The first major of the season in professional golf gets underway this Thursday with first round action from Augusta in this year's Masters. There is a whole new crop of young guns at the top of the list of Bovada's futures odds for this year's event. While there are a number of different ways to bet on the Masters, some of the best value lies in the betting odds for a Top-5 finish.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy tops the list in almost every prop bet category as a 6/1 favorite to win his first green jacket that would complete a career Grand Slam in golf's four majors. The fact that the top golfer in the game today has never won at Augusta already drains a bit of the value out of his odds to win, but when it comes to finishing in the Top 5 of this year's deep-and-talented field, his odds go down to 11/8, which offers some excellent value as the top number on the board.

McIlroy's best effort in this event is last year's eighth-place finish, and so far this season he won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour while placing ninth in the World Golf Championships in early March. His lack of competitive play this season is somewhat of a concern, but the fact that he has some unfinished business at this course puts McIlroy at the top of my list for this prop bet.

Jason Day

Day has gotten hot at the right time of the year heading into this week's Masters. In early February, he won the Farmers Insurance Open, and since that point he was tied for fourth at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-AM and tied for third in the World Golf Championships. His betting odds for a Top-5 finish in this event have been set at 5/2.

This will be Day's fifth trip to Augusta as a pro, and he has already made himself a legitimate contender in his first four Masters with a second-place finish in 2011 and a third-place finish in 2013. He overcame a slow start last year to place 20^th in the field. Look for Day to be stalking the field come Sunday with some solid value to land in the Top 5.

Adam Scott

Scott spent most of the summer last season as the top-ranked player in world, and he already has a green jacket on his resume by winning the 2013 Masters. Prior to breaking through with his first career major, he finished second in the 2012 US Open, so the championship pedigree is in his favor this week at 7/2 betting odds to place in the Top 5.

Along with his win at Augusta in 2013, Scott has three other finishes inside the Top 10 in The Masters, including a second-place finish in 2011. Last year, a third-round 76 took him out of contention to fall to 14^th in the final standings. So far this year, Scott's best performance was a tie for fourth in the World Golf Championships. While he has been pretty quiet so far, that could easily change come late Sunday afternoon at Augusta.

Rickie Fowler

Moving a bit further down the list is Rickie Fowler at 7/1 betting odds to post a Top-5 finish this week. Current form may not be completely in his favor with just one Top-10 finish this season. However, the 26 year old remained competitive in the World Golf Championships with a tie for 12^th, and in late March he finished tied for 29^th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He is moving in the right direction.

Looking at his track record at this course, Fowler has appeared in the last four Masters. While his best finish in his first three events was 27 ^th, he broke through last year with fifth-place finish to pay off in this prop. He is another one of those up-and-coming players that can be a factor in any major he plays.

JB Holmes

If you are looking to stretch the odds a bit deeper then a play on Holmes to finish in the Masters' Top 5 at 8/1 could be a solid way to go. He is having an excellent season on the PGA Tour with close to $3 million in earnings, which is good enough for third on the money list and 12^th in the World Golf Rankings. The biggest plus to his chances this week is a victory in last week's Shell Houston Open. This followed a second-place finish in the World Golf Championships.

The downside is Holmes' lack of experience at Augusta. This will be the 33 year old's second career appearance in this event after finishing 25 ^th in the 2008 Masters, so I relying heavily on current form to carry me in this pick.

Get free picks from any Doc's Sports handicapper - there is no obligation for this offer and no credit card required. Just sign up for an account, and you can use the $60 in free picks for any Doc's Sports Advisory Board handicapper and any sport. Click here to get started now.

Read more articles by Dave Schwab