I’ve perused all the top betting sites, talked with veteran golf writer friends and reviewed past player performances at The Masters and these are the significant six that have the best chance at wearing the Green Jacket in the Butler Cabin on the final Sunday of the November Masters.
Bryson DeChambeau
Whatever you want to call him, Bryson the Brute or Muscles Muldoon or golf’s answer to the Incredible Hulk, Bryson DeChambeau is the betting favorite to win the 2020 Masters. His gargantuan drives have everybody shaking their head in disbelief, but you really must putt for dough at Augusta National. For Bryson Biceps, it’ll come down to hitting eagle and birdie putts on the back nine par fives that’ll be the deciding factor, not necessarily his moon shots off the tee. Nobody has more confidence than Bryson going into the Masters, either. His self-belief is off the charts and remindful of Tiger in his prime. The only negative vibes revolve around Dechambeau’s Masters record. His best finish is last year when he shot -4 and finished T29.
Rory McIlroy
Rors has had some good performances at the Masters like his 4th in 2015, T5 in 2018 and T7 in 2017, but, quite honestly, most golf fans only remember one dubious year, the 2011 Masters. After opening rounds of 65-69-70, Rory was poised to nab a Green Jacket when he melted down faster than a snowman on a spring day. He butchered the 10th hole with a triple bogey, which ignited the implosion. McIlory finished the day with an 80 and a bunch of shattered dreams. Rory has matured on and off the course and he still has killer game, so he might finally erase the nightmare of 2011.
Dustin Johnson
Sadly, my most memorable moment for D.J. at the 2017 Masters is his stumble down the stairs at his Augusta rental home that resulted in a back injury and a WD from the tournament. Prior to his spill, Johnson had won his last three PGA Tour events and was World No. 1. He was playing the best golf of his life. Most fans forget, including myself, that D.J. actually finished T2 behind Tiger at last year’s Masters. His other top finishes were T4 in 2016 and T6 in 2015. He’s spent the last few weeks with the Covid virus and it’s difficult to assess game at this point, but D.J. definitely has all the tools to conquer Augusta National.
Justin Thomas
Sure J.T. wants another Major and he definitely would love to be stylin’ in a Green Jacket on Masters Sunday. However, I think his strongest motivation is he wants be invited to the Champions Dinner on Tuesday of Masters week for the rest of his life. Nobody loves picking the brains of greats like Nicklaus, Player and Faldo like J.T. Problem is, Thomas will probably opt for a classic Millennial meal the other champs might not enjoy. You know, like maybe some barbeque chicken sliders, cauliflower rice and avocado toast followed by a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Nah, J.T. wouldn’t do that to them, would he? Steadily improving his scores at the Masters every year, Thomas had his best finish, a T12, at the 2019 Masters.
Brooks Koepka
Winner of four majors and the 2018 and 2019 PGA Player of the Year awards, Koepka, amazingly, is almost an afterthought favorite for the 2020 Masters. Just a year ago, Koepka was the muscle-up poster boy being compared to Tiger Woods in performances in Majors. With some nagging injuries lately which kept him from competition and DeChambeau’s meteoric rise, I gotta feeling Koepka is seriously pissed off and might really be on his game at Augusta National.
Jon Rahm
The modern day Seve has been on his game this year and has started to figure out Augusta National the last couple of years with a T9 last year and T4 in 2018. He definitely has the overall game to win a Green Jacket and this just might be his year. Isn’t about time we had another swashbuckling Spaniard wear the Green Jacket again? Seve, Sergio and Jose Maria have laid the ground work, let’s see if it’s Rahm time.
Others To Watch:
Tiger Woods
It seems sacrilegious to place the defending Masters champion, 15-time Major winner and certifiable golf icon in the “others to watch” category but Woods hasn’t showed much with his game in the past few months. That said, never, ever, count Tiger out at Augusta National.
Bubba Watson
The year 2020 has been zany so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Watson, a two-time Masters Champion (2012 and 2014) and his wacky game prevail. Watson loves playing Augusta National and he finished T12 in 2019 and T5 in 2018.
Patrick Reed
While he’s not a fan favorite, Reed, the 2018 Masters Champion, has to be considered a possible repeat champion. However, 2018 was the only year he has really excelled at Augusta National. In 2019 he was T36 and 2017 he was T71 so 2018 seems like more of an anomaly than anything else.
