Roughly 19 months after winning the most spectacular and dramatic of his 15 major championships, Tiger Woods is finally ready to tee off as defending Masters champion. And the five-time green jacket winner is hoping this was all worth the wait.

You wouldn’t know Woods won this tournament last year with a quick glance at the latest Masters odds here. He’s +4000 and listed behind more than a dozen competitors, including betting favorite Bryson DeChambeau (+800).

While Woods is more than familiar with the routine around Augusta National, this year includes the added wrinkle of no fans on property. That’s going to change things for everyone in the tournament, especially Woods, who has drawn the biggest crowds and loudest cheers his entire Masters career.

“This year’s going to be very different,” Woods told reporters Tuesday. “It’s going to be stark in what we see in our sight lines into the greens, the energy that you hear from different roars on different parts of the golf course.”

”If you’re on the putting green up on No. 1, you can hear the eagles down on No. 13,” Woods continued. “That’s what this tournament is all about and we’re not going to have that this year. It’s going to be very different, and it’s something that none of us have ever experienced.”

Woods’ game has not been sharp since the Tour resumed play this summer and few expect him to contend on Sunday. We’ll see if he can defy the odds yet again when he tees off of No. 10 at 7:55 a.m. Thursday at Augusta National alongside reigning British Open champion Shane Lowry and 2019 U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree.

Tiger Woods Masters Best Prop Bets

Golf odds listed are as of publication

Tiger Woods & Phil Mickelson to Make the Cut

Sure, neither guy is in great form as they make the drive down Magnolia Lane. But we’re confident Woods and Mickelson will be around for the weekend. And we think those -110 odds are looking pretty good given the history here.

Woods has never missed the Masters cut in 20 starts as a professional and has five wins and 14 top-10s during that time. Mickelson has just three missed cuts in 27 Masters starts, and he’s played on the weekend the past three years. Go with the course knowledge and experience on this prop at BetMGM.

Tiger Woods 0-3 Birdies in Round 1 (+225)

Woods is obviously capable of ripping off birdies at Augusta. But he’s a slow starter in this tournament, often making his biggest moves in Rounds 2 and 3 before sealing the deal on Sunday. His average opening-round score is even-par 72, more than a full stroke higher than any other round – and more than two strokes higher than his third-round average of 69.81.

Woods has made exactly three birdies in five of his last six opening Masters rounds, and we aren’t expecting any further fireworks as he eases into the week with a chilly, early-morning tee time Thursday. Make the prop bet with Unibet.

Tiger Woods (-122) Over Jordan Spieth

We will continue to fade Spieth until he proves the worst of this slump is behind him. It’s tougher to fade him at Augusta, where Spieth has a win and four top-3 finishes in just six starts. But those hoping Spieth would emerge from the shutdown looking like 2015 Spieth have been severely disappointed – he’s missed the cut in four of his last eight starts and hasn’t finished inside the top 35 in that stretch.

Augusta National is not a place to find your game no matter how much success you’ve had in the past. We’re expecting a steady if unspectacular performance from Woods, and we think that’ll be enough to finish ahead of Spieth come Sunday. Find this prop over at FanDuel.

Matthew Wolff (-122) Over Tiger Woods

Here’s a player we’re definitely not comfortable fading. Wolff is set to make his Masters debut and gets to do it without any patron-induced butterflies. One imagines the opening tee shot and par-3 12th, will be among the holes that play easier for first-timers without any fans breathing down their necks. Wolff is also a big-game hunter having finished top-5 in his first two majors, with a T-4 at the PGA Championship and solo second at the U.S. Open.

Woods has long since passed the torch as one of the longest players on Tour, and you figure Wolff will have at least a one-club advantage over Woods on most approach shots. That’s huge at Augusta. We expect Wolff to begin his Masters career with a strong showing and finish ahead of Woods on the leaderboard. Back this prop over at FanDuel.

Tiger Woods Top-20 & Stanford Scores 30+ vs. Colorado (+275)

Fun one here from PointsBet, and we think the price is right. Woods has shown glimpses of 2019 Masters form in recent months, and it’s not the first time he’s battled through a rough patch of this comeback. While we don’t expect him to be in one of the final pairings Sunday, we could certainly see four solid rounds and a top-15 finish.

“I haven’t put all the pieces together at the same time,” Woods said Tuesday. “I’ve driven it well and hit my irons poorly, or put ball striking together and haven’t putted well, and had it where I’ve putted well and hit it poorly. I haven’t put everything together for the same time … hopefully that’ll happen this week.”

Woods, asked if he expects to contend this week, said in no uncertain terms that he does.

As for the football end of the deal, a nod to Woods’ alma mater, oddsmakers expect a high-scoring contest with the total set at 54.5. Colorado just gave up 42 points to UCLA and could certainly surrender 30-plus to the Cardinal. We’re on this one +275 with PointsBet.