As April 11 approaches, excitement and anticipation are mounting for the first of the year’s major golf tournaments.
2024 will see the 88th Masters tournament at the iconic and legendary Augusta National Golf Club. The course remains the same as always, with the one small change being the lengthening of the second hole, the Pink Dogwood, by ten yards, making it a 585-yard par five.
As usual, this year’s field has only 87 players who are playing by invitation. This is the smallest for some time but still includes some interesting names.
These include Bubba Watson, the 2012 winner, and even Fred Couples – you must go back to 1992 to see when the 64-year-old won.
Couples and the other field veterans can probably be discounted – golf has advanced by great strides since they were in their prime. Similarly, an amateur is unlikely to don the famous green jacket when the tournament concludes on April 14.
Who does stand a chance of carrying off this year’s $3.24 million first prize? According to the Masters odds, four leading contenders are in the frame.
Scottie Scheffler
Far out ahead of the rest of the field is Scottie Scheffler. He was the champion in 2022, coming in at ten under, three shots ahead of Rory McIlroy. Last year, he didn’t fare so well, but he came 10th overall.
However, he might have hit top form at the perfect time to triumph. He recently won The Players tournament with an eight-shot under of 64 in the final round, becoming the first player to defend the title successfully.
The victory was even sweeter by seeing off the reigning Open champion, Brian Harmon. Moreover, he achieved this while also suffering from a neck strain that needed treatment in the tournament’s first three days.
The week before, he also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and predictions are being made that he might end up being the shortest odds favorite since Tiger Woods was placed at +350 ahead of the 2013 tournament.
This was eventually won by the Australian Adam Scott in a tense playoff with Angel Cabrera, hopefully not an omen for Scheffler.
Rory McIlroy
The Masters is one title that has eluded McIlroy in a career that has seen him win the US Open in 2011, the PGA Championship in 2012, and again in 2014, the same year he won The Open Championship.
Even though it’s been a decade since these successes, he’s still highly fancied to do well at Augusta in April.
He came close to tournament success last season by coming second in the US Open. It was also a question of “close but no cigar” at this year’s Dubai International, where he finished the tournament joint second with Thriston Lawrence, just a single shot behind the winner, Tommy Fleetwood.
He also played a crucial role in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory last year, winning four points from his five matches – more than any other player at the event.
Jon Rahm
The Spaniard may be a controversial figure at The Masters following his widely publicized defection to the LIV golf tour, which he claims wasn’t for the money but for the good of his family and the sport.
Regardless of his motivations or the morality of the move, last year’s champion is allowed to play even if he is generally excluded from PGA events.
His move has meant he’s not been in action recently. So, his last significant outing was in last year’s Ryder Cup. Along with McIlroy, he made a valuable contribution, earning three points for Europe from the four matches he played.
Ever since his first Masters appearance in 2017, he has never missed the cut – and he’s unlikely to do this year. We’ll have to wait and see whether he can make it two in a row, joining the greats like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
Jordan Spieth
The 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth has won two other major titles, the 2015 US Open and The Open Championship in 2017.
However, his success in The Masters has been unremarkable since then, with him generally finishing outside the top eleven.
He’s ranked 14th in the world at the moment, but that’s not to say he might not pull out all the stops to triumph this year.
That said, he has quite a long way to go to regain his previous winning form. He went without any tournament wins in 2023. You must return to April of the prior year for his last success at the RBC Heritage.
Conclusion
As the 88th Masters Tournament approaches on April 11, anticipation builds with top contenders like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in focus.
So it’s all eyes on Augusta from April 11, where any of these talents could shine, setting the stage for potential surprises in this prestigious golf event.