15-time PGA Tour winner who ‘cannot putt’ is being backed to win the Masters in 2025

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Once the 2025 PGA Tour season starts, the golfing world’s attention will soon turn to the Masters Tournament at August National.

When the top players arrive at the lucrative Georgia venue, the professional golf season truly feels like it has begun.

Scottie Scheffler, of course, is the overwhelming favourite. If the world number one wins in April, he will join Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as one of four players to have won the event in back-to-back years.

The American, however, will have to be at his metronomic best if he’s to add a third green jacket to his record. Rory McIlroy’s Masters hopes are already being talked up, and several LIV Golf stars will fancy their chances of competing.

Furthermore, there’s also a red-hot PGA Tour golfer who’s been tipped to land his third major at Augusta.

Justin Thomas backed to win the 2025 Masters

15-time PGA Tour winner Justin Thomas has shown glimpses of his former glory throughout the FedEx Cup fall stretch of the season, and broadcaster Rick Gehman has gone all in on the American ahead of the first major of 2025.

“I wanted to go the non-Scottie route. I said, Justin Thomas. I am buying Justin Thomas in 2025,” he said.

“He can’t putt, I get it, but he had that really good stretch where his finishes at Augusta National were getting better every year. I think he is going to win a lot in 2025. I am going to give him this one.”

Thomas has revealed he wants eight more major titles before the end of his career. The Louisville-born star’s last came at the 2022 PGA Championship.

• READ MORE: Justin Thomas picks the shot from his career he really regrets and wishes he could take again

Justin Thomas 2024 putting stats

If Thomas is to fulfil Gehman’s prediction, he must improve with his flat stick. The American ended 2024 174th in strokes gained putting, losing -0.48 strokes per round on the greens.

The 31-year-old ranked 46th in putting average, 30th in putts per round, and 50th in one-putt percentage.

What’s more worrying for Thomas is that his putting appeared to decline during the recent Hero World Challenge. Thomas lost 2.3 strokes over his four rounds in the Bahamas, ranking 15th in the 20-man field. Scheffler, who won the event, left Albany having gained nearly four strokes on the greens.

One crumb of comfort for Thomas is that Scheffler has also had his struggles on the greens. The American has never been one of the best putters on tour but has still won at Augusta twice.

If Thomas can improve on the greens and keep trending in the right direction, he could be a threat not just at The Masters but also at all four of 2025’s major championships.