2023 Masters Preview, Picks, Analysis & TV Guide

SCOTTIE Scheffler will head to Augusta this week as one of the hottest favourites to retain the Green Jacket since Tiger Woods was in his prime - and with some justification.

The world number one has made a wonderful start to the year, winning the Phoenix Open and the Players Championship, He was also tied third at the World Wide Technology Championship, second at the Hero World Challenge, seventh at the Tournament of Champions, 11th at the American Express, 12th at the Genesis, fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and fourth at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play. In 10 starts this season he has had seven top-10 finishes and nine top-25 finishes, has yet to miss a cut and has pocketed $11.6m in prize money.

He only joined the PGA Tour in 2020 but in 98 starts he has won six times, finished second five times and third on a fourth five occasions. It is a remarkable record.

• TV Guide
• The Course
• Tournament Winners
• Form Guide
• Picks

Of course, all the noise this year will once again surround Rory McIlroy’s attempt to win The Masters and finally complete the career grand slam. The Northern Irishman reclaimed the top spot in the world rankings after an excellent 2022 but he remains without a major victory since 2014.

But there are positive signs. He finished runner-up to Scheffler 12 months ago on a golf course that is made for him. Missing the cut at the Players Championship was, of courses a disappointment, but McIlroy did win the CJ Cup in October, finished second at the Arnold Palmer and, in his last outing before Augusta, beat Scheffler to finish third at the match play.

And then there is Jon Rahm, who has been on a sensational run of form and briefly reclaimed the top spot in the rankings. The Spaniard won the Tournament of Champions, American Express and Genesis. He should also have claimed the Famers Insurance and had a chance to take the Phoenix Open. However, he struggled at the Arnold Palmer, withdrew from the Players through illness and failed to get past the group stage at the Dell Technologies Match Play. In six career starts at Augusta, Rahm has four top-10 finishes but has never really looked like winning.

So if not Scheffler, McIlroy or Rahm, who is most likely to be donning the Green Jacket? Well, my tenner each way is going on Jordan Spieth. If ever there was an Augusta course specialist it is the 2015 champion. He finished second on his debut in 2014, was tied second in 2016 after his disaster at the par three 12th during the final round allowed Danny Willett to win. He was also third in 2018 and 2021. Yes, he missed the cut 12 months ago but he then went out and won the RBC Heritage the following week.

And although he has yet to win this season, the three-time major winner is trending in the right direction. He tied sixth at Phoenix, tied fourth at the Arnold Palmer and tied third at the Valspar Championship.

The likes of Will Zalatoris, Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay will all feel that this could be their time to win a first major.

And there is every reason to believe that if McIlroy and Rahm have an off-week there could still be a strong European challenge. 

Tommy Fleetwood came within a whisker of finally breaking his PGA Tour duck when finishing in a tie for third at the Valspar Championship. He has missed just one cut this season, at the Phoenix Open, and returned to the winners’ circle at the Nedbank Challenge in November last year. He has twice finished solo second in majors but doesn’t have a great record at Augusta, where his best finish was a tied for 14th in 2022. But confidence is everything and the Englishman is flying right now.

And it is impossible to ignore Tyrrell Hatton. He hasn’t won since taking the Abu Dhabi Championship in January 2021 but he is still ranked 17th in the world because he is consistent. The fact that, ahead of the Texas Open, he hadn’t missed a single cut on the PGA Tour this season tells you everything you need to know. The highlight of his season to date came at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, where he raced through the field with a brilliant final round of 65 to finish second.

Hatton has a mediocre record at Augusta and admits that he has struggled on the greens but if he can hole a few putts early on he could take some beating.

Perhaps the pick of the bunch is Viktor Hovland. Like Hatton, the Norwegian simply doesn’t miss cuts. He won the Hero World Challenge in December and returned to his best form at Sawgrass, where he ended the week in a tie for third place.

Hovland is still only 25 years old and only turned pro in 2019 but he has already won three times on the PGA Tour and twice on the DP World Tour. It has to be said, however, that his record in the majors is poor. His only top 10 finish to date came at The Open at St Andrews last year, where he finished in a tie for fourth place. But he is too good not to put that right.

And then, of course, there are the LIV golfers. Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch, Thomas Pieters, Brooks Koepka, Abraham Ancer and Sergio Garcia are all potential winners. It is to be hoped that there are no distractions. The galleries at Augusta have a reputation for sportsmanship and should any of them decide to vent their feelings on any of the above you can be sure that they will be shown the door.

TV Guide

• Monday, April 3

Live from The Masters, Sky Sports Golf, 5pm

• Tuesday, April 4

Live from The Masters, Sky Sports Golf, 2pm

• Wednesday, April 5

Live from The Masters, Sky Sports Golf, 2pm

Par 3 Contest, Sky Sports Golf, 7pm

• Thursday, April 6

The Masters, round one, Sky Sports Golf, 7.30pm

• Friday, April 7

The Masters, round two, Sky Sports Golf, 7.30pm

• Saturday, April 8

The Masters, round three, Sky Sports Golf, 7.30pm

• Sunday, April 9

The Masters, final round, Sky Sports Golf 6.30pm

The Course

Augusta National has been extended to 7,510 yards and is a par 72. It is one of the most beautiful golf courses on the planet, famous for its slopes, water hazards, well-placed bunkers and lightning-fast putting surfaces.

Tournament Winners

It was won in 2015 by Jordan Spieth, in 2016 by Danny Willett, in 2017 by Sergio Garcia, in 2018 by Patrick Reed, in 2019 by Tiger Woods, in 2020 by Dustin Johnson, in 2021 by Hideki Matsuyama and last year by Scottie Scheffler.

Form Guide

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler will arrive at Augusta with his confidence sky-high. He has already won twice this year and narrowly missed out on winning the Dell Match Play. The American has no weaknesses and is the clear tournament favourite on Betway. Rory McIlroy is desperate to complete the career Grand Slam and his runner-up finish here 12 months signalled the start of a wonderful run of form. If he drives the ball well this could finally be his time.

To Win:

Scottie Scheffler. Looking to join an elite club as a back-to-back winner (5/1)

Each Way:

Jordan Spieth. Mr Augusta (11/1)

Each Way:

Rory McIlroy. Wants it so badly (11/2)

Five to Follow:

Scottie Scheffler. Playing sensational golf (5/1)

Jordan Spieth. In form at the right time (11/1)

Rory McIlroy. Fingers crossed (11/2)

Jon Rahm. Ready for a second major (13/2)

Tommy Fleetwood. Loves the majors (30/1)

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This Masters Preview article was written in collaboration with Betway