As is always the case at Augusta, even the best golfers from the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and DP World Tour will be challenged by Augusta’s difficult course. Augusta National is, in many ways, the star of The Masters.
Of course, McIlroy and his title defense are likely to headline the weekend. The 36-year-old didn’t just complete his career grand slam at last year’s event. He also won his first major in over a decade. The Northern Irishman will be out to prove that his best golf isn’t behind him.
“I feel like with the way I am playing and feeling …physically I feel better at 36 than I did at 25. I still have a lot left,” McIlroy told Ewan Murray of The Guardian. “If I can produce the golf shots that I needed to produce down the last few holes at Augusta, feeling the way I was feeling then, I am pretty capable of doing anything in this game.”
Alison Root of Golf Monthly believes that McIlroy can indeed defend his title:
“I’m going for Rory to make it back-to-back titles. Perhaps my heart is ruling my head because we all know his Masters build-up has not been ideal due to his recent back injury.”
However, Root was in the minority of Golf Monthly’s staff picks. Editor Neil Tappin is backing Jon Rahm and Tyrel Hatton, deputy editor Joel Tadman is backing Bryson DeChambeau and Hatton, while features editor Nick Bonfield is backing Xander Schauffele and Corey Conners.
SportsLine golf expert David Bearman is also fading McIlroy.
“Fading Rory McIlroy is not an easy thing to do,” Bearman told SportsLine (h/t Daniel Kohn of CBS Sports). “We are talking about the defending champion with eight top-10s and many narrow misses here. But a few things are working against him here.”
Bearman cited McIlroy’s lingering back injury and the fact that he is no longer chasing that grand slam. If Bearman is correct, McIlroy is more of a long shot than his odds might indicate.
Collin Morikawa is also a bit of a long shot at +3500. Yet, SportsLine’s model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, is high on Morikawa, according to CBS Sports’ Ross Kelly:
“He already has a PGA Championship and Open Championship on his resume, but Morikawa has been more consistent at the Masters than any other major. At no major does he have more top-fives (two), top 10s (three) or top 25s (five) than at Augusta National.”
Jon Hoefling of USA Today likes Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, and Tommy Fleetwood as sleeper picks.
Curiously, few experts seem to be backing Scottie Scheffler, who remains the No. 1-ranked player in the world and is the early betting favorite. Of course, that may be entirely due to the odds, and few should be surprised if Scheffler gets his third green jacket on Sunday.
