by The Masters kicks off on Thursday and there will be fierce competition to claim the Green Jacket with Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm all in fine form. Sports telegraphand experts predict who they think will win at Augusta.
Who won the Masters?
James Corrigan: Scottie Scheffler
The clear selection and at 4-1 in the betting the value is gone, but the strength of his candidacy is inevitable. It can be your first favorite in 18 years in a row.
Oliver Brown: Rory McIlroy
It may seem like a fancy romantic flight, but Augusta McIlroy’s is going to conquer this week if he can buck his trend starting slowly, after five straight opening rounds of 72 or worse. Seeking a second opinion on his swing from Butch Harmon is a smart move: he still needs to dial in his short iron play, and when he does, anything is possible.
Tom Cary: Brooks Koepka
Scheffler is the clear favorite. But for the sake of variety, I’ll go with Koepka. Stone-cold killer in majors, has finished T-2, T-7, T-2 in his last three (non-injury-impact) Masters. And he will still be hurt from last year.
Daniel Zeqiri: Shane Lowry
All roads lead to Scheffler but let’s be bold. Lowry ranks third on the PGA Tour this season for strokes gained on approach shots as well as for par-four birdie or better percentage – two key Masters indicators. Augusta’s firm conditions and stiff wind should mean that more greens are lost across the course, which plays into Ireland’s short strengths. A third-place finish at the Masters two years ago saw only nine players finish under par. The harder the better for Lowry.
Who are the dark horses of our experts?
James Corrigan: Russell Henley
Amazing that he was 100-1 in the competition. Is the world No. 17, finished fourth last year, fourth last week and fourth at last month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. He might finish fourth, but that’s profitable.
Oliver Brown: Cameron Young
The New Yorker has proven himself in a major way with championships, having followed up his tie for third place at the 2022 US PGA by narrowly edging Cameron Smith at that year’s Open. He is one of a breed of long hitters that Augusta favors more, with Dustin Johnson and Rahm both putting in dominant displays of late. He has few rivals for the purity of the ball-striking.
Tom Cary: Denny McCarthy
He played great in Texas. McIlroy finished nine clear and is considered one of the best putters on the Tour.
Daniel Zeqiri: Joaquin Niemann
There were many doubts about the LIV players’ championship chances last year, but the performances of Koepka and Patrick Reed suggest that people were too honest. With that in mind, 25-year-old Chilean Joaquin Niemann could claim to have won two LIV events this year. He held a Masters degree before losing in last year’s tournament, and separated the field when he won at Riviera two years ago, a venue with strong ties to Augusta.
And breakout stars will be our experts. . .
James Corrigan: Sahith Theegala
Everyone should know his name by now, but with television ratings dropping significantly due to the ongoing LIV civil war, the extraordinary talents of world No. 15 the audience they should. He is Seve Ballesteros reincarnated. Very little time is spent on the fairways.
Oliver Brown: Tom Kim
At 21, Kim is the youngest player since Tiger Woods to win three PGA Tour titles. He was inspired to play golf by Woods’ famous chip at Augusta’s 16th, before he had even turned. Not short on self-belief, the South Korean claims that this course suits him.
Tom Cary: Christo Lamprecht
There are 20 people for the first time in this year’s competition. But only one of them is 6ft 8in tall. Lamprecht will stand out from that view at least.
Daniel Zeqiri: Akshay Bhatia
The 22-year-old from Los Angeles is the man of the moment after winning the Valero Texas Open last week. Bhatia has also recorded top 20 finishes at Torrey Pines and Copperhead this year, so the win was not necessarily a flash in the pan. However, it will be a challenge to tackle Augusta National in his first visit, his first major championship start.
Big names that miss the cut. . .
James Corrigan: Phil Mickelson
With only 89 in the field and the top 50 heading into the weekend, it’s too short to miss. I picked Mickelson for last year and he finished second. By putting the hex on him, I’m boosting his chances.
Oliver Brown: Justin Rose
Twice runner-up, Rose is looking very short in his 19th Masters, with no top 10 finishes since last July and losses at Bay Hill and Sawgrass in the past month. He will never lose his love for Augusta but will struggle to meet her challenge through one mind.
Tom Cary: Tiger Woods
Who knows how Woods will go? Making 23 consecutive cuts at the Masters tells its own story. And if anyone can come to Augusta with zero prep and do it. But you have to wonder if this is the year the extraordinary run ends.
Daniel Zeqiri: Tiger Woods
The five-time Masters winner looks a long way from achieving his goal of playing one tournament a month having not played competitively since Riviera in February. Woods is more comfortable at Augusta than anywhere else but recreating the classics is harder every year.
It will be a disappointing Masters for . . .
James Corrigan: Rory McIlroy
That’s the story. If it is not a victory, then it must be a disappointment. It’s a terrible situation, but that’s where it’s at with the Masters. I would like to finish it in the top five, but only after a stormy final. And then he will try to take the positives. What else can he do?
Oliver Brown: Bryson DeChambeau
I wonder if DeChambeau will ever live down his infamous description, made during his gym-bunny days in 2020, of Augusta as “par-67”. Since then the course has brutally punished him for that lack of humility. His best score in the past six Masters rounds is 74: appalling given the quality of this field.
Tom Cary: A fan of fast golf
Anna Davis, 18, was penalized for slow play during the second round of the Augusta Women’s National Amateur last week, when she missed the cut. But Masters officials have a track record of reaping the benefits, with rounds lasting almost five hours being the talk of the town last year.
Daniel Zeqiri: Viktor Hovland
Hovland was in the form of his life last year and looked like a great champion in waiting. That remains the case, but Norway is working on some technical changes under a new coach and is yet to register a top 10 this year. You don’t want to be looking for your match while driving down Magnolia Lane.
And finally, we would love to see our experts. . .
James Corrigan
McIlroy to beat Patrick Cantlay down the stretch on Sunday and for all the patrons to wear their green hats.
Oliver Brown
Woods in contention at the weekend: There have been few pleasures in sport than watching Woods complete his comeback arc in 2019 with a fifth Green Jacket. His battered body might not be willing to push him to sixth place, but his mind tells him it can be done. Otherwise he wouldn’t be here.
Tom Cary
Who wouldn’t want to see McIlroy break his great curse on the golf course that eludes him more than any other? What a story it would be if the Northern Irishman could complete the career grand slam this week.
Daniel Zeqiri
McIlroy vs Spieth: The two we’ve expected to dominate the game for years have Augusta stakes between them, but they didn’t have a proper head-to-head duel on Sunday. There would be some added spice following a TPC Sawgrass rules controversy.
