ESPN Best Ball Majors 2013: Fantasy Masters

Written by:
Dan Shapiro
Published on:
Apr/09/2013
ESPN Best Ball Majors 2013:  Fantasy Masters

ESPN Best Ball Majors 2013 is a fantasy foursome for The Masters. 

Shawn Peters of ESPN.com explains the concept ahead of the start of The Masters this coming Thursday April 11:

The point of the ESPN Best Ball Majors remains to assemble a fearsome foursome of golfers who will work together to post the best round possible using "best ball" rules. What does that mean? Your four players' scorecards are combined and you get the lowest score of any of your four players on each hole. So if three of your pros can't find the newly re-contoured 14th green in regulation while the fourth snugs up his approach and rolls it in for a birdie, you get credit for the bird and the bogeys are forgiven. That's huge, because this game is built on birdies and eagles, not overall scores.

There are two ways to play the game, one offering the ability to replace the players in your fantasy foursome before each round.  Swap out players who are underperforming and take advantage of darkhorses.

The second way to play is by choosing a scoring track where they pick four golfers at the start of the Masters and then stick with them through thick and thin lies. You are committed to that fantasy foursome for the entire event.

For Fantasy Masters enthusiasts and sports bettors alike, below we have some players and their respective value. 

Expensive players who justify their high salaries:

Obviously there is Tiger Woods, who was listed at 3/1 odds at Bookmaker.

Peters warns:

Since the beginning of 2012, Woods hasn't finished in the top 20 in his next event after a win, so feel free to keep that in mind should he take a title in his last start before The Masters. But short of that, there's no reason to be afraid of unleashing the Tiger on your roster, even though he's tied for the most expensive player on the board at 15.2.

Brandt Snedeker at 28/1 odds and Lee Westwood at 25/1 odds are two other high priced picks with value. 

In regard to Westwood, Peters notes:

He hasn't been anything special so far, with his only top-10 finish coming overseas in Dubai, but there are horses for courses and Westie is ready to run in Augusta. For 14.4 fantasy bucks, he represents value and stability, something you especially need if you're playing the tournament-lock option.

A trio of players who can offer above-average birdie potential for a salary under 12.5 fantasy bucks are Richard Sterne, Charles Howell III and Fred Couples.  Only Couples was listed with odds (80/1).  The other two fall into the “field” category at 3/1 odds.

Couples definitely has value for both sports bettors and Fantasy players.

Peters writes:

Fact: Fred Couples has finished in the top 15 for three years in a row at The Masters. Fact: Couples has averaged a tick above 15 birdies per year in that span. Fact: Fred Couples is not getting younger, yet something in the water in Augusta makes it seem that way. If you can get a former champion who's still playing well on this one course for just 10, what's the harm? You don't need him to win. You just need him to be Fred Couples, which is who he is.

- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com

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