AUGUSTA, Ga. – Rory McIlroy appears on his way to winning the 90th Masters. Now what?

McIlroy was in full flight down the stretch Friday afternoon, building a six-shot lead that broke the Augusta National record book for 36-hole margin. McIlroy is a hefty favorite to slip back into the green jacket, but that doesn’t mean that betting options have narrowed.

Updated odds to win the Masters

• -250: Rory McIlroy (-12)
• +1500: Patrick Reed (-6)
• +1800: Tommy Fleetwood (-5)
• +2050: Justin Rose (-5)
• +2100: Sam Burns (-6)
• +2500: Cameron Young (-4)
• +3400: Shane Lowry (-5)

McIlroy will need to come back to the pack for the tournament to be in doubt come Sunday, but there are other ways to approach an in-play card at the halfway point – including taking the Ulsterman out of the mix entirely. Let’s dive in:

Patrick Reed (+550) as winner without Rory McIlroy

The “winner without” market is one that pops up at certain events, most recently when Scottie Scheffler has been involved. With McIlroy out to a six-shot lead, oddsmakers are willing to take him off the board to make for a more compelling market.

Reed is the betting favorite in this group, followed by Fleetwood (+630) and Rose (+740). I like the American, though, despite the fact that a closing bogey on No. 18 knocked him out of a potential pairing with McIlroy in Saturday’s final time.

Reed successfully went toe-to-toe with McIlroy en route to his 2018 Masters triumph, and he’s well-suited to take advantage of firm and fast conditions that are expected this weekend under sunny skies.

“I love the position I put myself in,” Reed said after a second-round 69. “Hopefully I can go out and have a good day tomorrow and have a good shot going into Sunday.”

Reed won here the last time we went a full Masters week without any rain, and he’s got his eyes set on chasing down McIlroy. Even if he comes up short, I like him to top the “without” market given his strong start to the tournament and consistent results at this event.

Tournament matchup: Shane Lowry (+108) over Sam Burns

This is a revised price at the halfway point, with Burns 6 under and one shot ahead of Lowry through 36 holes. Still, I feel like the wrong player is favored.

Burns admirably backed up his opening-round 67, and he and Lowry are two of just eight players to break par in each of the first two rounds. But Burns will have to deal with a McIlroy-infused spotlight, playing alongside him in the final round, and he’s still looking to round out a majors pedigree that includes just two top-10 finishes in 20 starts and no Masters result better than a T29 finish in 2023.

Lowry has a few things going for him: a major title under his belt, a better track record at Augusta National, including a T3 finish in 2022, and a hospitable pairing with his longtime Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood. I expect both Europeans to feed off one another in Saturday’s grouping, while Burns will face the task of both staring down and trying to catch the leader.

Burns and Lowry have both hit 30 of 36 greens in regulation, the best in the field, but I feel that given the situational factors, Lowry’s ball-striking has more staying power.

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