The Masters is just around the corner, with it getting underway on Thursday 10th April, in what’s sure to be an entertaining few days of golf action.
Scottie Scheffler is unsurprisingly the favourite heading into this year’s event, with the American also being the current holder of the Green Jacket, having won by four shots in a dominant display at Augusta.
Scheffler is the 5/1 favourite with the majority of bookmakers, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can win his third Masters title, having first won the event back in 2022.
The likes of Rory McIlroy, John Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, and Collin Morikawa are likely to be in and around Scheffler near the top of the leaderboard, especially if they can recapture some of their best form.
Rahm won the 2023 Masters, and is more than capable of challenging for the title in this year’s tournament, which is likely to be more competitive than ever.
McIlroy is the player that Scheffler is likely to be most fearful of, with the Northern Irishman being in great form heading to Augusta.
He won the Players Championship title on a play-off against J.J Spaun, which was McIlroy’s second win at that tournament, having beaten Jim Furyk by one shot back in 2019.
The Masters is a tournament that McIlroy hasn’t won in his career so far, and there will be pressure on him to deliver a strong performance.
His best finish at this tournament was back in 2022, when he finished as the runner-up to Scheffler.
Having finished tied 22nd in last year’s event, he’s got more of a point to prove, and the rest of the field will be well aware of his quality when at his best.
Another player that will fancy his chances of potentially surprising a few near the top of the leaderboard is Tony Finau.
The six-time PGA Tour champion from Utah secured victory by four shots at the Houston Open two years ago, making this venue ideal for showcasing his strength off the tee and with long irons.
Last year, he finished in a five-way tie for second at the Houston Open, just one shot behind Stephan Jaeger.
Although Finau missed the cut at the Players Championship, he achieved a fifth-place finish at the recent Genesis Invitational, which catches the eye for the right reasons.
If Finau is to have a strong run at this year’s Houston Open, then it’ll be the perfect way to head towards the Masters.
His last PGA Tour win came at the Mexico Open back in April 2023, but with some eye-catching form displayed this year, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him staking a claim near the top of the leaderboard at this year’s Masters.
