We’re only a few days away from the start of the 2017 Masters and excitement is definitely building for the first golfing major of the year. A total of $10 million is at stake for the 94-man field with the winner grabbing not only the $1.8 million top prize but also the tournament’s coveted green jacket.
Who will bring home the bacon in this year’s Masters? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this prestigious event and while you’re at it, you can check out our sleeper picks for the golf season’s opening major.
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2017 Masters Golf Championship Preview
Where: Augusta National Golf Club – Augusta, Georgia
When: April 6-9
Lines: view all 2017 Masters lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN/CBS
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Dustin Johnson (+700)
It’s Dustin Johnson’s world and we are all just living in it. The American cemented his place atop the world golf rankings with a stunning victory at the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship last month. He held off a late charge by Jon Rahm in the final to record his third consecutive PGA Tour victory. Johnson has been on fire to start the year, posting top-six finishes in six of his first seven starts.
Johnson will look to make it four wins in a row when he tees off at Augusta National this week. The world no. 1 will fancy his chances of doing just that as he has fared extremely well in this event in the past. The reigning US Open champion has finished in the top-10 in each of the past two seasons, including a tie for fourth last year. With the form that he is in right now and his experience with this demanding golf course, expect Johnson to contend this week at the Masters. He is pegged at +700 to win his first green jacket.
Update: Dustin Johnson injured his lower back after taking a serious fall on a staircase Wednesday. It’s still uncertain whether the world’s top-ranked golfer would be able to play in the Masters.
Jordan Spieth (+600)
If there’s one golfer, though, who can stop Johnson at the Masters this year, it’s got to be 2015 champion Jordan Spieth. The two-time major winner has finished no worse than second in his last three starts here at Augusta National. Spieth returns to the scene of his epic collapse last year wherein he carded an infamous quadruple-bogey 7 on the 12th hole on Sunday. Even though he has failed to crack the top-10 in his last four PGA Tour starts, the former World no. 1 is still playing some solid golf this season. Spieth won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last February. Look for Spieth (+600) to be in the hunt once again for another green jacket this coming Sunday.
Rory McIlroy (+700)
Can Rory McIlroy finally complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters this week? That’s the question on everybody’s lips heading into the year’s opening major. McIlroy’s getting closer to achieving that ultimate goal, finding the top 10 in each of his last three starts here at Augusta National. He’s peaking at exactly the right time as well, nabbing six top-10s in his last seven worldwide starts. McIlroy is favored to win the Masters with odds of plus-700, according to TopBet. A $100 bet on McIlroy would return a $700 profit if he were to end up wearing the green jacket.
High-Value Sleepers
Justin Thomas (+2,800)
Looking for a great sleeper this week? How about the red-hot Justin Thomas? The 23-year-old has finished in the top-5 in three of his last eight starts, including dramatic wins at the SBS Tournament of Champions and Sony Open last January. Thomas finished 39th in his first Masters appearance last year, and he absolutely has the all-around game to win the coveted green jacket this week. His odds of winning the Masters are priced at +2,800.
Marc Leishman (+5,000)
Another golfer who’s making waves in the PGA Tour this season is Marc Leishman (+5,000). He has recorded five top-25 finishes in the PGA Tour this season, including a victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month. Key to Leishman’s resurgence has been his superb play with the putter. He is third in the PGA Tour in strokes gained via putting with an impressive 1.178 clip. That will come in handy for Leishman when tackling the delicate greens here at the Augusta National.
Long Shot
Fred Couples (+12,500)
One golfer who can definitely surprise this weekend is the returning Fred Couples. He has recorded 11 top-10 finishes in this tournament, including a stunning victory back in 1992. Couples may already be 57 years old but don’t let that old age fool you. The American finished sixth, T15, T12, T13, and T20 here at Augusta from 2010-2014. Not bad for a guy who’s already plying his trade in the Senior Tour. Couples may be a long shot but he’s definitely worth a punt at +12,500.
Writer’s Prediction
There’s just no stopping Dustin Johnson (+700) who wins his first-ever green jacket this week.
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