Columnist image

TSN Senior Reporter

| Archive

Ahead of the Masters, here are some picks to help you with your pool. There are some favourites and long shots who should play well this week at Augusta National 

Favourites

Rory McIlroy

Rory is trying to win the career Grand Slam for the fifth time. In each of his previous attempts, he’s failed somewhat miserably. This year, he comes in with a better head space having spent a lot of time trying to separate his golf world from the rest of his world. He feels comfortable in his own space and that’s showing up in his golf game, as evidenced by his recent win at The Players.

Dustin Johnson

Hard to believe, but Johnson, who was No. 1 in the world for most of last year, is coming in a bit under the radar. He’s won twice this year, once at the World Golf Championship event in Mexico and the other at a European Tour event in Saudi Arabia. He’s been in the top 10 in each of his last three starts. When he plays his best golf, Johnson is almost unbeatable. Will he bring it this week?

Justin Rose

Rose is the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world for a reason. He has played wonderful golf over the last 18 months with a win and four top-10s in his last six starts. He also has a great track record at the Masters. His last four finishes are second, fourth, second and 12th. Rose also has the best putting average on tour this year, averaging 26.8 putts per round. He’s also made more birdies than any other player in the Masters over the last eight years.

Middle of the Pack

Matt Kuchar

Kuchar comes in to the Masters as one of the hottest players in the game. He has two wins, a second and five top 10s in 11 starts is year. At Augusta National, he has also experienced some good form. Four of his last seven starts have ended with top-10 finishes.

Louis Oosthuizen

The South African has had a solid run this season with top 10s in his last two starts, including the Dell Technologies Match Play. At the Masters, he’s finished inside the top 20 in three of his last four starts and was the runner-up here in 2012.

Kevin Kisner

He won the Dell Technologies Match Play a few weeks ago after a run of very consistent play that saw him finish inside the top 30 in his last seven starts. This is his fourth Masters appearance – he made the cut in each of his three previous starts.

Longer Shots

Keegan Bradley

He’s played some very consistent golf since his win at last year’s BMW Championship, having missed just one cut. He’s also ranked fifth in Strokes Gained: Approach, a key indicator of Masters performance. He hasn’t played the Masters in three years but in his five appearances, he’s made the cut four times.

Corey Conners

The Canadian is the last qualifier into the field after his win in Texas. If he can get over the whirlwind win and trip to Augusta National, he can be a threat. He has a perfect game for majors, hitting lots of fairways and lots of greens. If he putts as he did last week, he could put in a good performance.