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It’s officially the week of The Masters, as golf is already underway at Augusta National. Throughout the weekend, the sports world will have a ton of focus on Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, and others. Here are some bold predictions about what might happen in golf’s first Major tournament.
The Masters predictions
Scottie Scheffler doesn’t win
Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite to win it this weekend, but he hasn’t exactly had a good year. He obviously can’t be counted out because he’s Scheffler and he’s a two-time winner at this venue, but the trends don’t suggest another win is coming. The field is so good, and Scheffler hasn’t shown lately that he can beat the best.
Rory McIlroy finishes top five
There was a time when a top-five finish at The Masters would’ve been agonizing for Rory McIlroy. Not anymore. The golfer finally took the lid off last year, so to speak, and he should be better at Augusta moving forward. It may not result in another win, because repeating is insanely hard and McIlroy didn’t win another Major last year after this one. But he should finish well.
Bryson DeChambeau flames out
Expect Bryson DeChambeau, one of the most popular picks to win it, to contend for most of the time at The Masters. He did last year before a late stumble took him out of contention. This year, the same will happen, especially as the golfer is testing out a new 3D-printed club. He will be among the contenders for three and a half rounds before falling out.
Jon Rahm wins
Jon Rahm has won at Augusta once before, right before he transitioned from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. Since then, it’s not clear that he, like others, has really lost a step by joining LIV. In fact, he still looks like much the same golfer he was before. That’s bad news for the others in the field, and Rahm has short odds to win for a reason.
The eventual champion won’t shoot below -10
The last eight victors at The Masters have all shot below -10. The last two, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, shot -11. However, Augusta’s a hard course, and eventually, someone is going to win it without shooting extremely well across all four rounds. This year could be when that happens.
An amateur makes the cut
Making the cut at Augusta is really hard for a lot of reasons. The field is deep, making it harder for those not among the best of the best to survive. The course isn’t easy, either, so those who aren’t in the best form might struggle. But this year, at least one of the six amateurs will survive long enough to play the entire weekend.
A long shot contends for The Masters
Usually, long shots at The Masters don’t make runs. It’s not like a normal golf tournament. There’s immense pressure, and the field, as mentioned, is full of the literal best golfers from every tour in the world. But this year, someone with +10000 odds or worse will make a run and finish in the top 10. Cameron Smith, Keegan Bradley, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, and Michael Kim are good candidates.
A favorite totally misses the cut
Just because someone’s a favorite at The Masters does not mean they’re going to do well. This happens all the time. Jon Rahm, as the defending champion in 2024, struggled mightily. Good golfers have bad days at Augusta, and that’s all it takes. This year, Ludvig Aberg (+1700), Tommy Fleetwood (+2000), and Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200) are candidates to struggle and fall out of favor by the end of round two.
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