We’ve had to wait an extra six months, but The Masters is finally upon us! The 2020 Masters will kick off on Thursday night (AEDT) and is without doubt the most anticipated golf tournament of the highly interrupted professional season.
The event will bring together the best players in the world at the famous Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, and we have you covered with a monster preview, power rankings and betting tips below!
The Masters Betting Tips
The action will likely kick off at around midnight on Thursday night for us Australian fans and thankfully, The Masters is arguably one of the best covered sporting events on the globe. You can watch every shot of any player via The Masters website or check out the standard days coverage on Foxtel and Kayo!
As you’d expect, the field is absolutely jam packed for the third and final major championship of the season.
The Field
He might be out of form at the moment, but Tiger Woods is still without doubt the headline attraction of The Masters this year. The five-time winner and reigning champion will be back to defend his title this season and although he hasn’t played a lot of golf lately, you can never rule out Woods at Augusta.
The rest of the field is headlined by the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth just to name a few.
Past winner of the green jacket who will be back in action with a realistic chance of claiming another win include Woods, Spieth, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Danny Willett, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson.
The Course
What more is there to say about Augusta National that we don’t already know? The most famous golf course in the world will host another Masters tournament this year but this time around, we could see a whole different side to course, with the event being held in November instead of April. How Augusta will play in the colder weather is one of the more intriguing story lines heading into the event, but at the end of the day, it’s hard to know what type of player will be at an advantage.
Traditionally, you need to scramble and putt well if you want to be successful at Augusta and we have no reason to believe that this year will be any different. The greens will no doubt be diabolical once again and the drop-off areas are some of the hardest in all of golf. Players will need to be dialled in with their short approach irons/wedges and with the putter to be successful.
The feature holes of the golf course is ‘Amen Corner’. A three hole stretch over holes 11, 12 and 13 that is one of the most daunting but picturesque stretches of holes in world golf. The Par 3 12th was where the tournament was lost for a bunch of golfers last season and will provide plenty of drama again this year.
Power Rankings
1. Justin Thomas ($13 at Sportsbet)
Many would have DeChambeau at the top of their power rankings due to his recent form and his dominant win in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. However, Justin Thomas is our man this week after some solid golf of late and a ever improving record at Augusta. Thomas seems built for Augusta and it’s almost a certainty that the 27 year old will win a green jacket at some point throughout his career. Will this be the year? Thomas has improved his result in every one of his trips to The Masters, finishing 39th, 22nd, 17th and 12th over the last four years.
2. Bryson DeChambeau ($9 at Sportsbet)
DeChambeau has revolutionised golf over the past few months, with his new ‘all-out attack off the tee’ game plan being validated by a dominant win at Winged Foot in the U.S. Open. Bryson won the event by five shots and was the only player under par at the tough course, marking his 2nd PGA Tour victory since the action returned from the COVID-19 hiatus. He has played just one event since the U.S. Open win, a T8 at the Shriners Open. Will he be able to monster Augusta off the tee? That is the main question .It has been done before, back when Tiger won by 12 strokes in 1997.
3. Xander Schauffele ($15 at Sportsbet)
Schauffele has been one of the most consistent golfers in the world over the past few months. He won the Tour Championship before the scores were adjusted for handicaps and has since went on to finish 5 that the U.S. Open, 2nd at the CJ Cup and T17 at the ZOZO Championship. It’s his record in major championships that is really a sight to behold though. Over the past four seasons, the youngster boasts six top 10 finishes in 10 major championships. Has already racked up a T10 at the PGA Championship and a 5th at the U.S. Open this season. Was right in the mix at Augusta last season as well, finishing T2 behind Tiger Woods.
4. Rory McIlroy ($13 at Sportsbet)
Say what you want about the Northern Irishman, but there is no doubt that he has put himself in position to win The Masters as much as anyone over the past decade. His last six Masters tournaments have yielded results of 8th, 4th, 10th, 7th, 5th and 21st.Comes into the tournament with a new lease on life after the birth of his first child and a lot less pressure to perform without the stigma as one of the leading contenders, that’s usually when he is at his best.
5. Dustin Johnson ($10 at Sportsbet)
DJ is the No.1 ranked player in the world for a reason. He was T2 at the Houston Open on the weekend and is probably the most in form golfer in the world at the moment. His positive COVID-19 test, which kept him out of two tournaments on the PGA Tour, didn’t seem to have an effect on his form in Houston and he’ll be one of the top favourites for The Masters this weekend. Hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 at Augusta since the 2014 season.
BEST BET
Xander Schauffele is our man this week. He has an absolutely stellar form in major championships over the past four years and we feel like he isn’t far away from finally hoisting a trophy. Just missed out last year to Tiger Woods, showing that he has the ability to play well at Augusta. We think he will be in the final few groups teeing off on Sunday and should be right in the mix.
Value: Win ($15.00)
Xander Schauffele Top 10
$2.37
DARK HORSES
Tony Finau ($34.00) 10th with a dislocated ankle in 2018 and 5th last year after playing in the final group alongside Tiger Woods. Has already proven real pedigree at Augusta in just two starts and is a massive chance this week.
Adam Scott ($51.00) Rule out past winners of The Masters at your own peril. Experience and course knowledge is more important at Augusta than any other course in the world. Scott looked good in Houston on the weekend and is great value.
Ian Poulter ($141.00) One of the best putters in the world has come so close at Augusta so many times. In 14 trips to The Masters, Poults has made 13 cuts and finished in the top 25 on eight seperate occassions.
OTHER TIPS
