Tiger Woods knows there won’t be many more weeks like this. You can hear it in his answers at Augusta National ahead of the 2024 Masters. He appreciates the opportunity ahead of him. He loves being on the property, in the field, as a serious competitive player, something it seemed he may never be able to do again at multiple times over the past decade. 

He also knows his window as a competitive Masters participant is closing fast, so there’s nothing he’d love more than to get back into contention one more time, and make a run at catching Jack Nicklaus with a sixth Masters victory. 

“If everything comes together, I believe I can get one more,” Woods said Wednesday. 

He is enough said. The likeliness of it all coming together is an interesting question to consider. He’s physically limited. He hasn’t finished an official tournament in more than a year. And there’s always a chance Scottie Scheffler could run away with this thing and leave everyone battling for second place. 

But on the eve of the 88^th Masters, belief is half the battle. 

Here are three Tiger Woods Masters bets we’re placing ahead of the year’s first major at Augusta National. 

To Make the Cut

Odds: -115 with Draftkings

Nicklaus’ record six green jackets aside, Woods is chasing another piece of the record books this week. He’s currently tied with Fred Couples and Gary Player with 24 consecutive cuts made at the Masters. That record is his alone if he makes it to the weekend. We believe he will get there. 

One of the biggest concerns this week is a lack of activity. We figured we’d see Woods tee it up at least once more pre-Masters after withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational due to illness, but he skipped the entire Florida swing. 

The bright side is we know he isn’t worn down yet, which became a concern in recent comebacks as he ramped up the schedule. Obviously, entering the Masters with so few competitive reps under the belt recently isn’t ideal. But if anyone knows how to get it around this place in their sleep, it’s Woods. 

While Woods might have caught a tough break with the later tee time on Thursday, he couldn’t have asked for better-playing partners in Jason Day and Max Homa. He’s tight with both of them and will be as comfortable as it gets in that regard. 

We understand why so many doubt Woods can actually make a serious run in the majors these days. But we’ve never doubted Woods’ ability to grind it out to the finish when he’s physically able. We also doubt he’ll be headed home on Friday. 

We’re on Woods to make the cut at -115 odds. 

Rose Over Woods Round 1 

Odds: -145 with DraftKings

While we expect Woods to cut, we like Justin Rose to win this Round 1 matchup. 

If the forecast called for clear skies on Thursday, we’d be tempted to take Woods as the underdog in this matchup. But we are concerned about heavy storms in the forecast that could make things even more difficult on Woods in the opening round. 

Woods is going out at 1:24 p.m. Thursday, and there’s a chance that weather could wipe out much of the round. The worst-case scenario is a stop-start in which Woods warms up and plays a significant amount before the horn blows. Recovering overnight to finish Round 1 early Friday morning is an extremely tall order for Woods these days and that’s our biggest concern in this matchup. 

Elsewhere, Rose has posted the better opening-round scores in recent years. His average Thursday score over the past five tournaments is 70.4, while Woods’ is 71.2. 

We’re on Rose over Woods in Round 1 at -145 odds. 

Woods To Make 4+ Birdies In Round 1 

Odds: +120 with FanDuel

Woods to Make 4+ Birdies in Round 1 +120 FD

Woods is as patient as it gets around Augusta National. He doesn’t force anything, he knows exactly where to miss on every hole and exactly which flags are gettable. That’s why he’s a five-time champion. 

We wouldn’t touch this line at all if this were, say, a brutal U.S. Open course. But the beauty of Augusta National is that you can make birdie or triple bogey on every hole. The par-5s are all gettable and remain such for Woods. 

Woods can also take advantage at the par-3s with his immense knowledge of the slopes. He’s birdied the par-3 16^th on Thursday in each of his last two Masters appearances, and we’re far more concerned about the number of bogeys. 

As for the weather on Thursday, there’s also a chance that the lightning holds off and the afternoon group gets a rain-soaked course with tamer greens than normal. 

We’re on Woods to make 4+ birdies in Round 1 at +120 odds.