The year's first Major is finally upon us as the best from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf, as well as a number of amateurs, tee it up at The Masters.
World No.1 and 2022 winner Scottie Scheffler enters the week as overwhelming favorite, with defending champion Jon Rahm also highly fancied along with Brooks Koepka, Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele, Joaquin Niemann and, of course, Rory McIlroy.
I asked every member of the Golf Monthly team for their winner as well as an outsider to pick to assist you with your pre-Masters betting. A number of names popped up multiple times as you'd expect, while there were some names that may just get you thinking.
So which players do our staff members fancy for the Green Jacket? Take a look at our predictions...
Masters Predictions: Who will win the Green Jacket?
Favorite - Jon Rahm
Rahm is the man for the big occasion and he'll be relishing the prospect of retaining his title after his move to LIV. He's had a solid season so far and it's only a matter of time before he bursts through. What's more, his game is made for Augusta National. I'd be shocked if he wasn't in contention come Sunday.
Outsider - Brian Harman
Harman is an outsider in the betting because of his mediocre past record at the Masters. However, his win at Hoylake last year has brought him to a new level and he'll be a much more dangerous prospect this time. He's outstanding with flatstick in hand and could easily become yet another lefty to win at Augusta.
Favorite - Joaquin Niemann
The Chilean has won twice this year already and his Masters results have improved steadily in the last three years, culminating in a T16th last year. He is clearly learning Augusta better each time he tees it up there and is ready to win a Major.
Outsider - Nick Taylor
Taylor is becoming a consistent performer, makes a lot of cuts, is a good putter (15th in strokes gained on tour) and approach player (14th) - key skills you need at Augusta - and already has a win this year. Realistically, he probably won’t win but could well grab a top 10 finish.
Favorite - Scottie Scheffler
I simply can't look past Scottie. In fact, I am almost certain he will be wearing the Green Jacket again come Sunday evening.
Outsider - Corey Conners
The Canadian has played well at Augusta National previously and I think he's one of the most underrated players on tour. He's won multiple times and has been up and around the lead in Majors numerous times, too.
Favorite - Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler is clearly the best player in the world at the moment and knows how to win at Augusta National, having won the Green Jacket two years ago. It's very hard to look past him winning it again.
Outsider - Corey Conners
The Canadian managed three Masters top-tens in three years prior to 2023's missed cut. He started this season slowly but looks to be coming back into form at the right time with top 20s at Bay Hill and the Players.
Favorite - Xander Schauffele
Schauffele is peaking just at the right time and is statistically the second-best player in the world according to Data Golf, which measures Strokes Gained. He should have won the Players Championship had it not been for a nervy finish and an incredible final round from World No.1 Scheffler (he'll have learnt a lot from that). He has six top-10s in eight starts this year and is basically the best player in the world who hasn't won a Major yet. He was T2 in 2019 and T3 in 2021 - I think it could be his breakout week.
Outsider - Tiger Woods
Hear me out. Woods seems in a much better physical spot after his ankle fusion surgery last year and I'm hoping that the Genesis was just the flu. He's a five-time Masters champion and he's someone you can never write off. Can he roll back the years? It's unlikely, but never back against the great man. He is the greatest player of his generation and is still two years younger than Phil Mickelson was when he won the 2021 PGA Championship at the age of 50.
Favorite - Xander Schauffele
The time has come for Xander Schauffele to win a Major. He is too good and right now in very good form indeed. Some will point to his recent inability to win, at The Players for example, but he has won some big events in the past and he will get over the line at some point. He also has performed well at Augusta before.
Outsider - Sahith Theegala
My outsider pick is Sahith Theegala. Another player on good form at the moment, Theegala finished in a tie for 9th last year which was his first appearance at The Masters. Additionally it seems his biggest weakness is driving accuracy which is something that doesn’t get critically punished at Augusta, and he is one of the best players in the world right now in total strokes gained.
Favorite - Scottie Scheffler
The World No.1 is head and shoulders above the rest right now and he could probably win even if he turns up with his B game, that's how good he is at the minute. His upturn in fortunes on the greens has made him an unstoppable force and I suspect him re-finding form with the flat stick will only benefit him more at a place like Augusta National.
Outsider - Nick Taylor
The Canadian has only played in The Masters once but he'll be champing at the bit to return to Augusta National, especially in the form he's in after winning in Phoenix earlier this year.
Favorite - Scottie Scheffler
I just can't see anyone getting past Scheffler. He comes into The Masters with two wins and a runner-up finish, plus his putting is getting better and he has won at Augusta National. I think one other possible option is Dustin Johnson, he sits at around 35/1 which I think is quite high for someone who has won on LIV this year and seems to perform well at ANGC.
Outsider - Nick Taylor
I would go with Nick Taylor. He won the WM Phoenix Open in February with some insane putting, something you need around Augusta National. He has also missed just one cut and, despite one appearance at The Masters in 2020, he finished inside the top 30 then. Given that his last two PGA Tour wins have been via playoffs and incredible clutch putts, he may be one to look at in the 100/1+ category.
Favorite - Rory McIlroy (and Will Zalatoris)
My heart as much as my head is picking Rory. If he gets off to a good start and is still very much in the mix on Sunday, I believe he’ll get the win across the line. I also like Will Zalatoris. He has made a good start to the 2024 season since returning to the tour in November 2023 after recovering from back surgery and has a great record at the Masters.
Outsider - Corey Connors
While the Canadian hasn’t won on the PGA Tour yet this season, he hasn’t missed a cut either and has finished inside the top 10 at three of the past four Masters - which also happen to be his only three top 10s in Majors, suggesting his game is made for Augusta.
Favorite - Wyndham Clark
No first time winner has been crowned since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, but Clark's Major-winning experience and his sheer grittiness (plus strong form this year) could make him the next in line.
Outsider - Rickie Fowler
He loves it around Augusta and came so close to winning in 2018 (solo second). Form this year has been middling, but hopefully a course that Fowler feels more than comfortable on will bring out the best in him.
Favorite - Rory McIlroy
I get sucked in every year, but when someones game fits a course as well as Rory's does Augusta, I just feel it has to happen at some point. Having stepped down from the PGA Tour policy board, I am hoping he will be a bit freer of thought, and he's slightly more under the radar than usual this year because of some indifferent form which could suit him too. I think he has that siege mentality and loves it when people are doubting him, so it's Rory's year for me!
Outsider - Nicolai Hojgaard
With another young Scandinavian taking most of the attention right now in Ludvig Aberg, I think people are slightly overlooking just how good Nicolai Hojgaard is, and that is being reflected in the odds. This young man is an absolute Rolls Royce of a golfer and will be a top ten player in the world for many years in my opinion. He's going to break out at some point, so why not at Augusta?
Favorite - Joaquin Niemann
Niemann has been in red-hot form since December 2023, with three wins in the space of three months. After receiving an invite to play in The Masters, he will certainly have a point to prove and I can't understand why he is so well priced considering his recent form. He ranks 3rd in the field for SG: Tee To Green in the last three months, and ranks 3rd for driving distance. Premium ball-striking and distance off the tee will give him an advantage here, and when you consider he secured his best finish in the event in 2023, finishing in tied-16th, he seems to be trending in the right direction.
Outsider - Si Woo Kim
Si Woo Kim (125/1) represents great value at a huge price. His recent form combined with his course history make him an interesting proposition, with six consecutive cuts made at The Masters and three top-25s. The South Korean's best result at this event is a 12th place finish, but his ball-striking has been superb in the past 3 months, ranking 6th for Strokes Gained: Tee To Green. The putter tends to be the issue for Kim, but a strong performance on the greens at Augusta last year and four PGA Tour wins on his resume make him a must play at a three-figure price.
Favorite - Joaquin Niemann
With everything Scottie Scheffler is doing in the game of golf right now, it’s certainly hard to look past him but the odds are too short for me. Instead I’ll be placing my money on LIV Golf Invitee Joaquin Niemann. I like his odds at 25-1 after the start to the year he's had.
Outsider - Matthieu Pavon
My outside pick for the 2024 Masters is Matthieu Pavon. The PGA Tour Rookie won the Farmers Insurance Open this year to become the first French winner on the PGA Tour in 117 years and after some more solid appearances this season, I have a sneaky feeling Pavon could become the first Frenchman to win The Masters on his debut!
