Best Bets for The Match: Rory Drives & Tiger Hole-in-One

• Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods tee off against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth on Saturday, with Woods’ long absence making it too difficult to predict a winner.
• The best bet for The Match 7 is for Rory/Tiger to have a farther drive than Spieth/Thomas on the par five based on Rory’s length off the tee.
• It may be worthwhile sprinkling bets on Tiger Woods to make a hole-in-one given his flair for the dramatic and historical greatness.

TAMPA, Fla. - The seventh edition of The Match tees off on Saturday night, with Bovada giving Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth the pre-match edge over Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

The Match 7 Betting Odds

• Justin Thomas / Jordan Spieth -125
• Tiger Woods / Rory McIlroy +105

The combination of Spieth and Thomas is likely to win based on the unknown factor of Tiger Woods' current physical state, but given his pedigree of overcoming obstacles and surprising it may be best to focus on props instead of the outright winning team.

One specific method of betting on props at online sportsbooks is to target bets that lean towards Woods' partner, Rory McIlroy.

Betting on Rory McIlory

Recently crowned the best golfer in the world, Rory McIlroy's biggest strength is his distance off the tee.

Specifically, how far Rory drives the ball compared to JT and Spieth:

• Rory McIlroy Driving Distance Average: 349.5 Yards (1st)
• Justin Thomas Driving Distance Average: 321.5 Yards (6th)
• Jordan Spieth Driving Distance Average: 320.5 Yards (T-7)

Woods does not have any statistics on record this year, with his average distance last year having been 309.5 yards.

That could present an issue if he wasn't playing with Rory.

Bettors can take advantage of McIlroy's distance off the tee just like Woods if they bet on the pairing to have a longer tee shot on the Par 5 14 (7th hole) at Bovada.

Longest Tee Shot - Hole 7

• Thomas / Spieth -110
• Woods / McIlroy -110

McIlroy does not just average a few yards more than Thomas or Spieth off the tee, he is nearly 30 yards in front of them on average.

Even if he makes below-average contact and Thomas and Spieth both crush the ball, McIlroy's drive probably goes farther and players cash in at their online sportsbook.

Betting on a Hole in One

For players looking for a long-shot bet at The Match 7, there is one bet that stands out.

Which Golfer will make a Hole in One?

• Jordan Spieth +5000
• Justin Thomas +5000
• Rory McIlroy +5000
• Tiger Woods +5000

Likely more of an emotional bet than anything, it may seem borderline storybook, and maybe even likely that Tiger Woods makes a Hole in One on Saturday.

Tiger has not competed in any PGA Tour events since July, and it would seem entirely possible given his past greatness that he just shows up and puts together one or two excellent strokes.

It may even be similar to the 2019 Masters when Woods won the tournament despite not having won a major in over a decade (2008 U.S. Open).

Additionally, Rory McIlroy just called him the greatest iron player of all time.

All it takes is for Tiger to flash that G.O.A.T iron ability on one swing and bettors can cash in with +5000 odds.