Tiger Woods won't tee off in at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia until April 11, but he's currently the favorite to win.
The Las Vegas odds makers from LVH Superbook have Woods at 5 to 1 odds to add a fifth green jacket to his closet at the end of the weekend. He and Rory McIlroy both hung up their golf bags after the first round in last week's WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, but the world's top ranked golfers are the odds on favorites heading into the Masters. McIlroy, who is No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, is one slot behind Tiger at 8 to 1 odds.
Woods' dominant five stroke victory in January during the Farmer's Insurance Open at Torrey Pines has many feeling optimistic about his 2013 campaign. He has not won a Major since 2008, when he hobbled to a U.S. Open victory before undergoing knee surgery, but with 75 PGA victories, he is always a threat to win. Historically Woods has fared very well at Augusta National, with wins in 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2005.
After his victory in 2005, Woods rolled to six more consecutive top-10 finishes at the Masters before falling to 40th last year, with a 5-over-par 293, placing him 15 shots behind the winner. He was actually the favorite to win last year's Masters too, but Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen tied at 10-under-par. Watson defeated Oosthuizen in the playoff.
This time around Oosthuizen and Watson are ranked 10th and 12th, respectively, according to the odds.
Last year, in a forgettable Masters tournament, Woods failed to finish under par during any of the four rounds, with a 3-over 75, coming in round 2 and a 2-over 74, coming in round 4. He struggled with consistency and controlling the distance of his iron shots more than anything last time around. Putting was not an issue for him, although he was rarely in a position to attempt manageable birdie putts. Woods did, however, end last year's tournament with a birdie on hole 18.
He will be looking to build off his recent success at Torrey Pines and use his upcoming schedule to gather momentum for April. Before the Masters, Woods will compete in the Honda Classic in Palm Beach this weekend and the Cadillac Championship on March 7-10 in Miami.