US Masters In-Play Betting Tips: 9/1 treble attracts on Day 2

Whilst day one of the 2024 Masters is in the bag, the first round is still incomplete, after the predicted storms caused a two-and-a-half hour weather delay at the start of the event. Though with several players still to finish, they were still countless storylines on day one.

Our Betfred golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with a couple of shouts for Day 2.

Bryson DeChambeau has given himself a great platform to produce his best-ever performance at Augusta National after an exceptional opening 7-under 65; with a brilliant combination of elite ball-striking and putting which should carry him all the way to Sunday contention if able to continue.

However, there is a very ominous presence currently occupying 2^nd on the leaderboard, in the shape of world #1 Scottie Scheffler. Yielding the best tee-to-green golf of anyone yesterday, he showed that with a merely competent putting performance he will be a very difficult man to shift this week.

There have been other commendable performances, with Augusta debutant Nicolai Hojgaard currently sat 3^rd on -5 thru fifteen holes of his first Masters appearance, and a certain Mr. Woods will cause a whole lot of hysteria if able to build on his day one play; lying in 17^th place at -1 with five holes of his opening round still to play.

Although, the accolade for round of the day (and potentially week) has to go the way of Danny Willett, as the 2016 Masters champion marked his first competitive round in almost seven months - after undergoing shoulder following last year’s BMW PGA Championship - with a 4-under 68 yesterday. A remarkable effort on such a demanding course following such a lengthy period on the sidelines.

The well-fancied Hideki Matsuyama would have to go down as the biggest day-one disappointment, with his 4-over 76, which included just one birdie, currently seeing the 2021 Masters champ sat in 75^th spot. Jordan Spieth has ground to make up today, sitting on +2 with eight holes of his opening round still to play and it’s hard not to be disappointed by my main outright selection, Jon Rahm’s scruffy finish, as he undid all of the good work of his 2-under-par front nine with a 3-over back nine to finish his round at +1.

There is of course still a long way to go and whilst some gusting winds are scheduled to stick around today there shouldn’t be any more stoppages for the rest of the event. Hopefully they can make up that lost time today and set us up for what should be a fabulous weekend in Georgia.

SELECTIONS

Despite the opening round not being completed, the round two 3-balls have been priced up and I fancy a trio of yesterday’s strongest ball-strikers to get the better of their respective playing partners today.

Tony Finau to beat Phil Mickelson/Sepp Straka

As of now, Tony Finau has been the best ball-striker in the field in the opening round, looking especially good in approach, ranking 2^nd. If it wasn’t for some putting struggles he’d have won his 3-ball against Phil Mickelson and Sepp Straka by a much more comfortable margin than the two shots he did yesterday.

The big-hitter’s superior play compared to that of his playing partners shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. He produced a masterclass of a tee-to-green display on his last start in Houston to finish 2^nd and has generally been hitting the ball well all year. In contrast, Straka has failed to hit the top 10 in 2024 and has missed 4/8 cuts, whereas three-time Masters winner, Mickelson has failed to pull up any trees on LIV this year, finishing second-from-bottom in two of his five starts there.

Both severely struggled with their approach play on Thursday and I see little reason why Finau shouldn’t outscore them again today, and at odds-against, he looks good value to do so.

Patrick Cantlay to beat Min Woo Lee/Rickie Fowler

Due to some underwhelming play in 2024, Patrick Cantlay wasn’t on my radar this week, but with the combination of his promising back nine display yesterday and the fact that there are several reasons to go against his playing partners, he should take some stopping today.

Barring the odd display, Cantlay has struggled with his irons this season, which is why it was hugely encouraging to see him rank as the strongest player in approach on day one. These numbers were of course somewhat skewed by his hole-out eagle on the par 4 17^th, though even when taking that away, he’d have gained 1.5 strokes, representing his best single round since the Genesis Invitational in February.

That quality in approach led him to an opening round 71 - this despite him really struggling on the greens, an area that is often a major asset for him – as he responded well from a +1 front nine to shoot -2 on the back.

He beat a seriously out-of-form Rickie Fowler by five strokes yesterday, and Min Woo Lee – who is nursing a broken finger following a gym accident last week – by three. There is nothing to suggest either of these players will (or can in Min Woo’s circumstances) up their level today and if Cantlay finds something on the greens I’d expect it to be more a case of him looking at increasing his advantage over the pair.

Joaquin Niemann to beat Russell Henley/Nick Taylor

Joaquin Niemann was both 3^rd in approach and off-the-tee yesterday, culminating in him ranking 2^nd in ball-striking in the field and helping him on his was to an opening 2-under 70. Despite some short-game struggles this still made him far too good for his playing partners and I fancy him to stamp his authority again today.

Niemann has been talked about for this event plenty since winning in Australia on the DP World Tour at the end of last year; carrying that form over onto LIV this season, recording two wins and two top 10s in five starts.

He maintained that level into yesterday, shooting 3-under over his final six holes to record that opening 2-under-par round, which was three shots too good for Russell Henley and a whopping seven too good for Nick Taylor.

The one slight worry here is that both Henley and Taylor are capable of bouncing back today. Despite struggling yesterday, both have produced strong performance in approach this season and have had strong results generally, with Henley possessing two top 4s in his last three starts and Taylor winning in Phoenix in February.

Having said that, the combination of his excellent, big-hitting ball-striking game and the improvements he’s made around-the-greens in recent years make Niemann a more suitable Augusta fit, and even if there is somewhat of an upgrade in the level of his playing partner’s performances today, I’d still take the Chilean to beat them.

You can find all Jamie's latest Golf Betting Tips over on our dedicated golf Insights hub.