Ex-Masters champ Zach Johnson offers great value at 50-1

Brian Blessing (Sportsbookradio.com) is using a mythical bankroll of $200 to bet the Masters futures board at the Westgate.

Golf is in a great place, figuratively and literally. The sport features a bevy of young superstars that will compete this week at heaven on Earth, scenic Augusta National. When the season’s first major tees off Thursday, there is a laundry list of incredible young talent that will contend to don the coveted green jacket.

It’s not hard to envision a Sunday duel with favorites Jordan Spieth, the defending champ, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy. The annual beauty of the event at Augusta is the incalculable value of course knowledge, which broadens the approach to handicapping this tournament.

With this bankroll, let’s find a mix of long shots and proven contenders:

Zach Johnson $50 at 50-1

The word value is a misnomer in wagering. There is no value in ripping up a losing ticket. That said, there’s great value on Johnson. Sorry, it couldn’t be helped. Seriously, 50-1 is a huge overlay for Johnson in this event. The Masters has a history of players earning multiple titles. Johnson won the Masters in 2007 by laying up on the majority of par-5s, a rare occurrence, to say the least. However, he comes into this week’s tournament in outstanding form and in possession of the Claret Jug for winning the British Open. At the WGC Dell Match Play, the argument could be made that only Day played better that week. Johnson lost a great match to Rory McIlroy, who was pouring in 50-foot putts to get the job done. Tee to green, Johnson was awesome. He’s always playing from the short grass, and his wedge play is stellar. With two majors on his resume, 50-1 is hard to pass up.

Rory McIlroy $50 at 8-1

Of the “Big Three” in golf, McIlroy could be a man on a mission. An ankle injury last summer derailed his freight train before the British Open. Spieth and Day have been playing pingpong with the No. 1 world ranking since. McIlroy recently switched to a left hand-low putting grip that seems to be on point. To get a player of this high quality with a chip on his shoulder is an added bonus.

Louis Oosthuizen $25 at 30-1

I played the South African a month ago at 40-1, and his runner-up finish at the WGC Dell Match Play prompted the oddsmakers to dip his odds here. Current form means a lot, and only Bubba Watson’s miracle wedge from the woods in a playoff denied the South African a green jacket in 2012. Oosthuizen’s albatross on No. 2 that year would have gone down as one of the greatest shots in golf history. But all anyone remembers is Bubba’s Houdini shot. Oosthuizen also just missed in a playoff at St. Andrews last summer.

Bubba Watson $25 at 10-1

This play is more or less a saver bet to give us the opportunity to swing for the fences elsewhere. Simply put, the course is set up for lefties. Watson has won two of the past four Masters, and lefties have won six of the past 13 events at Augusta. With his length and ability to shape the type of shots required here, Watson should contend for the next decade.

Kevin Kisner $10 at 100-1

Kisner, who played college golf at Georgia, emerged on the scene last year, recording a win and dueling with Rickie Fowler on a huge stage at The Players Championship. He’s ranked fourth in the FedEx Cup standings.

Brooks Koepka $10 at 60-1

Last year at the Masters, Koepka recorded 17 birdies and an eagle. That’s the good news. It was a huge learning curve for him at Augusta, as he made far too many tactical errors with a lack of course knowledge. His game is on the rise, and he may have indeed learned plenty of valuable lessons last year.

Marc Leishman $10 at 60-1

The Aussie is sneaky long and has the ability to go low. He finished fourth at Augusta in 2013 and just missed in the British Open last year.

Kevin Na $10 at 125-1

Not the worst small bet I’ve ever made. Na’s ball striking is exceptional, and he is always hovering around the top of leaderboards. It won’t be shocking to me to see the Las Vegas resident’s name somewhere on the first two pages of the leaderboard heading into the weekend.

Bryson DeChambeau $5 at 200-1

Bobby Jones would appreciate this long-shot play. DeChambeau is an amateur who has spent a good deal of 2016 competing on the European Tour. He recorded a runner-up finish in the Australian Masters. The kid can play. It’s worth a $5 flyer.

Bernhard Langer $5 at 500-1

Call me sentimental or just plain crazy. Langer won this event in 1983 and 1985. The 58-year-old knows every blade of grass at Augusta and finished eighth two years ago. He is the dominant force on the Champions Tour with a win and top 10 finishes in all five events he has played in this year. Tom Watson gave us a thrill at the British Open a few years ago. I can wax nostalgic at 500-1.

■ Chip shots: It’s hard to leave Spieth and Day off the contenders list. In a perfect world, if either of these guys are five or six shots back heading into the weekend, the opportunity will be there to play them at a juicy price and see if they put their rally caps on. The saying goes that the Masters doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday. In Las Vegas, it began last fall, when the odds to win the event went up on the wagering board.