LONG ISLAND, New York – The list of the past 12 Masters champions reads like a who’s who of the best players on both the PGA and LIV tours – Jon Rahm, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Danny Willett, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott and Watson again. Of those 11 golfers, six belong to the LIV Tour, including defending champion Rahm and the other five are members of the PGA Tour.
So, the 2024 Masters Championship at Augusta National Golf Course, represents the best of both worlds and the cream of the crop in golf. There is no doubt that it will take one of the best in the world to win at Augusta.
After an exhaustive study of recent playing records of all the top golfers in the world and those who have fared well in the past, I admit I am going to go with sentiment as my determining factor over current form. My pick to win is Rory McIlroy, who hasn’t won a major in 10 years and needs the Masters to complete his career Grand Slam and give him five majors.
I love the fact that McIlroy played the Valero Texas Open last week to prepare for the Masters. He had a final round 66 and hit his iron shots perfectly. He finished third at 11-under, which might have won in the past but was nine strokes behind Akshay Bhatia, who won a playoff with Denny McCarthy. But McIlroy, who is tied for the second favorite at +1100, lipped out at least a dozen birdie putts and chips. If he improves slightly at Augusta, he will have a chance to complete his career Grand Slam.
My next four picks are Scheffler, who is the favorite at +400 and won the Masters two years ago, Brooks Koepka, who was second last year and then won the PGA and is listed at +2000, LIV star Cameron Smith, who is listed at +2500 and had four top-10 finishes in the past six years at the Masters, and Spieth, who was the 2015 winner and has finished T4 or better six times. He is +1800 and is struggling to regain his form, but he has a special relationship with Augusta.
I have five other players who merit consideration to win, including defending champ Rahm (+1100), Viktor Hovland (+1800), U.S. Open champ Wyndham Clark (+2500), who is making his Masters debut but has three wins in the past 11 months, 2021 champion Hideki Matsuyama (+2800) and Matt Fitzpatrick (+4000), who was T10 last year and never has missed the cut at the Masters.
According to the odds, many consider Will Zalatoris (+2500) to be a strong contender, and there is good reason because he has six top-10 finishes in his past nine majors. He was T6 at the Masters in 2022 and second in 2021. So he is a great possibility.
Bhatia held on to go wire-to-wire and win the Valero Texas Open last week in a playoff with McCarthy, who birdied eight of nine holes on the back nine on his way to a 9-under 63. McCarthy found the water on the first playoff hole. But McCarthy, who is a great putter, which helps at Augusta, goes off at 25000-1 odds. Bhatia earned his way into the field and has been exceptional this season. His odds were not set as of Sunday night, but he is a great driver of the ball, which counts for a lot at Augusta. Also love Ludvig Aberg, but he will be a Masters rookie.
In the end, I am going with McIlroy, Scheffler, Koepka, Smith and Spieth as my top picks to win the Masters. Love the top four picks. Spieth has been in and out lately, but he generally plays well at Augusta. He just has to get his putter going..
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