39. Chris Wood
This is a flyer on Wood, a top-50 player who hasn’t ever contended in a major. (Really selling you here.) But, the Masters tends to throw a few surprises at you each year, and Wood has as good a chance as anyone. (At being that random guy. Not at winning.)
38. Angel Cabrera
Along with having one of the best and most accurate nicknames in sports, “El Pato” (“The Duck” for those of you who can’t be bothered to Google it) tends to play well in majors regardless of prior form. It’s fascinating, and he’s a fascinating guy, and I could see him doing anything from missing the cut by a wide margin to contending on Sunday.
37. Davis Love III
Here’s a fun one. The upcoming Ryder Cup captain has actually made the cut in nine consecutive starts, and he won the Wyndham Championship last year to get into the field. As Ryder Cup points count double during 2016 majors, a win for DL3 would likely vault him into the running to be a playing captain. I don’t think it’s likely, but it’s a fun idea. His swing obviously still works.
36. Scott Piercy
35. Emiliano Grillo
34. Russell Knox
33. Soren Kjeldson
32. Henrik Stenson
I’m low on the big Swede, who has never won a major, and never finished higher than a T14 at the Masters.
31. Jason Dufner
30. Daniel Berger
Berger is another first-time competitor, but he hits the ball a very. Long. Way. That’s a huge advantage at August, as the lack of punishing rough means you can still attack the greens as long as you stay in bounds and avoid the pines.
29. Marc Leishman
Leishman is a great ball-striker, and he owns a T4 Masters finish from 2013. He’s the kind of guy you see on the second page of the leaderboard for Friday and most of Saturday, and then it could go either very well or very poorly from there.
28. Sergio Garcia
Sergio Garcia is still, somehow, just 36 years old. That’s incredible. Much like Lee Westwood, I have a hard time believing he can overcome the mental blocks he seems to have in major major moments (sorry), but he’s playing some excellent golf, and at this point it’d be fun to see him pull one off.
27. Branden Grace
I have Grace lower here than his world ranking of 13 would suggest; he also had a very strong year in 3 of the 4 majors last year. However, the Masters was not one of them, as he missed the cut for the second year in a row.
26. Charl Schwartzel
The 2011 Masters champion, Schwartzel is always dangerous if he can put things together. He also owns an indisputably cool name, and he won the Valspar Championship in March. I think he’s rounding nicely back into form at the proper time.
25. Jimmy Walker
Walker has been a nice reclamation story over the past few years, starting with an out of nowhere fantastic 2014 season that included three top-10 finishes at majors, including a T8 at the Masters. However, he’s slid back down to earth a bit since. He’s this high thanks to a rock solid all-around game and a decent start to the season.
24. Charley Hoffman
Hoffman has made seven straight cuts and finished T9 at last year’s Masters. He can make birdies in bunches and strikes me as the kind of guy who might go out early on Sunday and, playing free and easy, post a ridiculous number to make the late starters sweat.
23. Chris Kirk
Kirk possesses a languid swing, more in line with fly fishing than the typical high-torque move favored by men like Day or Koepka. And he’s not a long player because of that. But he is a sneakily consistent one, and you can score well on Augusta’s par-5 holes even without length. Birdies are birdies.
22. Brandt Snedeker
The former FedEx Cup champion has some positive history at Augusta, with a T6 in 2013 and a T3 in 2008. And if putting is indeed the difference this week (and, on tour, it most often is) Sneds can get as hot as anyone. His putting stroke is made for quick greens.
21. Jamie Donaldson
The Welshman has made the cut in the prior two years at Augusta, and is one of my sleeper selection this year. Make of that what you will.
20. Danny Willett
Willett has played well all over the world, and there’s no reason he couldn’t begin contending in majors as early as this weekend.
19. J.B. Holmes
Holmes crushes the ball, and has been playing fairly well recently. I don’t know if he’s going to putt it well enough to score, but he’s going to give himself plenty of birdie opportunities.
18. Kevin Na
Na finished T12 last year, and seems due for a run at a major. He’s not the longest player out there, and he’s perhaps most known for his episode a few years back wherein he was unable to even take the club back due to a mental block, but he’s turned things around since.
17. Justin Rose
A fantastic player, Rose finished T2 last year. He’s this low based only on recent form and the strength of the names ahead of him. I don’t really have much else to say about Rose, who doesn’t exactly stir up emotion one way or the other. He seems like a nice guy. Like, if Justin Rose was your neighbor, I think that’s just about all you could hope for.
16. Ryan Moore
Ah, my homer pick, though not an outlandish one; Moore finished T12 last year, and obviously loves Augusta. He’s had a fantastic year so far, and I think this is a fairly solid sleeper selection. (Bonus: if he is in contention, count how often the broadcast team mentions his amateur career dating back to 2004, as though that were relevant. He’s won four times as a professional, but that’s still always the go-to fact for Ryan. I have no idea why that is.)
15. Paul Casey
Casey has really turned his career around after a major shoulder injury; he’s never won a major, but his all-around game is well-suited for the test of Augusta.
14. Bill Haas
Haas has made the cut each time he’s played the Masters, and his results have been trending in a positive direction.
13. Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama is an incredibly talented player with a hypnotic swing tempo; he seems to pause for just the right beat at the top of his backswing. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I do know he finished solo fifth last year here.
12. Brooks Koepka
Power. Power. Power. Koepka is due to blast his way into contention at a major, and Augusta National is a fitting place for him to break through. He made the cut last year in his first Masters, finishing T33, and I think he has a great chance to play well this week.
11. Patrick Reed
Listen, I’m not the world’s biggest Patrick Reed fan. I enjoy his, well, arrogance once every two years, when he shows absolutely no fear in the Ryder Cup. Beyond that, I tend to root against him, inasmuch as one can root against someone in golf. But there’s no denying his talent, and he’s red hot coming in, with three consecutive top-10 finishes.
10. Louis Oosthuizen
Owner of one of the sweetest swings on tour, Oosthuizen almost owned a green jacket as well, losing to Bubba Watson in a memorable 2012 playoff. He reached the final of the WGC-Match Play event two weeks ago, and despite a missed cut at last week’s Shell Houston Open, I think he’ll find his form.
9. Zach Johnson
Johnson is a former champion, the reigning British Open Champion, and generally just an all-around good player. His mental toughness is his strength, and he finished T9 last year. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t a factor on the weekend.
8. Adam Scott
He’s maybe a bit low, but as always, he’s just too ridiculously handsome. I can’t get past that. It’s a flaw on my part. The 2013 Masters champion, Scott is in good form, and has adjusted surprisingly well to the new putter rules. If he can keep that up on Augusta’s slick surfaces, he can play with anyone.
7. Bubba Watson
He hits it a long way and he’s left-handed, two advantages at Augusta National. The 2012 Masters champ has had a very good season so far despite limited starts, and I think he’ll continue that this week.
6. Rory McIlroy
I’m not going to lie: one of the most memorable things I’ve seen was Rory’s back-nine meltdown in 2011, wherein McIlroy shot a 43 coming in to blow what had seemed to be a safe lead. He’s obviously done well for himself since, winning four majors, but he hasn’t yet collected a green jacket; were he to do so this week, he’d complete the career Grand Slam. Rory has been a bit overshadowed of late with the rise of other talented young players, but he’s looked great of late.
5. Dustin Johnson
A theme: Johnson is an absolute bomber of the golf ball. He should be able to play the par 5’s as if they’re par 4’s all week, a huge advantage. He should also be able to give himself manageable approach shots on some of the trickier par 4’s. Dustin has had some bad luck in majors, and he’s made his share of mental and physical errors as well. But he’s simply too talented to not continue contending.
4. Jordan Spieth
Spieth loves Augusta National. He’s played it twice, finishing T2 in 2014 and winning it last year. I’d expect more of the same this year. But enough of the golf, check out what the defending Masters champion served at this year’s Champions dinner (if you’re not familiar, each year all the living Masters champions join for a dinner hosted by the reigning champion, who selects the menu):
Here it is, the entire "Masters Club Dinner" that Jordan Spieth is serving to his fellow champions tonight: pic.twitter.com/hbv0vE8A5y
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelESPN) April 5, 2016
I’ve never wanted a green jacket more. And if I were to win, I can promise that the wine selection would be replaced with Coke Zero. Just to shake things up.
3. Phil Mickelson
Lefty has seemed enthusiastic and rejuvenated all season in regular events, wherein years prior it took the chance at a major to get his fires going. I can only imagine how he’ll react this week, at a course and tournament that fit him perfectly. He has to know he only has a few chances left, at age 45; were he to win a major at his age, against this generation of talent, it would be a fantastic achievement, and further cement his legacy as one of the greatest to ever play.
2.Rickie Fowler
Rickie Fowler is going to win a major. He is. I’d bet everything on it. I don’t know if it will be this one or not, but he’s certainly one of the favorites. He’s never missed the cut here, and he’s coming off a T10 finish in Houston. He’s a clutch putter, he has enough power to keep up with the Jason’s and Rory’s of the world, and he feeds off of the crowd. This is a bit outside the box, relative to other options, but I really do think Rickie is due.
1. Jason Day
And here we have my choice for the favorite. Day has turned a corner, winning the 2015 PGA Championship and overcoming seemingly insurmountable injuries and health concerns to do so; remember his vertigo at the U.S. Open last year? Combine that with his back issues this season and it’s a miracle he’s playing at all, let alone playing the best golf in his life. Day is the No. 1 player in the world for a reason; his game is built around power, yes, but he’s strong in all facets. He finished tied for second in 2011 at his first Masters, and solo third in 2013. Simply put, he’s playing the best golf out of the best golfers, at a course on which he’s had success. He’s my choice for No. 1.
Enjoy the golf, friends.