Business of golf betting is booming – and a Tiger Woods Masters showing could cause an explosion

The business of golf is booming, and there is a white whale that could force an explosion.

A few years ago, the sport was in a precarious spot as LIV Golf began poaching some of the PGA Tour’s biggest stars.

Fast forward a few years, and LIV appears to be on the outs, and the PGA Tour is in a bright spot while leaning into the betting world to gain more fans and followers.

“Handle (total money bet) for the PGA Tour is up 35 percent year over year,” PGA Tour Vice President Scott Warfield told The Post, noting that those numbers are across all sports betting platforms.

In partnership with DraftKings, the PGA Tour has launched a new “Same Game Parlay” feature for golf betting, something that wasn’t previously available.

“Golf is our fastest growing sport,” Nolan Shulman, DraftKings’ Vice President of Product, told The Post.

This will allow bettors to wager on a golfer to, for instance, hit a ball within 10 feet of the cup, win the first round, and then win the entire tournament, with thousands of different variations possible.

“This is the real coming-out party [for same-game parlays],” Warfield added that The Players Championship is the first signature event with this feature available.

“SGP is the most synonymous experience with how you actually consume sports,” Corey Gottlieb, DraftKings Chief Product Officer, told The Post. “When you, as a fan, are thinking of a game or event. Every storyline enters your head at an individual level. There’s really a seamless transition of product and market fit… Every game is a package of storylines, and every leg in your SGP is an opinion of how the game will unfold.”

So, while golf is crushing it right now from a betting perspective, there is the chance that the one and only Tiger Woods will return in April for the Masters tournament.

The PLAYERS Championship should be a big tournament for golf bettors everywhere. Getty Images

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“Tiger drives interest all across the globe; there’s no hiding that,” Warfield added. “It would give a boost to TV ratings, it would give a boost to sports betting handle, and overall interest for sure… It would be a nice boost, but certainly we’re confident in the kind of innovation that partners continue to bring. We’re not settled around one individual player.”

Woods has said that he will not rule out a return at the Masters come April. Though he is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, he has had seven different back surgeries.

Golf bettors bet on him – like James Anducci, who won $1.2 million on him to win the Masters in 2019 – but they also bet against him, as one bold bettor did with a 222,000 bet on him to not win the Masters in 2023, which netted $2,000.

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.