The Masters Top 9 Players Profiles And 2024 Odds

My PGA Tour coverage in Forbes includes The Masters with player profiles, performances and information you can bet on for the 2024 Masters Tournament. Check out more of The Masters top 9 players profiles and article in Forbes, along with 18 player profiles of other leading contenders at The Masters.

More Hole-By-Hole Scoring Averages And Insights

Course history at the Par 72 Augusta National (7,555 yards) and the Masters is more predictive than any other tournament on the PGA Tour. We’ll reference Masters results for those keeping score, and you can get full field Masters odds of golfers for review above.

Keys to Success and Handicapping The Masters

  • Hole 1: Tea Olive – Par 4, 445 yards (Rank 7)

Scottie Scheffler (+400): The 2022 Masters champion finished T10 last year at Augusta, and he’s one of just three players to finish top-25 in each of the last four years at The Masters (Matsuyama, Lowry). The 27-year-old Scheffler has won twice on Tour this year and his pre-tournament odds are cut in half from last year’s Masters and the lowest pre-tournament favorite since Tiger Woods (+350) in 2013. Over his last 36 rounds, Scottie Scheffler ranks No. 1 in strokes gained Total and Approach. He also ranks No. 1 in SG: Ball Striking at Augusta since making his Masters debut. Scheffler maintains his standing as the No. 1 ranked player in the world and a popular pick again at historically low odds.

  • Hole 2: Pink Dogwood – Par 5, 585 yards (Rank 18)

Rory McIlroy (+1100): Eight of the last nine including the last four Masters winners won the green jacket for the first time. If McIlroy makes it five in a row, the 34-year-old Irishman will complete the career Grand Slam with his 5th major championship win. Since his last major win in 2014, McIlroy has 20 top-10 finishes in majors – the most in a 9-year span in the modern era without a victory. That includes six top-10 finishes in the Masters including 2nd in 2022 but he never contended with a final round 64 leaving him 3-shots behind Scheffler. McIlroy has also missed the cut in two of the last three years at Augusta, and he’s failed to shoot under par in the opening round at Augusta in his last five appearances.

  • Hole 3: Flowering Peach – Par 4, 350 yards (Rank 13)

Jon Rahm (+1200): Rahm broke through to win the green jacket and The Masters last year after four previous top-10s in five starts. Rahm was the first Masters winner since Ben Crenshaw in 1995 to hit 85% of fairways and 75% of greens in regulation. The 29-year-old Spaniard took his clubs to the LIV Golf Tour last December, and he’s played reasonable well with less golf and tournaments on LIV. Rahm is one of seven former Masters champions now playing LIV Golf. He’ll have to deal with more media obligations during Masters week while also handling champions dinner obligations.

  • Hole 4: Flowering Crab Apple – Par 3, 240 yards (Rank 5)

Brooks Koepka (+1600): The 29-year-old 5-time major winner has finished in the top-12 in four of his last six Masters appearances. That includes two runner-up showings after last year’s 2nd place finish when he held a 2-shot lead through 54 holes over eventual champion Jon Rahm. Koepka has been the most elite performer in all majors since 2015.

  • Hole 5: Magnolia – Par 4, 495 yards (Rank 1)

Xander Schauffele (+1600): Making his 6th Masters start this year, the 30-year-old Schauffele has two top-3 finishes and a top-10 last year at Augusta. He’s made 80 birdies or eagles at Augusta the last five years – third-most behind Patrick Reed and Cam Smith and just ahead of Jon Rham, Hideki Matsuyama and Jordan Spieth. Schauffele is at the top of the list of best players to have not won a major, and he ranks No. 2 in SG: Total over his last 36 rounds. That’s helped him to three top-5 finishes in his last four starts including runner-up at The Players Championship. Schauffele hasn’t won on Tour since the summer of 2022, but in 55 events since he’s got 72% top-20’s and 32% top-5’s. He’s also posted seven straight top-20 finishes in majors – the only player to do so while also the best on Tour statistically with the most SG: Total per round of any player since 2000. Xander has been the No. 1 driver at Augusta the past two editions and he’s lost strokes Tee-to-Green in just two PGA Tour events since the 2022 Masters. Schauffele’s game, Masters profile and current form make him a legit contender again with his pre-tournament odds nearly cut in half from last year.

  • Hole 6: Juniper – Par 3, 180 yards (Rank 10)

Hideki Matsuyama (+2200): The 32-year-old Japanese star has finished T16 or better each of the last four Masters, including his 2021 win when he was near +7500, or 75/1 to win. He was also +4600 last year before he teed-off at Augusta and finished T16 despite a final round 75. Since 2015, Matsuyama ranks No. 2 in Scrambling and Bogey Avoidance at Augusta showing great course managment. Hideki’s putting issues had many pundits questioning his ability to win at Augusta National, but his Masters win and profile along with his 2024 win at The Genesis Invitational on a comp course make him a solid contender again.

  • Hole 7: Pampas – Par 4, 450 yards (Rank 6)

Jordan Spieth (+2200): The 2015 Masters champion has been a major contender at Augusta multiple times. He’s finished T4 or better in 10 career starts, including his major back-9 collapse in 2016. Spieth has the most SG: Approach per round since 2015 and 11th in Putting in that span. The top-3 players all-time in SG: Total at The Masters with at least 30 rounds are Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth. The 31-year-old Texan missed the cut in two recent events including The Players Championship, and his SG: Approach play has been abysmal over his last 36 rounds ranking outside the top 150 on Tour. The FanDuel Ambassador sits T10 in the Valero Texas Open into the weekend ahead of The Masters.

  • Hole 8: Yellow Jasmine – Par 5, 570 yards (Rank 17)

Viktor Hovland (+3000): Hovland makes his fifth Masters appearance in 2024 with a best finish of T7 last year. The 26-year-old Norwegian hasn’t found his groove yet this year with just one top-20 finish in five starts and his SG: Around the Green game has been awful ranking outside the top-190 on Tour. Hovland had three wins last year without a missed cut including a pair of playoff wins to capture the Tour Championship.

  • Hole 9: Carolina Cherry – Par 4, 460 yards (Rank 11)

Justin Thomas (+3300): Six straight top-22 finishes at the Masters for the 30-year-old Thomas until missing the cut last year. That includes T-8 in 2022 before struggling with his game throughout 2023. The 2-time major winner is still a major threat and good fit at Augusta with his iron game and approach play, which ranks top-15 on Tour the past 36 rounds along with Around the Green, but his Off-the-Tee and Putting are poor outside the top-1200. Thomas’ 15 PGA Tour wins only trails McIlroy on this list, and he parted ways with his caddy of the past 2 ½ years Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay this week.

You can compare the odds of The Masters top 9 players and other golfers, against their odds in the 2023 Masters. Also see my previous picks including a 2023 Masters prop bet ticket that cashed in on Brooks Koepka (8/1) as the top LIV Golfer. I’ve posted some initial tournament matchups picks at OSGA for the 2024 Masters, and my 9-0 Masters Tournament matchup results from the 2018 Masters.

Author: FairwayJay is a leading national sports betting analyst, writer, handicapper and sports betting insider providing insight and information you can bet on for nearly two decades from Las Vegas. He chips in additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events for leading media and sports betting sites and companies. Follow him on X (Twitter): @FairwayJay
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