Bet the Number of Major Wins for Top Golfers in 2019

As the calendar turns to April, golf season begins for casual fans. Tournaments have been going on for a long time already, of course, but The Masters marks the first time that a lot of casual fans and bettors really start to pay attention. Majors season has a different feel starting this year with the PGA Championship moved from August to May. The season is more condensed now as a result, with a Major each month from now until July.

At this time of year, every season we look towards who we expect to do well and how well we expect them to do. The gold standard in recent years is the 2015 season of Jordan Spieth. He started off by winning The Masters and U.S. Open and then followed up by finishing fourth in the Open and second in the PGA Championship. Brooks Koepka won two last year, but he didn't play the Masters and was underwhelming in Britain. So, who is going to step up this year? Or will the fun be spread around between four players? Because we live in a great time, we don't just have to speculate on it. We can bet on it. Books let us bet on several players in several different ways. Here's a look at the most interesting numbers available at BetOnline:

Tiger Woods: We might as well start with the only guy that most people really care about. Woods has won 14 Majors but none since 2008. He's had four multiple-win years along the way - he had three in 2000 and two in 2002, 2005 and 2006. And though he's on a long drought, he finished strong last year - sixth in the Open and second in the PGA. He has played only four regular tournaments this year. And while he has topped out at 10th, he is playing reasonably well, and expectations are high - even with some ongoing health issues. Last time out he made the quarterfinals of the WGC Match Play and beat Rory McIlroy convincingly along the way. Given the number of dry years he has had, and his age, it is no surprise that not winning a Major is still a clear favorite. But if you haven't written Woods off yet, you might look for a payday at a bigger price. He's at +350 to win one major and +2000 to win two. If you don't trust him to win, but like him to be consistently sound, then you could bet him to finish in the Top 20 in all four tourneys. That pays +600.

Jordan Spieth: Things have not been going well for Spieth. Really poorly. He won the Open Championship in July of 2017. And he hasn't won since. Not just a Major, mind you - nothing. And things have gone bleak in general for him. While he is not in a good place, the Masters is a special place for him. He was second the year before and after his win, and he finished third last year even when things weren't going great. And he was ninth in the Open last year as well and 12th in the PGA. He elevates his game when it matters most. But he'll have to elevate it a long way right now. If you somehow have faith in him, then you can be rewarded for your opinion. He is at +450 to win a Major compared to -700 for not winning one. The only time he has been top 20 in all four Majors was in 2015. You can get +650 if you want to bet that he will do so again. And he's at -500 to win exactly zero majors, compared to +375 for one and +2800 for two. At his best he's impressive, so he can't be counted out entirely. But he's not in a good space, so I can't find any value here.

Rory McIlroy: He's a four-time Major winner, but the last of those titles came in 2014. You could argue that he's due or that he's lost his big game touch. He hadn't won for a full year, but a Players Championship win on March 17 has got people excited for what he can do. He's at +250 to win a major, which is a relatively low price. And he's at +1600 to win two. I am not nearly as optimistic as these odds suggest that I should be.

Dustin Johnson: Your favorite on this from is Johnson, who is at +200 to win a Major, +225 to win exactly one, +1600 to win two, and +400 to finish in the top 20 in all four tournaments. Johnson has won only one Major - the U.S. Open in 2016. He had two more Top 10 finishes that year, but also missed the cut in the PGA. Last year he had two Top 10s but also missed a cut. He has won twice this year, including once in a WGC event, so he is in decent form. Betting him - or anyone - to be Top 20 in all four tournaments is a lousy idea. And these prices are two low to be attractive in any way to my eyes.

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