Longshots rarely win the Masters. This is one of golf's toughest trials with one of its toughest areas, so the winner usually comes with a margin of 40/1 or less. That said, it's not rare to see some dark horses sit atop the leaderboard after Round 1.
Justin Rose, Brian Hermann and Kristian Bezuidenhout were in the top seven after playing on Thursday last year and it was Rose who set the pace after leading with a 66/1 margin. At the 2020 Masters, it was Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey and triple-digit longshot Dylan Fritelli who shared a first-round lead in the unparalleled November Masters.
The point is, while not every player on the field survives to win the green jacket, almost all of them are able to put together a red-hot round.
2022 Masters Longshot First Round Leaders
Webb Simpson (+7500): It's been a really tough few months for Webb Simpson, who hasn't finished inside the top-40 of a full-field event since November, but buying the plunge into golf betting is often a good one. The strategy is there—especially with players of Simpson's caliber. The 36-year-old has a major title, a Players Championship trophy, and has finished T5-T10-T12 in the last three Masters. Simpson profiles it as a good longshot bet across all markets.
Robert McIntyre (+8000): The Scottish southpaw did poorly at the Valero Texas Open on Saturday, but he got his game back together on Sunday, so hopefully he can carry that momentum to Augusta, where he Finished T-12 in his debut in 2021. At some point, McIntyre will remove the odds and these big prices next to his name will be a thing of the past.
Kevin Kisner (+8000): Kisner's past performances at Augusta leave much to be desired, but he should be looking for the type of game bookies he should be looking for in a potential FRL game. When Kissner is dialed in, his putter turns white-hot and he can birdie in bunches. A strong performance in WGC match play shows Kissner is in form, so don't let his track record at Augusta scare you off a play at these odds.
Kevin Na (+9500): Backing players with a strong short game and ability to get out of trouble is never a bad idea at Augusta and doesn't fit that mold. He also has a lot of experience, this is his 11th attempt at the Green Jacket. Na has finished inside the top-13 three times in Augusta's 10 and it's good enough that these odds are worth a flutter.
Lee Westwood (+10000): You'll hear a lot about the history of the course as you do your research for the Masters. Few courses, like Augusta National and Westwood, have had their fair share of ups and downs between azaleas to reward the experience. Westwood has made 20 trips to this haunted track and has had two runners-up, six top-10 and nine top-20 finishes since 1997. He deserves a flight to set the pace on Thursday.