2024 Masters Players to Watch

2024 MASTERS PLAYERS TO WATCH – This is the very best time of the year for me. NHL playoffs are right around the corner, the MLB season is about two weeks or so in their 162 and, finally, the event with “a tradition unlike any other,” the Masters.

There are a couple things to be aware of when watching the Masters and maybe even wagering a dollar or two.  

Augusta National is the only venue for a major championship that never changes. 

Every year in early April the very best golf has to offer will be played at ANGC.

Ghosts of Augusta Past

With that familiarity comes plenty of ghosts, scars, and what ifs. 

Even though Jordan Spieth has a green jacket, he also has the ghosts of #12 and 2016.

Those do not ever go away. 

Speaking of scars, Rory Mcilroy and his Sunday performance at the 2011 Masters may be that exact experience that not only prevents him from winning the career grand slam, but perhaps not ever winning his fifth major. 

Every single player knows where the holes will be located and how and where to try and play from to give them their best chances. That is one of the ways that AGNC can get into your head.

Yes, the course changes slightly from year to year. But the biggest challenges remain the 6 inches between these guy’s ears. Okay, so who is going to take home the green jacket this year? 

The Favorites

It’s going to be super difficult to get the defending champion, Jon Rahm, to give up the championship. His strokes gained numbers at Augusta are so far and away superior to anyone else in the field it’s staggering. 

In his five starts at the masters, Rahm has five top tens and since Rahmbo has taken his services to the LIV tour, he has a third, fifth, an eighth, and an eighth place finish in LIV tournaments. His odds to win are 14-1.

How does one not pick Scottie Scheffler to win this week? The 27-year-old Texan is the number one ranked player in the world (I know, those pesky OWGR rankings again), and he’s the last man to win this event not named Jon Rahm. 

Undoubtedly the best ball striker on the planet, Scottie opens the week as the betting favorite. His odds to win are +430. Brooks Koepka is the last of what I call the favorites to win. 

This guy loves to stir the pot and get into his rivals’ “kitchen.” He shows up on the golf world’s biggest stages when the lights are shining the brightest. 

Remember who had the lead going into Saturday evening last year?  It was this guy and it was a three stroke advantage. Consequently, Koepka did have nearly 36 holes left to play and he eventually lost the lead and the championship to Rahm. 

Fast forward to the PGA Championship at Oak Hill and Koepka grabbed the lead early and at the end of the week. He hoisted his fifth career major championship trophy.

KOEPKA IS MADE FOR THIS WEEKHis odds to win are 20-1.

The Oh Yeah’s

Rory Mcilroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth and Wyndham Clark. I didn’t forget about these guys and I expect them to be a part of this year’s outcome, but I do not think they will win.

The Value Plays

Here’s where I like to hang out and try to find some value. These guys offer bigger odds to win. 

I believe, no wait, I know that it’s sooo hard to pick winners and, if you do, there should be a nice amount of coin headed your way.  

Bryson Dechambeau will win this event before his career is over. He’s too good of a player and this course sets up for him beautifully. His comment re “par 68” at Augusta a few years ago did not sit well with any of the green jacketed community, but this 30-year-old Californian has more than enough game to win here. 

He also is a member of one of the most exclusive clubs in all of golf. There are only three men who have won the US open, the US amateur and the NCAA championship. Those three men are Jack, Tiger, and Bryson. His odds to win are 40-1

I’m also high on Joaquin Niemann this year. This 25-year-old Chilean has played the best golf thus far this year by everyone not named Scottie Scheffler. In four LIV events this year, Niemann has two wins, a fourth, and a thirtieth place finish.

He is for sure unproven, especially around Augusta, but he has the ability to control the golf ball in every way and has soft, slick hands that will serve him well around those ridiculously sloped greens this week. His odds to win are 27-1.

I have to give some final love to Sahith Theegala. I have loved watching this jovial artist play the game ever since he graduated from Pepperdine. His career is absolutely trending in the right direction and he continues to improve and impress week in and week out. His odds to win are 55-1