There’s a whole lot to consider when it comes to the 2023 Masters.
Golf’s first major of the season arrives with no shortage of storylines this week at Augusta National Golf Club. We’ll get the best fight yet among the top three players in the world who have spent all week trading blows. This is also the first Masters since the PGA Tour fractured with the creation of LIV Golf, and those who bolted from the Tour are reunited with their longtime peers in the biggest tournament in the world.
Oh, and then there’s the forecast: It’s becoming increasingly likely rain is going to play a major role this weekend, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility the Masters sees a Monday finish for the first time since 1983.
Through it all, the same question remains: Who will be slipping on the green jacket as Masters champion Sunday (or Monday) afternoon?
Betting odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
12. Justin Thomas (+2100): This is a bit of a hedge. Thomas’ form and course history don’t suggest a green jacket is imminent, but … he’s talented enough to win any golf tournament in the world, and it would feel really dumb if he won and wasn’t on this list. He does have two Masters top-10s in his last three starts, and his ability to shape the ball plus his short-game brilliance are enough to keep him hanging around no matter how erratic the putter is.
11. Cameron Young (+2900): He hits it a mile and has fantastic approach play. Around the green and putting could ultimately hold him back, but he’s one of the players who stand to benefit from a soggy week. The short game won’t matter if he’s bombing it past everyone and then sticking it on approach. Finishing top three in two of four majors last year is noteworthy, too.
10. Patrick Cantlay (+1900)
One of the best off-the-tee players in the field, Cantlay is a tough one to figure out because he has all the skills to win any major, but it just hasn’t completely clicked. However, he might finally be turning the corner with an eight-place finish at The Open and a 14th-place finish at the U.S. Open in 2022.
9. Jason Day (+2800)
He didn’t qualify last year and missed the cut two straight years before that, but this is the best golf Day has played since at least 2020 and is getting close to the level he played in 2018 when he was a top-10 player in the world. He had four top-10 finishes in his first eight Masters, and his elite short game, including putting, could keep him around all weekend, especially with just slight ball-striking improvement.
8. Collin Morikawa (+2800)
He’s certainly not an inspiring pick if the elements are a factor, but world-class iron play makes him a potential contender just about anywhere. It’s also incredibly encouraging that he’s improved every time he’s played here (44th, 18th and fifth last year).
7. Cam Smith (+2400)
Smith’s move to LIV complicates the calculus. He did, however, win the last major tournament and his record at Augusta is as good as anyone without a green jacket. He has never missed the cut and has two top-five finishes in the last three years. He’s a short-game magician who can get unconscious with the putter, and his biggest issue — accuracy off the tee — isn’t a major concern on these wide fairways and short rough.
6. Dustin Johnson (+2500)
Johnson famously won the 2020 Masters — played in the fall — by setting a new tournament record by finishing 20-under. That score undoubtedly was improved by incredibly soft autumnal conditions. With a major temperature drop and rain in the forecast, DJ could see similar conditions this week where his length would play up. We just can’t say for sure how sharp he is.
5. Jordan Spieth (+1700): He has gained strokes on the field on approach in each of his last five registered tournaments. The results, taking out the Match Play, have been really good with a third-, 19th- and fourth-place finish in three starts since the Genesis. Last year was the first Masters missed cut of his career, but his record is otherwise sterling with five top-three finishes including a 2015 win.
4. Jon Rahm (+900): It’s hard to bet against Rahm. He has three wins to begin the calendar year and eight top-10 starts in his last 11 tournaments. However, he struggled at match play, withdrew at The Players and finished 39th at the Arnold Palmer behind woeful off-the-tee play. If “best player in the world Jon Rahm” shows up this week, though, this could turn into a laugher.
3. Tony Finau (+2400): Bold? Maybe. Finau, however, is another one of those players seemingly built for Augusta National. He can certainly bomb it, and his short-game play is among the best in the business. The results are there, too. Finau has never missed a cut at the Masters with three top-10 finishes. He comes in riding one of the best strings of approach play in his career, too.
2. Rory McIlroy (+750): It has to happen at some point ? right? The green jacket is the only thing between McIlroy and the career grand slam. It might come down to Thursday. McIlroy hasn’t broken par in the first round at the Masters since 2018. Still, it feels inevitable he wins this thing at some point even if he is getting older. McIlroy’s strengths — length off the tee and long-iron play — might also really play up if there’s rain this week.
1. Scottie Scheffler (+750): As the defending champion, Scheffler obviously has the tools to win at Augusta. At his best, he almost seems built for the Masters, as he can bomb it off the tee, is dialed with his approach game and is a short-game wizard for those times he is off line. He’s in great form, too, finishing fourth, first, fourth, 12th and first in his last five starts.
