What is Under Par? Under Par Explained in 2 minutes
Jesse M. Cox Last Verified
31/03/2021
To be under par is something every professional and amateur golfer tries to achieve when they play a round of golf.
This is because to be under par means a player has shot less than the par for the course or the expected number of shots it is expected to take to complete a round at a set course.
Often known as being below par, this is achieved when a player has only taken 70 strokes around an 18-hole golf course when the par score across the 18 holes is 72.
This can be achieved by scoring birdies and eagles (which scores one under and two under par scores respectively) on any number of holes around the course.
How is Under Par used in Sports Betting?
The player with the lowest under par scores wins a golf tournament, making under par vital to golf betting markets.
For example, placing a bet on Tiger Woods to win the Masters would mean he would need to finish the lowest par score of any of 120 competitors. Although technically he could win without going under par, that is an extreme rarity in the game and in order to win Woods would have to shoot under par to be victorious.
That means if the overall par score of the tournament is 288 (four rounds of 72) it is most likely that Tiger Woods would require somewhere in the region of 278 in order to win. This fluctuates defending on course.
Did you know…
At the first round of 2015 ANA Inspiration Ladies Golf Major, Lydio Ko fired in her 29th straight under par round to set a new record.
Unfortunately, the next day she shot a one over par round to bring her remarkable hot streak to an end.
