Can Tiger Woods stay in contention for all four rounds at Augusta this year?

The 2023 Masters is Woods’ second start of the season and just his fourth start since he returned to the course in 2022. Last year’s Masters was Woods’ first start since he suffered incredibly serious injuries to his right leg in a Feb. 2021 car crash.

Woods was clearly hobbled during the 2022 Masters. He made the cut for the 22nd straight time after shooting 71 and 74 during the first two rounds but struggled physically on the weekend and shot back-to-back 78s.

The strength and stamina of Woods’ right leg is again the major variable heading into this tournament. Even at Riviera in February, the site of Woods’ first start of the season, Woods’ leg was the biggest hindrance to his golf game.

We aren’t the first ones to tell you that Augusta National is an extremely hilly course; simply walking the course is a tough ask. And all those hills can produce awkward lies and angles.

But there’s perhaps no golfer in the field that knows Augusta better than Woods. That course knowledge and his five Masters titles are a reason why Woods isn’t as much of a long shot as he could or maybe even should be ahead of the tournament.

Here’s a look at all of the odds and specials you can get for Woods ahead of the tournament at BetMGM.

Win the tournament (+6600)

• Woods has the same odds as players like Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose. If we’re betting anyone at those odds we would take Rose because he’s been pretty good at Augusta in his career. In case you were wondering, there are 24 golfers with odds better than +6600 to win.

First-round leader (+5000)

• We’re confident that Woods will keep himself in contention on Thursday and not post a big number. Something like 70 or 71 feels right, especially if the first-round leader shoots 67 or so. But the chances of Woods ending up as the first-round leader feel extremely improbable. If you want to hedge a little bit and go for a top five at the end of the first day, Woods is at +800.

Make the cut (-190)

• These are the lowest odds of any Woods bet you can find all weekend. Woods has made the cut at 22 straight Masters tournaments. He’s missed the cut just once and that came in his second start at Augusta in 1996.

Phil Mickelson and Woods to make the cut (+160)

• See the difference in odds between this one and the one above? This parlay has much more to do with Phil than it does with Tiger. Mickelson has not played well recently and is making his return to Augusta after he was absent in 2022. Do you like the chances of Phil finding comfort in his golf game in what looks to be an uncomfortable situation back at the Masters?

Tom Kim and Woods to finish top 10 (+3500)

• Kim played a practice round with Woods, Rory McIlroy and Fred Couples on Monday. The phenom has been looking to put all the pieces together in his game recently and is making his first start at Augusta.

Joaquin Niemann and Woods to finish top 20 (+650)

• Niemann hasn’t finished in the top 20 in three Masters starts. He missed the cut in 2018 and finished in a tie for 40th in 2021 and finished tied for 35th in 2022.

Patrick Reed and Woods to finish top 40 (+130)

• We’d hesitate on this bet because of the anticipated course conditions this weekend. Rain is in the forecast for three of the four days of the tournament and the sogginess could make carrying the ball as far as possible in the air a huge priority. Woods still has plenty of distance in the tank. Reed has never been a bomber.