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The 2023 Masters Tournament tees off Thurs., April 6 from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The 87th edition of the tournament is gearing up to be a memorable one as Scottie Scheffler looks to become just the fourth player ever to repeat as champion.
Here’s everything you need to know about the top contenders in the 2023 Masters Tournament.
Scottie Scheffler
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It’s no surprise that Scottie Scheffler, No. 1 on the Official World Golf Rankings, is a +700 favourite to win the 2023 Masters.
The defending Masters champion finished T-19 in 2020 and T-18 in 2021, his only other Masters appearance before his win last year. It’s worth noting, only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have successfully defended a Masters title.
Scheffler has six career PGA Tour victories since Feb. 2022, including wins at the WM Phoenix Open and the Players Championship in 2023.
It’s been a great start to the year for Scheffler as he has made every cut and finished within the top-10 in seven of 10 tournaments. He currently leads the PGA in strokes-gained tee-to-green and strokes-gained off-the-tee.
Rory McIlroy
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Rory McIlroy enters the Masters as a +700 co-favourite to win the tournament. Ranked No. 2 in the world, the Masters is the last tournament McIlroy needs to complete the career grand slam (Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, The Open Championship).
The Northern Irishman has seven top-10 finishes at Augusta, including a career-best second-place finish in 2022.
McIlroy has remained hot this golf season with three top-10 finishes through six events played, including a victory at the CJ Cup in South Carolina. He has been nearly unbeatable off the tee, averaging a PGA Tour-high 312.3 yards on all drives.
Experience and familiarity are often key to winning at the Masters and with McIlroy set to play his 53rd competitive round at Augusta on Thursday, that experience could be a difference-maker.
Jon Rahm
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Jon Rahm has been one of the top golfers in the world over the last few years and enters the week ranked No. 3 on the Official World Golf Rankings. He rounds out the top-three Masters favourites at +900.
The Spaniard had four consecutive top-10 finishes at the Masters between 2018 and 2021, but regressed with a T-27 finish last year.
Rahm has six top-10 finishes in nine events this year, including winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the American Express and the Genesis Invitational.
That success can be owed to the fact Rahm ranks first in the PGA in strokes-gained total, third in strokes-gained tee-to-green and fourth in approach.
Jordan Speith
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Spieth has been hit-or-miss over the last few years, but he’s as dangerous as anyone when he is on his game. The 2015 Masters champion has five top-three finishes in nine career trips to Augusta, so it might be worth taking him at+350 for a top-five finish.
Like McIlroy, Spieth is one major short of the career grand slam, but he needs the PGA Championship to complete the feat. He struggled at Augusta last year, finishing six-over par after two rounds before missing the cut.
Spieth has three top-10 finishes in 10 events this year, but he’s also missed the cut twice. He has looked better over the last month, finishing top-four in two of his last four tournaments.
Putting has been the big issue for Spieth. He ranks 119th in the PGA in putts made from four to eight feet, averaging roughly a 67 per cent conversion rate. If Spieth can boost that number up slightly, he should be in contention this weekend.
Tiger Woods
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You can’t talk about the Masters without mentioning Tiger Woods. He is one of the most dominant golfers of all time, winning the Masters five times, second-most behind Jack Nicklaus.
Woods lags as a +6600 long shot to win the tournament in 2023, but he could be worth taking a flier on at -217 to make the cut.
After a car crash nearly ended his career, Woods made his first official tournament start in over 500 days at the Masters last year, making the cut and finishing the weekend T-47.
Woods has been limited to just one tournament in 2023. He finished T-45 at the Genesis Invitational in Feb., comfortably making the cut and finishing one-under par.
This is clearly not the same Tiger who has won 15 majors, but with more prep than he had in 2022, he should have a good shot to at least make the cut at Augusta this year.
Make sure to check out Sports Interaction for a complete list of odds for the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and golf futures.
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