Media by Associated Press – Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, works out on the range during a practice for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The professional golf schedule has its version of the Super Bowl kickstart the action for the rest of the summer. When the Masters tees off Thursday in Augusta, Ga., and features a field of 88 players that qualify by invitation only. This is the smallest field of golf’s major tournaments.
This is an event that the golf community looks forward to every year. Here’s a look at a few of the top contenders.
Scottie Scheffler, +650
Winning back-to-back Masters’ championships isn’t unprecedented. But it doesn’t often happen either. Only three men — Jack Nicklaus (1966), Nick Faldo (1990), and Tiger Woods (2002) — have repeated as champions. Scheffler, a 26-year-old American, is looking to establish his position as one of the all-time greats.
Scheffler has finished in the top 10 of every major tournament once, including his victory at last year’s Masters. Scheffler has won the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Players Championship already this year. During his career, Scheffler has competed in the Masters three times and finished in the top 20 all three times.
John Rahm, +950
The Spanish golfer is in excellent form and has shown he can do well on the big stage before. Rahm won the U.S. Open title and has a best finish of fourth place at the 2018 Masters. Last year, Rahm never found his mojo and shot a 77 in the third round, which helped sink Rahm to a tie for 27th place.
This season, Rahm has demonstrated his ability to handle tough situations. He has won three tournaments. The last of those victories was a win at the Genesis Invitational in February. Rahm also placed third at the Waste Management invite.
Rory McIlroy, +650
The Irish golfer is 33 years old and running out of opportunities to grab his first Masters Tournament. Winning the event would give McIlroy the career Grand Slam. McIlroy has four major titles to his credit, but he hasn’t captured won since he won the PGA Championship in 2014.
Last year, McIlroy was brilliant in the final round but had too big of a deficit to take the title off Scheffler. In the final round last year, McIlroy shot a 64 that helped him finish three strokes behind Scheffler for the championship. This year has been a tough one for McIlroy. He finished 32nd at the Waste Management Open and 29th at The Genesis Invitational.
Jordan Speith, +1600
Spieth last won the Masters in 2015 and hasn’t won a major since 2017. However, Spieth is still capable of strong play at big events. Spieth will want to show he can do better than last year when he shot a 74 and 76 before being cut from the event. Spieth finished tied for third in 2021.
Prediction
While McIlroy hasn’t been on form for most of this season, how he closed the Masters last year should give the veteran golfer confidence going into the event. McIlory will finally get the green jacket he’s been pursuing for years.
Stay tuned for more golf picks!