The most prestigious golf tournament is upon us once again as this year’s Masters tournament begins on Thursday April 10. As always, there are a lot of exciting narratives at play heading into the tournament.
The 2024 Masters Tournament was dominated by Scottie Scheffler, who finished 11 under par en route to winning his second Masters Championship. He first donned the green jacket in 2022. Scheffler’s dominance in 2024 stretched beyond The Masters. 2024 saw him win the Olympic Gold in the Summer Olympics in Paris, FedEx Cup and the PLAYERS Championship, which he also won in 2023. To no surprise, he is the number one ranked golfer right now, by a significant margin, and is the heavy favorite right now on most betting platforms.
The golf world is two years removed from LIV Golf dilemma, and it is in a much more secure place. Despite Scheffler’s dominance, the 2024 leaderboard was still full of various stars who excited, but each have their concerns. Ludvig Åberg is currently 5th in the PGA Tour ranking. The Swede finished runner up to Scheffler last year, shooting 7 under. Åberg won the Genesis Invitational in February, but failed to make the cut at the Players Championship and the Valero Texas Open.
Rory McIlroy’s cold streak in the Major tournaments has now extended further than a decade. If he finally wins the Masters, he will complete the long awaited career Grand Slam. His start to the 2025 campaign has been promising, as he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in January and February and won the playoff against J.J. Spaun in THE PLAYERS Championship in mid March. There are concerns over a lingering, yet supposedly minor, elbow injury, but the veteran has ensured he will be ready for Augusta. The narrative around Mcllroy has shifted following his infamous “chokes.” His inability to secure the big win has been writing about at length. The narrative only got bigger following his inability to hold on to the victory in U.S. Open in 2024 vs Bryson DeChambeau. Finally capturing the green jacket would help shift the narrative of McIlroy’s professional career.
Collin Morikawa has failed to win an event since October 2023, but has finished second in The Sentry and the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year. He finished tied for third place last year in The Masters. He tied with Tommy Fleetwood and Max Homa, shooting four under. Morikawa has blown multiple leads this year, but his drought seems close to ending.
The drama over LIV may never fully wain, but the cast of golfers in the tournament is undoubtedly rich. DeChambeau will be apart of the field as the U.S. Open exemption along with Brooks Koepka who is the PGA Championship exemption. Their victories in the other major tournaments allow for them to still be able to participate in The Masters. DeChambeau has struggled at Augusta, failing to finish anywhere near the top 10 until 2024 when he ended tied for sixth. Koepka on the other hand has found some success in the masters. He will be playing in his tenth Masters Tournament and has finished tied for second twice in 2019 and 2023. However, he struggled in 2024, finishing tied for 45th. The LIV Tour has been up-and-down for Koepka, as he finished second in the LIV Golf Singapore event in mid-march, but recently finished tied for 18th at the LIV Golf Miami match.
The list of LIV members who are past Masters’ champions is extensive. Some major names are Jon Rahm who won in 2023, Dustin Johnson in 2020, Sergio Garcia in 2017, and Phil Mickelson three times in 2004, 2006, and 2010. Cameron Smith also heads to Augusta as the Open Championship exemption, along with Tyrrell Hatton who finished in the top 12 in last year’s
Masters. Joaquín Niemann will also be at Augusta after receiving a special invitation. Jon Rahm appears to have the best chance of the LIV players after finishing within the top-6 in his first four starts this year. The Spaniard has also finished in top-10 five times at Augusta National.
A variety of younger plays have been finding their form on the PGA Tour and are trendy picks this month. Akshay Bhatia finished 9th at the Mexico Open and tied for third at THE PLAYERS Championship. Min Woo Lee is coming off a win in the Texas Children’s Houston Open after an up-and-down season. Tom Kim from South Korea has struggled this year finishing no higher than tied for twelfth out of 7 events, but did show promise last year. Even Will Zalatoris, the runner up in 2021, has finished top 10 in his last three trips to Augusta National but has seriously struggled on the PGA Tour.
Xander Schauffele won two major championship last year and has finished top-10 three times at Augusta National. Injuries have been plaguing him this season and it is clear that his true form is yet to be found. Max Homa finished tied for third in The Masters last year, but has been horrible this year, missing the cut five times so far. The careers of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth have been up-and-down. Spieth, the 2015 Masters winner has fought hard this year recovering from wrist surgery and Thomas has failed to make the cut the last two years.
While it is nearly impossible to predict the champion, the field is strong with numerous former winners and many players who have finished within the top five. Regardless of predictions, it will be rejoiceful to hear Jim Nantz’s classic phrase “Hello, friends” will be the indication that the most prestigious tournament is finally underway.
