Situated just a few hundred yards beyond a relatively nondescript road to the north west of Augusta, Georgia, the hallowed turf of Augusta National Golf Club has been the venue for the Masters since 1934 and is the only Major to be played at the same course every year.
Because of its permanent location and a legacy that has grown over the decades, the course’s familiarity for the watching crowds and the multitude of TV viewers around the world, enhances the tournament’s lustre. Expect four memorable days of action from one of the most exclusive fields in world golf as they bid to win one of the most prized possessions in sport – the famed Green Jacket.
Front runners
Scottie Scheffler
The hottest man in golf right now with three wins in last five starts -moving him up to No.1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Much of his early resume mirrors his friend Jordan Spieth’s: U.S. Junior Amateur winner, University of Texas star and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. Could a Masters triumph be added to that impressive list?
Jon Rahm
The Spaniard finished in the top ten for the fourth consecutive time last year (T5) after a final round 66, but he’s never been closer than six shots from the leader through 54 holes. Won a maiden Major championship after finishing with back-to-back birdies on a breathless final day of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines last season and has only finished outside the top ten on five occasions in his last 13 starts since then. Could a faster start over the hallowed turf of Augusta National be the key to securing a first Green Jacket next month?
Collin Morikawa
The Californian is the man for the big occasion with wins at last year’s Open Championship, DP World Tour Championship and WGC – Workday Championship propelling him up the World Ranking. Also has a US PGA Championship trophy on his mantlepiece alongside last year’s Race to Dubai Trophy. Will be making his third appearance at Augusta National with last year’s share of 18th his best showing.
Patrick Cantlay
The World No.5 is on some run of late having finished inside the top 10 in 10 of his last 15 events, including three wins at the Memorial Tournament, BMW Championship and the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship. Those three victories saw him beat the likes of Morikawa and Rahm to the FedEx Cup title and the mouthwatering $15 million prize for finishing the season as No.1. Finished as Low Amateur on his Masters debut in 2012 and has played four times since with a share of ninth in 2019 the best of the bunch.
Viktor Hovland
Hard to believe this will be just his second professional outing at the tournament after his rapid rise in the game since turning pro in 2019. Since then he has picked up three victories on the PGA Tour and two on the DP World Tour, with the latest coming in the UAE at the Dubai Desert Classic courtesy of a play-off victory over the in-form Richard Bland. Danny Willett and Sergio Garcia both slipped on the Green Jacket after winning at Emirates Golf Club in 2016 and 2017 respectively – could Hovland be doing the same this month?
Rory McIlroy
The Northern Irishman boasts a sublime record at Augusta National with six top tens in his 13 appearances while only finishing outside of the top 25 on three occasions. Missed the cut last year but that was around the time he tried, and failed, to emulate Bryson DeChambeau’s length off the tee, which led to all sorts of problems. The Ulsterman was ranked 13th in the world last time out but has now risen into the top 10 with two PGA Tour victories since then and could have added a DP World Tour triumph to that list if it he didn’t find the water on the last at the Dubai Desert Classic. Is this the year he finally wins the Career Grand Slam?
The Challengers
Bryson DeChambeau
Hasn’t had the best start to the year after missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open before withdrawing from the Saudi International with a left hand and left hip injury – returned to action at last week’s WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play. Has failed to finish inside the top 25 in four professional outings at Augusta, but the big-hitting American remains a threat to overpowering the course.
Jordan Spieth
Arguably one of the best players around Augusta National, Spieth took to the Masters quickly, finishing tied for second in his 2014 debut before winning the next year and finishing T2 again in 2016. The 2015 Masters title, which Spieth won wire-to-wire at 18 under par, was the first of the three Major titles he captured in less than two and a half years. Recorded his fifth top-5 finish last year, joining Arnold Palmer and Byron Nelson as the quickest to do it (eight starts).
Justin Thomas
Captured his 14th PGA Tour title, the 2021 Players Championship, just a month before last month’s Masters, where he finished in a tie for 21st. Has played the Masters on six occasions, never missing the cut, with his best outing coming in 2020 where he finished fourth, eight strokes behind leader Dustin Johnson. Game is trending nicely with top 20 finishes in nine of his last 11 PGA Tour starts, including four top fives.
Dustin Johnson
After winning the only edition of the Masters to be held in November in 2020, Johnson failed to make the cut the following year and has dropped from the summit of the World Ranking to eighth since then. When claiming his first Green Jacket, the American carded the lowest score in tournament history, 20-under-par 268 and had begun last year’s edition Johnson with a streak of 11 consecutive rounds under par at Augusta National, which is also a tournament record.
Cameron Smith
Wrote his name into the history books at the 2020 edition by becoming the first man to shoot all four rounds in the 60s, but still lost out by five shots to Dustin Johnson. His 15-under 273 total was the best ever by a runner up, which he shared that mark with his International Presidents Cup teammate Sungjae Im. In all but seven previous Masters 15 under would have won. Won last month’s Players Championship to scoop the biggest purse on the PGA Tour schedule – $3.6m.
Louis Oosthuizen
The South African, who enters his 14th Masters, had a near miss at the 2012 Tournament when he lost in a play-off to Bubba Watson – has been runner-up an incredible six more times in Major Championships since then. Holds many memorable memories around Augusta National, including being the only player to make an albatross at the par-5 second, making a hole in on the 16th while also winning the Par 3 Contest.
Brooks Koepka
The American comes alive for the game’s biggest events and has four Major championships to show for that between 2017-2019. Missed the cut in last year’s edition but made the cut in each of his five previous Masters before that as well as finishing tied 11th or better on three occasions. That includes a share of second in 2019, a year in which he finished in the top four at all four Majors.
