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USATSI

Tee times for the 2024 Masters are delayed by two-and-a-half hours on Thursday due to inclement weather. Once play begins, the featured group, as usual, will include Tiger Woods. He will tee off from Augusta National alongside Jason Day and Max Homa for the first two days. Day and Homa are no slouches in their own right, as Day is a former World No. 1, while Homa is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour. However, the star attraction is Woods, even though he's a massive 100-1 longshot in the 2024 Masters odds. Woods revealed this week that he "aches every day" following his assortment of injuries and surgeries, but he will still factor into plenty of 2024 Masters bets from both diehard and casual golf fans.

The 2024 Masters favorites include Scottie Scheffler (13-4) Rory McIlroy (10-1) and Brooks Koepka (11-1). Before locking in any 2024 Masters picks or golf predictions, you need to see what proven golf betting expert Patrick McDonald has to say, considering his recent track record.

McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in 2022 after stops at NBC Sports and RyderCup.com. Covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and more. Featured weekly on the Early Wedge, he has given out numerous winners already in 2024, including Jake Knapp (50-1) at the Mexico Open. 

Now, McDonald has focused his attention on the 2024 Masters field and has locked in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can see only see them at SportsLine.

Top 2024 Masters expert picks

One stunning prediction from McDonald: He is high on Sam Burns, even though he is a 50-1 longshot. In just his second Masters appearance last year, Burns shot par or better in three rounds and was in sixth place after Round 2 before tailing off. This season, he's placed in the top 10 in half of his eight events, including a third place at the Phoenix Open. He's hit his stride since 2021, with five PGA Tour victories and another five top-three finishes during this stretch.

Burns is masterful with his putter, ranking ninth in putting average, and is averaging the second-most birdies on tour. Plus, he doesn't just hit strong shots, he dodges bad ones, as he ranks in the top 10 in bogey avoidance. Burns ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in scoring average (actual), yet falls outside the top 25 in terms of shortest 2024 Masters odds. There's extreme value in utilizing him with golf bets and PGA predictions for Augusta, according to McDonald. See who else to back here.

How to make 2024 Masters picks, bets

McDonald is also jumping on an underdog who's had plenty of success at Augusta National but is still listed at more than 100-1 to win it all. You can only see his 2024 Masters picks at SportsLine.

So, which players should you target or avoid for the 2024 Masters, and which proven golfer in the Masters 2024 field could bring a monster payday of almost 100-1? Check out the odds below then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald's top picks for the Masters 2024, all from the expert who has been red-hot on his PGA Tour picks this season and find out.

2024 Masters odds, field 

See full 2024 Masters picks at SportsLine

Scottie Scheffler +325
Rory McIlroy +1000
Brooks Koepka +1100
Jon Rahm +1200
Wyndham Clark +1500
Xander Schauffele +1800
Will Zalatoris +2000
Hideki Matsuyama +2000
Jordan Spieth +2000
Viktor Hovland +2200
Ludvig Aberg +2500
Joaquin Niemann +2500
Cameron Smith +2800
Justin Thomas +2800
Patrick Cantlay +2800
Collin Morikawa +3000
Dustin Johnson +3300
Tony Finau +3500
Bryson DeChambeau +3500
Brian Harman +3500
Shane Lowry +4000
Max Homa +4000
Cameron Young +4000
Jason Day +4000
Matt Fitzpatrick +4000
Min Woo Lee +5000
Sam Burns +5000
Sahith Theegala +5000
Tommy Fleetwood +5500
Sergio Garcio +6000
Tyrrell Hatton +6000
Byeong-hun An +6500
Chris Kirk +7000
Tom Kim +7000
Russell Henley +7000
Patrick Reed +7000
Rickie Fowler +7500
Akshay Bhatia +7500
Corey Conners +7500
Sungjae Im +7500
Si Woo Kim +8000
Denny McCarthy +9000
Adam Scott +9000
Justin Rose +9000
Phil Mickelson +10000
Tiger Woods +10000
Stephen Jaeger +12500
Sepp Straka +12500
Nick Taylor +12500
Erik Van Rooyen +15000
Eric Cole +15000
Adrian Meronk +15000
Jake Knapp +15000
Keegan Bradley +15000
Matthieu Pavon +15000
Nicolai Hojgaard +15000
J.T. Poston +15000
Emiliano Grillo +15000
Harris English +15000
Thorbjörn Olesen +17500
Lucas Glover +17500
Luke List +17500
Adam Hadwin +17500
Taylor Moore +20000
Ryan Fox +20000
Kurt Kitayama +20000
Bubba Watson +20000
Nick Dunlap +20000
Peter Malnati +20000
Cam Davis +20000
Austin Eckroat +22500
Ryo Hisatsune +25000
Lee Hodges +27500
Adan Schenk +30000
Danny Willett +35000
Charl Schwartzel +35000
Gary Woodland +50000
Grayson Murray +50000
Camilo Villegas +50000
Zach Johnson +75000
Christo Lamprecht +75000
Fred Couples +100000
Mike Weir +100000
Neal Shipley +150000
Vijay Singh +150000
Stewart Hagestad +150000
Jasper Stubbs +200000
Jose Maria Olazabal +200000
Santiago de la Fuente +250000