A tradition unlike any other, this preview.
Relax.
Play the Par-3, get ready for tomorrow.
88th Masters Tournament
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta, Georgia
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Odds Outlook – DFS Report – Horses for Courses/Stats Suggest – Expert Picks
Quick Fire Thoughts (odds via Bet365.com)
Scottie Scheffler (4/1): Do you remember the last time the betting favorite won? It was 19 years ago.
Rory McIlroy (10/1): The career grand slam makes its 10th appearance.
Jon Rahm (10/1): Champions have repeated three times in history. Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods. Big club.
Xander Schauffele (14/1): I’d read my good friend Ben Everill.
Hideki Matsuyama (16/1): Winner here in 2021, winner at Riviera, and playing well.
Brooks Koepka (18/1): This is one of four times a year where he cannot be ignored. The five-time major champion has *THAT* switch.
Jordan Spieth (20/1): This is the place. Kids, a balky wrist, and a DQ earlier this season makes for a full bingo card. Calm in the chaos.
Ludvig Aberg (25/1): He won’t win, no first-timer has since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, but he should not be dismissed with his tee-to-green power.
Joaquin Niemann (25/1): Rumor has it he’s been hot. You do you.
Wyndham Clark (28/1): The 2023 U.S. Open winner has produced the goods over the last 11 months, including winning the Signature Event at Pebble Beach and running second to Scheffler at Bay Hill and THE PLAYERS Championship. First appearance at ANGC.
Viktor Hovland (30/1): New swing, new coach, and the results have not followed. The 2023 FedExCup champion hasn’t bothered a leaderboard on Sunday in 2024.
Matt Fitzpatrick (30/1): Back-to-back top-10 paydays on TOUR and T10-T14 here on the last two visits. I’m in.
Patrick Cantlay (33/1): I wish I had evidence suggesting this would be the week. Hey it’s not Florida, so that will help, but the major championships have not been his strong suit. Super contrarian play based on sheer ability.
Bryson DeChambeau (33/1): Not my cup of tea. I prefer the artist over the guy running the jackhammer.
Will Zalatoris (35/1): Two starts, two top-six finishes at ANGC. In his last two starts TOUR he’s produced MC (THE PLAYERS) and T74 (Valspar). I think I tipped him in both of those! I’ll let you lead this week.
Justin Thomas (35/1): Dropping a veteran caddy who has won three times at this event the week before the Masters is something. So is a T64-MC-T12-MC run in his last four. See you in Louisville.
Tony Finau (35/1): His best two paydays of 2024 are from courses he annually enjoys. Making his seventh start, he’s never missed the weekend and has three top 10s. I’ll bite.
Tommy Fleetwood (35/1): One of the safest plays on the board. Cashed in six straight events, but his best result is T14.
Shane Lowry (35/1): Super Florida Swing should fill him with the confidence he needs. Already a major champion, I don’t have to worry about him on Sunday. He should be on your card.
Collin Morikawa (40/1): If he is above 30/1, he’s an autobet, right Jay?
Max Homa (55/1) and Sam Burns (55/1): You’re buying talent, not recent results, or course form. That’s why it’s called gambling.
Russell Henley (55/1): T4s are wild. Get some.
Patrick Reed (66/1): The 2018 winner has three top-10 paydays since including T4 last year.
Thorbjorn Olesen (125/1): No stranger to the former Fruitland Nurseries property, the Dane posted T6 on debut in 2013 and T21 on his last visit in 2019. A winner in January in the Middle East, he broke a three-event streak of missing the cut with T14 last week in San Antonio.
Taylor Moore (250/1): The 2023 winner at a difficult Valspar Championship posted T12 in defense this season and missed a playoff in Houston by a shot. Sat T20 after three rounds last year. Load him in.
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | Augusta National Golf Club |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,555. |
| Par: | 72 (36-36). |
| Greens: | A1-Penn Bentgrass; 6,486 square feet. |
| Stimpmeter: | Tournament Speed – 13 feet and up. |
| Second Cut: | Ryegrass Overseed at 1.375 inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 44/6/5 |
| Architect(s): | Dr. Alister Mackenzie & Bobby Jones (1933). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Jon Rahm (-12). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Plenty. Tiger Woods (5), Phil Mickelson (3), lead the way. |
| Course Record (latest): | 63; Greg Norman (1996); Nick Price (1986). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (Spring): | 270 (-18); Jordan Spieth (2015) and Tiger Woods (1997). |
| Fact of the Week: | The Par-3 contest winner has never won the 72-hole event. |
Augusta National Golf Club
Contested on the former grounds of the Fruitland Nurseries, the Masters Tournament is the first major championship of the season. Purchased by Bobby Jones in 1931, he hired Dr. Alister Mackenzie to create his vision for a course that would host and challenge the best in the game.
The Augusta National Invitational Tournament debuted in 1934, setting the bar for future events. The 88th edition, now the Masters Tournament, will play 7,555 yards to Par-72 with all the modern bells and whistles.
The annual April examination requires power, precision, and putting to don the Green Jacket at the end of 72 holes.
Finding fairways is the first requirement, but escaping less-than-perfect tee balls is possible. Tree limbs won’t interfere with errant drives, but uneven lies, pine straw, and patrons lining the second cut do not always result in optimum second-shot chances. The art of finding the sprinkler line in the middle of the fairways guarantees nothing but full concentration for approach shots.
The pure A1- Penn Bentgrass putting surfaces are the best in the business. Powered by Sub-Air systems, the targets, averaging 6,486 square feet, can be managed to run at tournament speed. Undulating and difficult to read, experience reading greens matters. Elite players will play away from danger to avoid difficult up-and-downs. Skilled iron players know the proper trajectory and spin required to get it close. Keeping the ball below the hole is the beginning of most winning plans.
A new tee box on No. 2 provides the extra yardage for 2024. Holes Nos. 2, 4, and 6 have been reshaped, softened, and flattened on the putting surfaces to add flexibility for hole locations and shot selection.
Par-5 scoring captures the headlines but saving shots on the Par-4 holes will carry the momentum of the rounds. Hammering Greens in Regulation is the recipe for success, but resolving errant approaches is necessary. Scrambling to save pars from tight lies and bunkers is required.
There will be bogeys this week. Taking advantage of the proper number from the fairway will need to be paid off on the greens.
Major championship golf should be difficult.
The five water penalty areas are located on the inward nine holes add to the challenge of Holes No. 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16.
Greg Norman (1996) and Nick Price (1986) share the course record with 63 (-9). Neither man won that season or any other season.
The April tournament scoring record was last set by Jordan Spieth (270, 2015) after Tiger Woods posted that total in 1997.
The November scoring record is 20-under 268, set by Dustin Johnson in 2020.
2023 Season Winners
2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
| BMW Championship | Viktor Hovland (2) |
| TOUR Championship | Viktor Hovland (3) |
| Fortinet Championship | Sahith Theegala |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Luke List |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Collin Morikawa |
| World Wide Technology | Erik van Rooyen |
| Butterfield Bermuda | Camilo Villegas |
| The RSM Classic | Ludvig Aberg |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Jake Knapp (rookie) |
| Cognizant Classic | Austin Eckroat (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Peter Malnati |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Stephan Jaeger (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Akshay Bhatia |
The 88th Masters Tournament
The field of 89 players includes the top 50 from the Official World Golf Rankings.
The final player to gain entrance into the event was Akshay Bhatia, the winner at the Valero Texas Open last week.
Winning the 2019 edition, Tiger Woods is the most decorated player in the field with five victories. Phil Mickelson, the winner in the 2004, 2006, and 2010 editions, is also competing.
Winning a record sixth Green Jacket, Jack Nicklaus became the oldest winner in 1986.
The average age of winners is around 33 years old. The last three champions had not reached birthday No. 30.
The only player (post-1945) to win on debut was Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
The youngest champion was Tiger Woods (21 years old) in 1997.
Since 2000, three players have won on their second attempt: Charl Schwartzel (2011), Jordan Spieth (2015), and Danny Willett (2016).
The last wire-to-wire was Spieth, becoming just the fifth player in history to lead after all four rounds.
Only three players have successfully defended the title. Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Sir Nick Faldo (1989-1990), and Tiger Woods (2001-2002) are the members of this exclusive club.
Only three players ranked No. 1 in the OWGR went on to win: Tiger Woods (2007), Dustin Johnson (2020), and Scottie Scheffler (2022).
Adam Scott is the only Australian winner.
Hideki Matsuyama is the only Asian winner.
Gary Player (three times) is the only African winner.
Sergio Garcia was the last winner to need a playoff. Defeating Justin Rose, the Spaniard won his first Green Jacket in his 19th attempt, the record for a first-time winner.
Mark O’Meara, aged 41 in 1998, is the oldest first-time winner.
Raymond Floyd, aged 49 in 1992, is the oldest runner-up.
The field will be cut to the top 50 and ties after two rounds.
The winner this week will take home 750 FedExCup points.
The purse and winner’s share will be announced later this week.
Recent Winners – Masters Tournament
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2023 | Jon Rahm (-12) | Sat two off the lead of Brooks Koepka before closing with 69 to win by four shots. Second major, first Green Jacket. |
| 2022 | Scottie Scheffler (-10) | Only player to post all four rounds under par. Wins his first major comfortably by three shots over Rory McIlroy. |
| 2021 | Hideki Matsuyama (-10) | Sat four shots clear after 54 holes and won his first major by one over Will Zalatoris. |
| 2020 | Dustin Johnson (-20) | Moved to November, the soft, overseeded layout was shredded by Johnson to set the scoring record. Won by five. |
| 2019 | Tiger Woods (-13) | The only player to win from outside of the top 10 after Round 1. He’s done that twice and won the tournament FIVE times. |
One and Done
I’ll be joining Spotter’s game again this season. Now, where did I put my checkbook…
35 events.
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).
1 use per year.
Add up the total money and Spotter is yer uncle!
| Event | Selection | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Collin Morikawa | 690,500 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Corey Conners | 18,592 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | 310,800 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Jason Day | 0 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Jordan Spieth | 70,125 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Matt Fitzpatrick | 156,200 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Max Homa | 329,000 |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau | 145,125 |
| Cognizant Classic | Russell Henley | 32,850 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler | 4,000,000 |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Will Zalatoris | 0 |
| Valspar Championship | Sam Burns | 0 |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Wyndham Clark | 54,418 |
| Valero Texas Open | C Bezuidenhout | 67,735 |
| , | ||
| Total Winnings: | 5,875,345 |
His game has more fun stuff to it. Reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.
Recapping Last Week – Valero Texas Open
MY CHOICE: Christiaan Bezuidenhout – T25
Would have rather gone with a LONESTAR LONGSHOT.
Other to Consider:
Corey Conners: The “Finau” effect will rush over most of you this week. I don’t blame you. Sometimes, I have to fade myself. Same T25 as my pick! I guess I have him for the Canadian Open…Weird to see him T73 in Fairways.
Ludvig Aberg: Not a care in the world as he keeps producing big finishes and is prepping for his first major. Playing four years in Lubbock in the wind will have him prepped for another big finish. Why am I not playing HIM this week? T14. Don’t be surprised when you see him on the leaderboard this weekend. T7 Fairways AND Greens at VTO. Now, about that putter…
Billy Horschel: Winner in Dallas and Austin, the proof is on in the trophy cabinet. With his excellent form and past excellent course form, he will be tempting for some. 75-73, MC.
Charley Hoffman: The all-time leading money winner at the Oaks Course already has a podium finish this season in Phoenix but has MC in his last three. San Antonio is chicken soup for his game. T69, nice. Big pair of hockey sticks on Saturday killed any chances of him cashing a big check.
Harris English: Another consistent performer, you might want to save him for Bermuda greens in the summer. 72-77 MC. Getting them right on the wrong end also counts!
Lone Star Longshots:
Akshay Bhatia: The windier, the better. His only finishes this season are in the top 20. WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. #UrWelcome. Can’t believe I took him out of my lineup at the PGA TOUR Experts game.
Aaron Rai: Off T7 last week, did you think I would leave him out? I should have! T58.
Matt Kuchar: Never missed and is T3-T2-T12-T7 in the last four years. You will have to check his current form…Current form wins again, MC.
Lanto Griffin: Veteran knows how to get it around if the breeze picks up. T51.
This Week – 88th Masters Tournament
MY CHOICE: Rory McIlroy
It’s time. Tiger Woods gave his blessing on Tuesday. He closed with 66 last Sunday. Making his 16th appearance, nothing is holding him back. Sergio Garcia owns the record for most attempts with 19.
Other to Consider:
Xander Schauffele: Never wins enough, does he? Fantastic 2024 form, minus a trophy.
Scottie Scheffler: If you believe in the numbers, you save him for down the road. If you have watched him play, I don’t see how you can.
Hideki Matsuyama: Stay healthy, my friend!
Brooks Koepka: Limited chances in this game to use him.
Jon Rahm: See above with Scheffler and Koepka.
Jordan Spieth: He’s home.
Glass Houses 