It is the best week of the year in golf. It simply cannot be argued otherwise. The Masters is here! Since LIV Golf emerged, the majors have an even heightened sense of importance. The sense of anticipation that builds towards seeing the worlds best players battle it out over four rounds only happens four times a year now. The Masters is the first time each year where we get to see how these guys really are stacking up against one another and gives us the context we so desperately crave for the rest of the golf season. You didn’t come to this article to learn more about Augusta National or the history of golf’s most illustrious event. You are here for the picks, so with that, let’s get to it. We will grab a player we like from the top, middle, and bottom of the odds board to highlight. Per usual, since it is a Major Championship this week, we will throw in a bonus fourth pick as well! Also, why not throw in a fifth to celebrate the best week in golf?
Xander Schauffele
When you hop on Xander’s datagolf page the first thing that stands out to you is the pop of the color green on the bottom of the page. Xander’s results this year are staggeringly good. He already has six top 10 finishes this year. He has a T2 and a T3 to his name in his Masters career already. Everything about his statistical profile screams that he is long overdue to win a major. With his current form, there is no reason that it could not be this week. He hasn’t been laying eggs in the final rounds of events this year, he has simply been run down or passed by people usually on an absolute heater. Xander’s game is so well rounded and we have seen him have the most consistent success at The Masters compared to any other major in his career. This is the week that Xander breaks all the way through and ends the weekend putting the green jacket on and celebrating a victory.
Sahith Theegala
Sahith has made a leap this year. He is a creative genius on the golf course, a skillset that gets accentuated on the undulating and unique grounds of Augusta National. His wayward driver has been his downfall in the past. While he is still less accurate off the tee than your average tour player, he has tightened it up some while gaining even more distance. His bread will always be buttered on and around the greens where he is truly an elite player. He is a player in the mold of Jordan Spieth, and we all know how well he has fared at this event in his illustrious career. Sahith only has one start in The Masters and he finished 9th. I think he will improve on that this year and finish in the top 5.
Patrick Reed
I hesitate to put too much stock in anyone’s current form on LIV coming into The Masters. Mostly just with the difference in format, it can be hard to tell how much will translate to a traditional 72 hole stroke play setting with all of the pressure that comes along with any Major Championship. Even if you could tell me exactly what form Patrick Reed was coming into this event with, I wouldn’t care, as he tends to transform every time he is here into the best version of himself. In four of the last six Masters, he has finished inside the top 10. He is coming in off his best finish of the year at a LIV event, and I think that he is set up for success this week at Augusta National. Look for Patrick Reed to grab a top 10 finish again this week.
Chris Kirk
Kirk started off the year hot with a win at Kapalua. Since then his form has been up and down. His big downfall so far this season has been his putting. He has only gained strokes putting in two of his starts so far this season and one of those was in his victory. Augusta National is a second shot golf course and Chris Kirk is a second shot player. You always hear about how shot shaping is quintessential to success at Augusta and Chris Kirk has the ability to hit any approach shot that is asked of him. I don’t think that Kirk will come out and blitz the field and really be in contention this week, but I do think he has a great chance to finish inside the top 20 this week.
Wyndham Clark
I feel like people are out on Clark for no reason. It feels like people think he has benefitted more from the talent drain on The PGA Tour that went to LIV and cleared the way for him to hold the position he does on The PGA Tour now. I don’t agree with that line of thinking. This man won the U.S Open last year, has looked consistently awesome this year, and has spent plenty of time in high stakes contending situations this year. He may feel like he only has the big high cut off the tee, and it will be interesting to see if that is the case around this golf course or not, but I just feel like people are too far out on Wyndham based on what we have seen from him this season. If Scottie Scheffler does not exist, he probably has three wins all in signature events this year. I think he will put up a good showing this week and grab a top 10 finish.
