The long wait is finally over! It’s already Masters week and excitement is building toward fever pitch ahead of the year’s first major golf championship. All eyes will definitely be on Rory McIlroy as he looks to add another major tournament win to his already impressive resume.
Make no mistake about it, though, this 2015 Masters isn’t a one-horse race. The headlines might revolve around McIlroy but the idea of another golfer winning this week isn’t far-fetched at all with tremendous talent throughout this year’s field.
Read on below as we highlight the high-value sleepers for the 2015 Masters tournament and while you’re at it, you can check out our complete preview for this prestigious event here.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]2015 Masters Championship Sleeper Picks and Predictions
Phil Mickelson, +1,800
Can Phil Mickelson (+1,800) make another run at a green jacket? That’s the question on everyone’s lips heading into Thursday’s opening round at Augusta. Mickelson has had a miserable 2015 thus far, failing to make the top-10 in all of his seven starts and missing the cut twice at the Phoenix Open and the Farmers Insurance Open.
[sc:Golf240banner ]If there’s one guy who can turn his golf game around at the Masters, though, it’s got to be Lefty. His game fits perfectly well with the set-up at Augusta, as he proved in winning this event three times (2004, 2006, 2010). He has been a perennial contender in this tournament, finishing in the top-10 14 times in the past 22 years.
There are signs his game is rounding into form after his respectable 17th place finish at the Shell Houston Open last week. In fact, he was in the hunt for his first PGA Tour title in more than three years as he was just one shot off the lead at the halfway point of the tournament.
Mickelson also has a knack for bringing his best stuff in major championships. Case in point: the 2014 PGA Championship last year. Just like this year, his game was in disarray heading into that tournament but he stunned observers with a marvellous performance, shooting a 15-under-par total to finish runner-up and push eventual champion Rory McIlroy to the brink.
Look for Mickelson to pull off that feat once again and produce a performance for the ages at Augusta. He is a definite threat to win his sixth major title this week.
Jason Day, +1,200
If there’s one golfer primed to have a major breakthrough at the Masters this week, it’s got to be Jason Day. The Australian has plenty of near-misses here at Augusta, finishing second in 2011 before blowing a one-stroke lead with three holes to play at this event back in 2013.
With his injury problems now a thing of the past, Day has started the year like a house on fire, finishing in the top 5 in three of his four starts including a victory at the Farmers Insurance Open last February. With the form that he is in right now, expect Day to be in contention at Augusta come Sunday afternoon.
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Dustin Johnson, +1,200
To say that 2015 has been a good year for Dustin Johnson (+1,200) would be a severe understatement. After taking a six-month leave last year, Johnson has returned with a bang this season, finishing in the top 10 in four of his six starts. That includes his stunning victory at the WGC Cadillac Championship last month, where he shot a nine-under-par total of 279 to finish one stroke ahead of J.B. Holmes.
The key to Johnson’s renaissance this season has been his powerful drive. He leads the PGA Tour in driving distance this year with a whopping 317.3 yard per drive average. That will be a major asset in dissecting Augusta National’s long 7,435 yard, par-72 course. If Johnson can take advantage of the long par-5s, chances are there will be another first-time major winner that will don a green jacket this coming Sunday.
Jimmy Walker, +1,600
Another golfer who’s having a great 2015 is Jimmy Walker, who is +1,600 to win it all at Augusta. The 36-year-old Texan has been in fine form to start the year, already grabbing two PGA Tour victories – the Sony Open back in January and the Valero Texas Open a couple of weeks ago. His red-hot form has seen him soar to the top of the FedEx Cup rankings, grabbing 1,650 points out of his first 10 events.
His victory at the Texas Open made him the PGA Tour’s first multi-winner this year and Walker would want nothing more than to add another win at the Masters this week. He will fancy his chances of doing just that because of his excellent all-around play.
He is 17th in driving distance this season with a 301.4 yard per drive average. He has used that extreme length off the tee to shoot low scores this year. He is sixth in the PGA Tour in scoring this season with an average of 69.914 strokes per round. If he can consistently find the narrow fairways at Augusta National, look for Walker to shoot some red numbers and be on the prowl this coming weekend.
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