If you’re even the most casual golf fan, you know about The Masters, the first major of the year and the only one that is played at the same venue every year.
Whether it’s memories of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth or others winning - or the heartbreak of others coming oh so close - it’s truly the start of the professional golf season for most fans of the sport.
Of course, golf is just … weird right now. The defending champion, Jon Rahm, now plays for LIV, meaning the vast majority of even certified golf sickos like myself haven’t seen him play at all since the Ryder Cup. Runners-up last year, Brooks Koepka and (still stunningly) Phil Mickelson also are at LIV, with other potential contenders for the tournament like Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed and others ALSO in the league that is somehow still being run by Greg Norman.
But The Masters persists. And we are in for what is hopefully a treat with plenty of guys in the hunt. Instead of telling you who I think might win, who has a chance, etc., I’ll acknowledge what we both already know - I don’t know anything. My record in golf pools would certainly be better.
So here, then, are the things I’d like to see this week, and others that I’d prefer not to.
Guys I LIKE Win The Masters. This is a fairly obvious statement, but there’s a whole tier of guys who I think seem like decent folks, are fun enough to watch, and whose victory I’d certainly be fine with, but there’s a handful of guys I’d be genuinely happy about winning.
Tiger Woods. Obviously. Also, perhaps more obviously, this isn’t going to happen.
Jordan Spieth. I’ll write about this at a later time, but Spieth isn’t just one of my favorite golfers, he’s one of my favorite athletes. And that’s even acknowledging the fact that he hasn’t been particularly special in QUITE some time. But if he won? Man, that would undoubtedly be great to see.
Rory McIlroy. Am I betting on this happening either? No, sir, no I am not. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 40 times? That’s on me. It’s been ten years since Rory won a major and he’s never won here. He should have a few green jackets, as well as a few other major trophies. I’d love to see him get over the mountain and get his fifth major. We shouldn’t have this continue to be the most lasting image of Rory at Augusta.
Scottie Scheffler. This one might be less obvious, and I know some folks think he’s a boring person, but his golf game is anything but boring. He’s as dominant a golfer as there is, and he’s a fairly bad putter. If he wins another Masters, it will really highlight how good he’s been during his entire short career (he’s somehow still only 27 years old).
He has played 3 1/2 years of majors, and has a top-10 in 9/14 events and top-25 in 13 of the 14 events. Is that any good? Golf is better when there are dominant players who others need to have as a target. It seems like that’s Scottie’s job. Scottie is younger than Timothee Chalamet, Dove Cameron, Patrick Mahomes and Dua Lipa. Try and figure that out.
Max Homa, Tom Kim, Rickie Fowler. These are guys I root for - they’re all seemingly good guys, with good perspective and humor about themselves who I don’t believe have a chance of winning but would be very easy to get excited about.
One consistent thing about all of these? I don’t think any of them - aside from Scottie - has a chance to win. (And that’s at least partially because I think Scheffler IS going to win.)
Guys winning who would make the sport better. Golf is clearly broken right now, though I don’t think beyond repair. Despite the PGA consistently finding ways to make a bad decision worse, and LIV still existing as a thing despite hemorrhaging money like something that hemorrhages, there’s reason for hope. But a few guys winning would create a spark for the Tour that it could certainly use. I’ll add pre-emptively that I recognize the game would be better if Xander Schauffele or Patrick Cantlay got over the hump and won. But … I don’t care about either of them, and I am willing to be wrong on both of them forever until one actually wins an individual tournament that means something and isn’t the Olympics.
Viktor Hovland. Hovland was perhaps playing better than anyone else on Tour when it finished last year but thus far this season has been a bit off his game. But he’s SO charismatic and likable, and his game is so solid all around that watching him win at Augusta would be a delight and a spark for the future.
Ludvig Aberg. Another Nordic golfer, Aberg has never played in a major, let alone Augusta, and he’s ranked 9th in the world. That’s at least partially because the rankings don’t acknowledge anyone on LIV, but also a recognition of how he’s dominated since joining the tour last season. He won the RSM Classic, had a top-10 in this year Players and does very bad things to the golf ball. He’s older than you might think (24) but has a HUGE future and there’s nothing about his game that suggests he won’t play very well this week.
Min Woo Lee. The No Laying Up guys nicknamed Lee “The Unstable Element” because his game can be all over the place. I can’t foresee a way Lee does in fact win here - it feels too penal of a course to reward that kind of play. But if it did? It would be pretty hilarious for an Australian guy with a mullet and wispy mustache win The Masters and it NOT be Cameron Smith. I’m here for it.
Akshay Bhatia. Bhatia just notched his biggest win on the PGA Tour, which got him into Augusta, and did so with the flair he’s shown in his young career. Still only 22, Bhatia was in Augusta ten years ago in the Drive, Chip and Putt contest, and a prodigy since then. He’s a huge talent who drives the ball 340 yards while weighing something close to 140 lbs. And let’s face it, Bhatia and Lee would both add another person of color to Butler Cabin, and that’s a good thing as well.
Will Zalatoris Speaking of guys you’re worried might blow away, Zalatoris is back from a major medical and in the field. His record in majors is shockingly good for his brief career, and the thrill we felt during his numerous runners-up before his injury could be realized with a win here. He has every shot in the bag, including the worst putting stroke you may have ever seen. Again, his talent and youth suggest this should happen at some point, so why not now?
Winners who make good storylines. Any of the guys in my first point winning would be good storylines, but others would be great #content as well. Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tony Finau, Jason Day or Wyndham Clark winning would all be great stories for different reasons. Whether it’s a second major for many of these guys, or the third for JT or Morikawa, or the first for Young, Fleetwood and Finau, all of those would be compelling. And if you’re wondering, that list was done in reverse alphabetical order for no good reason.
Guys from LIV NOT winning. Yes, I know this makes me a jerk but I’ll remind you that I really do love watching Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson and others play golf. I’m bummed that I don’t really get to see that. But not only would a win by a LIV golfer give Greg Norman joy, and make Phil Mickelson more smug, but it would also NOT make the eventual merger/reconsolidation that I think most everyone wants to happen come to fruition. Also, this means that Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed would similarly be shut out, and I think almost everyone agrees that is a good thing.
Sunshine. Let the weather be GOOD this year. It’s not just that I personally spent way too many rounds in the rain last year and this winter, it’s that the Masters is SO much better when it’s firm and fast everywhere. It has been fairly bad weather for what seems like five years or so, and currently the forecasts look promising. Some wind would be DELIGHTFUL. Rain, not so much.
I’m hoping that Sunday will be close, and that some of the right guys are in the mix. But more importantly, I can’t wait. It’s The Masters, baby.
He's been on fire in tournament play this year - hence the invite - however you are correct in suggesting he has done little in majors to date.
Nice write up! There's a live dog you did not mention and who may be my One n Done (Scottie used) and that's Joquin Neimann.