PGA Tour pros talk about it all the time, but peaking during the right time of the schedule is incredibly important. No player on Earth wants to peak in October during the wrap-around season.
They want to peak during major season.
With the Masters on the horizon, we wanted to dive into some statistics from January until now and see who’s hitting the ball the best. We wanted to see who has put themselves in a position to feel confident about their game heading to Augusta National Golf Club.
For this list, we’re going to look at Strokes Gained: Ballstriking. SG:BS isn’t an official PGA Tour stat, however, many golf databases use it. It’s a combination of SG: Off the Tee and SG: Approach. Think of it as SG: Tee to Green minus SG: Around the green. It essential tells how well a player is hitting the ball.
Here are the top 11 players in SG: Ballstriking since Jan. 1, 2023 (minimum 20 measured rounds).
2023 Masters: Odds for every player in the field
Stats taken from Data Golf and Kyle Porter.
11
Jon Rahm (+1.4)
No surprise to see the Spaniard on this list.
His year started hot winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the American Express and Genesis Invitational. However, since his win in LA, Rahm tied for 39th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, withdrew from the Players Championship due to illness and failed to make it out of pool play at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Masters history: T-27 (’17), 4 (’18), T-9 (’19), T-7 (’20), T-5 (’21) and T-27 (’22).
Odds to win: +850
10
Max Homa (+1.4)
Like Rahm, Max Homa is a multiple-time winner already this season. He successfully defended his title at the Fortinet Championship and claimed another win in California at the Farmers Insurance Open.
However, his track record at Augusta isn’t anything to write home about.
Masters history: MC (’20), MC (’21) and T-48 (’22).
Odds to win: +3200
9
Gary Woodland (+1.5)
Woodland, really? Yup, the 2019 U.S. Open champion has flown under the radar so far this season but he’s playing some solid golf. He’s made the weekend in five of his seven starts in 2023 including a top 10 at the Genesis Invitational.
Masters history: T-24 (’11), 63 (’12), T-26 (’14), MC (’15, ’17, ’18), T-32 (’19), MC (’20), T-40 (’21) and MC (’22).
Odds to win: +19000
8
Tyrrell Hatton (+1.5)
Hatton, although he hasn’t won, is on a heater. Thanks to a 7-under final round, the Englishman was runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at the Players Championship. The week before, Hatton tied for fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He also grabbed a top-10 finish at the WM Phoenix Open.
Masters history: MC (’17), T-44 (’18), T-56 (’19), MC (’20), T-18 (’21) and 52 (’22).
Odds to win: +5500
7
Tony Finau (+1.7)
Big Tone has been the model of consistency so far this season. Since winning the Houston Open, Finau has finished inside the top 25 in all eight starts he’s made in 2023. Oh, and he loves Augusta.
Masters history: T-10 (’18), T-5 (’19), T-38 (’20), T-10 (’21) and T-35 (’22).
Odds to win: +3200
6
Cameron Young (+1.8)
Young grabbed a few top-20 finishes at the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational in back-to-back weeks before finishing runner-up to Sam Burns at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. His recent caddie change to Paul Tesori should pay dividends at Augusta National.
Masters history: MC (’22)
Odds to win: +2900
5
Patrick Cantlay (+1.8)
Since missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, Cantlay has finished third at the Genesis Invitational, T-4 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, T-19 at the Players Championship and T-9 at the WGC-Dell Match Play. He’s trending, but Cantlay has struggled in major championships throughout his career.
Masters history: T-47 (’12), MC (’18), T-9 (’19), T-17 (’20), MC (’21) and T-39 (’22).
Odds to win: +2200
4
Collin Morikawa (+1.8)
Morikawa is still looking for his first win since the 2021 Open. The Cal product started the year with three top-six finishes in his first four starts of 2023 but has cooled off since. Morikawa missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tied for 13th at the Players and failed to advance from pool play at the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Masters history: T-44 (’20), T-18 (’21), 5 (’22).
Odds to win: +2400
3
Viktor Hovland (+1.8)
Hovland has been incredibly consistent since the beginning of 2023. In seven starts, Hovland has five top-20 finishes highlighted by a bronze medal at the Players Championship.
Masters history: T-32 (’19), T-21 (’21) and T-27 (’22).
Odds to win: +3900
2
Rory McIlroy (+2.0)
Rory McIlroy is looking to become the sixth player in the history of golf to win the career grand slam.
McIlroy bested Scheffler in the consolation match at the WGC-Dell Match Play to claim third place. He was one of the runner-ups to Kurt Kitayama at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
After missing the cut at the Players Championship, McIlroy made a few changes to his equipment: A new Scotty Cameron putter and a shorter shaft in his driver.
Masters history: T-20 (’09), MC (’10), T-15 (’11), T-40 (’12), T-25 (’13), T-8 (’14), 4 (’15), T-10 (’16), T-7 (’17), T-5 (’18), T-21 (’19), T-5 (’20), MC (’21) and 2 (’22).
Odds to win: +850
1
Scottie Scheffler (+2.4)
Scheffler is once again entering Masters week on a heater. First, he successfully defended the WM Phoenix Open in February. Then, he pummeled the field at the Players Championship, winning the Tour’s flagship event by five strokes.
In his most recent start, the Texan made it to the semifinals of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. Scheffler is in prime form to make a run at repeating in Augusta, Georgia.
Masters history: T-19 (’20), T-18 (’21) and 1 (’22).
Odds to win: +800
