners includes five names. Tiger Woods holds the record for the youngest winner. He did it in 1997 at the age of twenty-one years, three months, and fourteen days. The next name is Jordan Spieth who become the second youngest winner in 2015 at the age of twenty-one years and eight months. Seve Ballesteros did it at the age of twenty-three years and four days in the year 1980. Next is Jack Nicklaus who did it 1963 at the age of twenty-three years, two months, and seventeen days. The fifth name is Byron Nelson who did it in 1937 when he was twenty-four years and eleven months. The record of the oldest winner belongs to Jack Nicklaus who made it in 1986 when he was forty-six years, two months, and twenty-three days old.

Most Runner-Up Finishes

The category of most runner-up finishes has several names. Ben Hogan, Tom Weiskopf, and Jack Nicklaus hold the number one spot with four runner-up finishes. Ben Hogan was the runner-up in 1955, 1954, 1946, and 1942. Jack Nicklaus was the runner-up in 1981, 1977, 1971, and 1964. Tom Weiskopf was the runner-up in 1975, 1974, 1972, and 1969.

On the number two spot, there are five names all of whom were runner-ups three times. The first one was Johnny Miller who was runner-up in 1981, 1975, and 1971. Greg Norman was runner-up in 1984, 1979, and 1978. The third name is Tom Watson with runner-ups in 1984, 1979, and 1978. Raymond Floyd is the fourth name with runner-ups in 1992, 1990, and 1985. Tom Kite was runner-up in 1997, 1986, and 1983.

There are seventeen players who were runner-ups twice during their entire career. The names include Tiger Woods, Craig Wood, Ken Venturi, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Cary Middlecoff, Lloyd Mangrum, Davis Love III, Ralph Guldahl, Retief Goosen, David Duval, Ernie Els, Ben Crenshaw, Harry Cooper, and Seve Ballesteros.

Most Top 5 Finishes

There are eight names in the category of most top five finishes. Jack Nicklaus did it fifteen times. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson did it eleven times. Ben Hogan, Tom Kite, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, and Tom Watson did it nine-times each.

Biggest Sunday Comebacks in Masters History

Every April, I settle down to watch The Masters.  I feel it is the most interesting major in all of golf.  Part of the reason is that it signals the start of the season for most of us not living in Florida or Arizona.

For me, winning the green jacket is a sign that any player has finally hit the highest level of performance because of the difficulty of the Augusta course and the fact that a substantial lead heading into the final round of the tournament has proven to be no sure sign of success.  Let’s look at some of the guys who mounted the biggest Sunday comebacks to win the year’s first major.

1956 Jack Burke Jr.

I remember watching the ten shot final round turnaround that gave Paul Lawrie the 1999 Open Championship and the famous old claret jug, but I wish I could have witnessed the epic 1956 battle between two time major winner Jack Burke Jr. and amateur Ken Venturi that took place at the Augusta National Golf Course.

Entering the 1956 tournament Ken Venturi was a well thought of amateur who many felt would turn pro at some point in his career, a decision he finally made at the close of the 1956 season. I admire the goals and ambition of Venturi as he entered the 1956 tournament seeking to become the first amateur to win The Masters; looking back at the scorecards of the two players it shows me Venturi had led the field through the first three rounds of the tournament with Jack Burke Jr. one of the few men to eventually win the tournament without appearing in the final Sunday pairing.

On the final day Burke Jr. shot a steady one under par 71 and Venturi an eight over par 80, which gave Jack Burke Jr. the victory by one shot after an eight stroke turnaround in his favor.

1996 Sir Nick Faldo

The 1996 victory at The Masters by Nick Faldo may not be the largest turnaround in the history of any sport, but in the age of live TV the collapse of Australian Greg Norman is certainly the most infamous. As I look back on this famous final round turnaround I cannot help but feel sorry for “The Great White Shark” as he crumbled under the consistency and single mindedness of the Briton as they played together during that eventful final round.

Norman held an impressive four shot lead over Faldo as the pair began their round and looked as though he had found the secret to taming Augusta National. Unfortunately for Norman, Faldo continued with his famous monotonous playing style that saw him look to hit every fairway and green in regulation to place pressure on Norman throughout the round.

After seven holes it looked as though Norman would maintain his four shot lead, but five lost shots over the next five holes as Amen Corner bit the Australian who hit the water at Golden Bell to give Faldo a two shot lead. My admiration for Faldo is huge after his 67 on the final day gave him the victory and a sixth major win over Norman who shot 78.

2011 Charl Schwartzel

The Masters has recently struck me as a tournament that can still throw up a few surprises, just as it did in 2011 when Charl Schwartzel overcame a four shot deficit to defeat Rory McIlroy. Who among us has forgotten the final round 80 shot by the Northern Irishman as numerous players shared the lead on the final day of, for me at least, an unforgettable Masters.

Schwartzel hit a final round 66 to follow South African Gary Player as a South African champion of The Masters, holding off the challenge of a number of world class stars, such as Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, and Jason Day.

Predictions for the 2016-17 PGA Tour Season

The PGA tour is has arguably the most talented group of golfers we’ve ever seen, and 2016 only appears to be a continuation of that argument. Filled with players who are established and proven winners playing the best golf of their careers and plenty of young guns that have proven that they can win on the biggest stages. This season promises to be one of the most exciting yet, and these five golfers may be key players and guys to keep an eye on this year.

Kevin Kisner

Kevin Kisner may be the one golfer on the list who is under the radar, but that seems all too likely to change this year. A runner up finish shows a golfer who had a great tournament. Two runner up finishes makes one wonder, Kisner had four second place finishes including a second place finish at the Players Championship…hmm.

Adam Scott

Adam Scott, yes the former world No. 1 is here despite failing to notch a victory in 2015 (the first time that has happened since 2001). So how does this happen. Call this a mere adjustment period, as last year was the first time Scott couldn’t use the long putter since the PGA anchoring ban. Expect him to have that figured out this year, the rest of the story is the writing on the wall.

Bubba Watson

Bubba Watson is perhaps the most volatile golfer on this list, but it will all come down to putting for Bubba. With his tour experience and incredible length off the tee and from every where else on the course, if his putting is right then his potential could be the greatest. Don’t tell Watson this is a young man’s game, but…

Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth will be one of several golfers in 2016 to affirm that golf today is in fact a young man’s game. The thing about Spieth that belies logic is his maturity, however, and this is evidenced by his play in the biggest of tournaments. A major factor and consideration in every Major speaks for itself, and he’s only getting better.

Jason Day

Jason Day finished 2015 as one of, if not the hottest golfer on tour. Of course this didn’t surprise anyone, including Day. What’s really scary is that most experts and Day himself will quickly state that he hasn’t even come close to playing his best golf yet. It took a little while, but once Day began winning on tour a couple of years ago, well he has been simply the best in the game. That doesn’t look to change in 2016.

If you are wondering about the other big names, say McIlroy for example, well it just is more evidence of how talented and how loaded each field is at every tournament. Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and many others will make some noise this year too, but this may really be the most amazing and talented players in the history of the game. There was a day not so long ago when courses were thinking about making changes to “Tiger proof” them, there are just too many tigers, sharks and bears today. This should be fun!