It’s here. It’s finally here. The 88th Masters has arrived and the world’s best players have made their way down Augusta National Golf Club’s Magnolia Lane and are set to battle in the year’s first major championship.
Jon Rahm, playing in his first major as a member of LIV Golf, is the defending champion and coming off a T-4 finish at LIV Miami. He’s joined in the field by 2022 winner and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler – already a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season – five-time major champion Brooks Koepka – runner-up to Rahm last year – four-time major champion and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy – fresh off a solo third at the Valero Texas Open – and countless other big-name stars.
Tiger Woods arrived on property Sunday as he prepares for his run at major championship No. 16.
Golf course
Augusta National Golf Club | Par 72 | 7,555 yards
Course history
Betting odds
| Player | Odds | Player | Odds |
| Scottie Scheffler | +400 | Patrick Cantlay | +3500 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1000 | Cameron Smith | +3500 |
| Jon Rahm | +1100 | Justin Thomas | +3500 |
| Xander Schauffele | +1600 | Dustin Johnson | +3500 |
| Jordan Spieth | +2200 | Bryson DeChambeau | +3500 |
| Joaquin Niemann | +2500 | Will Zalatoris | +3500 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +2500 | Ludvig Aberg | +3500 |
| Brooks Koepka | +2500 | Wyndham Clark | +3500 |
| Viktor Hovland | +3500 | Matt Fitzpatrick | +4000 |
| Tony Finau | +3500 | Collin Morikawa | +4000 |
Picks to win
Previous event results (Valero Texas Open)
Alex Noren of Sweden prepares to play his putt on the 1st hole during the third round of the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio on April 06, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images)
Alex Noren (30/1): T-14
Billy Horschel (35/1): MC
Keith Mitchell (60/1): T-14
Overall, not a terrible week. But it’s time to pick a winner at Augusta.
I’ll be posting my final card on my X (formerly known as Twitter). You can follow me here: @RileyHamel_
Rory McIlroy (10/1)
Rory McIlroy of Ireland after teeing off from the 10th hole during the first round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
You knew it was coming — and I apologize for nothing.
If Rory wins on Sunday, I’m going to celebrate like the New England Patriots just won the Super Bowl.
He played solid golf in San Antonio, finishing solo third. His improved iron play after a short visit with Butch Harmon was a positive development. If he can use his driver as a weapon this week, he’ll have a ton of opportunities.
This is the year. Let’s do this thing, Mr. McIlroy.
Jordan Spieth (22/1)
Jordan Spieth wearing the Green Jacket after his 2015 Masters victory.
Spieth turns into a different player once he drives down Magnolia Lane. It’s his happy place — shout out Happy Gilmore.
His career finishes at Augusta National: T-2 (2014), 1st (2015), T-2 (2016), T-11 (2017), 3rd (2018), T-21 (2019), T-46 (2020), T-3 (2021), MC (2022) and T-4 (2023). So, as you can see, it’s almost a guarantee Spieth will have a chance to win come Sunday.
After back-to-back missed cuts at the Players Championship and Valspar Championship, Spieth grabbed a share of 10th last week at the Valero Texas Open.
Spieth is a name that should be on your card.
Brooks Koepka (25/1)
Brooks Koepka of the Smash golf club plays his shot from the fifth tee during the first round of LIV Golf Miami golf tournament at Trump National Doral. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Brooks Koepka – the Brooks Koepka – at 25/1 at a major championship? That’s an auto-bet. It has to go on the card.
He was the runner-up to Jon Rahm at last year’s Masters and in 2019 behind Tiger Woods.
I feel like Vegas is playing a trick on me with this number, and if it’s a trap I’m falling right into it. But we’ll see what happens.
Dustin Johnson (35/1)
2019 Masters champion Tiger Woods presents Dustin Johnson with the green jacket after winning the 20202 Masters Tournament at Augusta National GC. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)
Again, this is a crazy number for Dustin Johnson at the Masters.
He won the November edition in 2020 and would have won in 2017 if it weren’t for a set of stairs at his rental house.
Outside of a disappointing finish last year – T-48 – Johnson finished T-12 or better six times from 2015 to 2022.
More Masters betting content
- Dustin Johnson leads this list of best value picks to win the Masters 2024
- An early look at the top 10 betting favorites for the 2024 Masters, including course history and notable finishes in 2024
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