It’s finally here. We’re one day away from The Masters roaring into life and there is more excitement than ever before. Largely in part to the spring return of the event and the growth of the sport through the pandemic, but also thanks to the return of an up and coming Golfer known as Tiger Woods? You may have heard of him…
With so much to watch out for, here are some best bets and predictions ahead of the action.
Winner: Rory McIlroy +1200
| Metric | 2021 | 2022 |
| Shots gained off the tee | .660 | .903 |
| Shots gained on approach | .403 | .128 |
| Shots gained around the green | .118 | .479 |
| Shots gained putting | .187 | .356 |
| Driving distance | 319 | 318 |
| Birdie average | 4.51 | 4.25 |
| Greens in regulation | 65% | 65% |
Seven of the last ten winners have finished inside the top-10 before. While Mcilroy did miss the cut last year, he has seven finishes inside the top-10 to his name, and most impressively a T5 back in 2020.
On top of that, McIlroy hasn’t missed a cut at the Masters since 2010, with the exception of a 2021 year that was very much a transitional season for Rory and one that many deemed to be a slump. With the winter break behind him, McIlroy has burst out of the gate and it would be hard to picture him being anywhere near the cut-line next weekend.
Outright sleeper: Sam Burns +5000
Sam Burns has caught fire over the past year or so and is coming off of a Valspar victory to make his Masters debut. It would be hard to expect anyone to win the tournament in their first attempt, but Burns has rapidly developed into one of the most complete players on the PGA tour, and +5000 odds for a player who already has 5 top-5’s to his name this season is pretty damn enticing.
Top-10: Scottie Scheffler +150
Scheffler’s rise to PGA dominance has been a fun one. After a 2021 season that saw Scottie fall short at the final hurdle time and time again, Scheffler has got the monkey off his back and rallied to not just his opening victory, but another two as well. Scheffler has been in and around the top-10 all season up to this point and while he may not go all the way at Augusta, he’s been playing consistently enough to make some noise on a Sunday.
Top-10 sleeper: Tyrell Hatton +550
Is Tommy Fleetwood the better-poised Brit to win this weekend? Definitely. But Hatton leads the field in strokes-gained through putting, which around this course more than any other, is absolutely vital. He’s found himself mixing in with the big boys inside the top-10 over the past few months and getting such long odds on a player who gains so much around the green is really enticing.
Bold prediction: Tiger Woods makes the cut -110
Could you imagine an Augusta Sunday without Tiger’s iconic red shirt? If the answer is no, getting coin-flip level odds on a miraculous opening two days that see the 36-year-old fly past the cut-line should be appealing to many.
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
