The 2023 Masters will be a tournament with storylines unlike any other.
Could we see the first back-to-back green jacket winner in 21 years?
Will Rory McIlroy finally achieve the grand slam?
Could we see Tiger Woods in contention on Sunday?
Could we see the first LIV Tour player win a major?
So many questions. So many storylines. So … let’s go.
FrontPageBets breaks down this year’s Masters, taking a look at the odds and golfers to watch at Augusta National.
(All odds courtesy of FanDuel and are subject to change)
Can Scottie Scheffler repeat at the Masters?
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world, has a chance to do something that hasn’t been done since Woods did it in 2001-2002: Win back-to-back Masters championships.
Scheffler won at Augusta last year, earning his first major to cap an amazing two-month stretch where he won four times.
This year, he’s already won twice, including defending his WM Phoenix Open title and winning The Players Championship. And if he wasn’t already in rare air, Scheffler is only the third golfer in history to hold the Masters and Players titles heading down Magnolia Lane. The other two? Jack Nicklaus and Woods.
Oh, and Scheffler also finished fourth at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play two weeks ago – a title he won last year.
For the season, Scheffler has nine top-25 finishes in 10 starts, including those two wins. He also leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee (.990), strokes gained tee-to-green (2.268), greens in regulation (73.77%) and money ($11.63 million).
Currently, Scheffler is +750 odds to win another green jacket – tied with McIlroy for the best odds in the field.
Can Rory McIlroy win the Masters and earn the career grand slam?
Speaking of McIlroy, this week he has another chance to complete the grand slam by winning at Augusta National.
The 33-year-old from Northern Ireland, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, has already won the other three majors: U.S. Open (2011), PGA Championship (2012, 2014) and the British Open (2014).
McIlroy’s best finish at the Masters was last year, when he finished runner-up to Scheffler, holing out from a green-side bunker on No. 18 on Sunday to cap a round of 8-under 64, which is the lowest final-round score in Masters history.
Of course, his best chance to win was in 2011 when he had a four-stroke lead heading into the back nine on Sunday. But a triple bogey on No. 10, followed by bogey, double bogey ruined any chance of him taking the green jacket, as he finished with and 80 and 15th place.
But in the 11 Masters since 2011, McIlroy has seven top-10 finishes, including three top-5s. He hasn’t finished out of the top 25 in nine out of his last 10 starts at Augusta.
This season on the PGA Tour, McIlroy has one win and three top-10 finishes. He’s sixth in FedEx Cup points and leads the Tour in driving distance (326.6 yards), while ranking sixth in strokes gained off the tee (.852) and eighth in total strokes gained (1.633).
What are Tiger’s chances at Augusta National?
Woods will tee it up again this week in his 25th Masters appearance. The 15-time major winner has five green jackets, just one behind Nicklaus.
Last year, in his first time back since the horrific car accident, Woods made the cut and finished 47th.
This year, he’s only played in one tournament, tying for 45th at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera in February.
Woods has never missed the cut at the Masters as a professional; and to go along with his five wins, he’s finished runner-up twice and has 14 top-10s and 18 top-25s.
Woods is currently +8500 (85-1) to win his sixth green jacket, and +500 to finish in the top 10. He’s -175 to finish in the top 40.
LIV Tour at Augusta National
For the first time in a major, PGA Tour members will share the course with the LIV Tour, as 18 golfers from the alternate league have exemption status into the Masters.
The LIV golfer with the best odds to win a green jacket is Cameron Smith at +2100. Smith won the British Open last year at St. Andrews.
Former Masters champion Dustin Johnson sits at +2800 to win, while Brooks Koepka is +3600. Koepka is coming off his first victory on the LIV Tour this past week, winning in Orlando.
Three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson is 280-1 to win.
Odds-on favorites to win the Masters
Scottie Scheffler +750
Rory McIlroy +750
Jon Rahm +900
Jordan Spieth +1700
Patrick Cantlay +1900
Cameron Smith +2100
Justin Thomas +2200
Collin Morikawa +2500
Xander Schauffele +2500
Cameron Young +2700
Jason Day +2700
Dustin Johnson +2800
Other notables:
Brooks Koepka +3600
Will Zalatoris +3700
Matt Fitzpatrick +5000
Tiger Woods +8500
Bubba Watson +22000
Phil Mickelson +28000
Bernhard Langer +100000
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