It has been several years since there was a surprise winner of The Masters, with Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm the last two players to triumph at Augusta National.
The Masters has not tended to see huge upsets, particularly since the turn of the century. The likes of Trevor Immelman and Danny Willlett have barely challenged for another major title in their careers, but Fuzzy Zoeller remains the last person to win on their first appearance at Augusta National, following his win in 1979.
So the calibre of potential dark horses is arguably a lot higher at The Masters than it would be at the other majors, which have seen a Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel or Ben Curtis win.
Many will be expecting either Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy to triumph this week. Scheffler has won twice in the last three tournaments, while McIlroy has been the standout player on the PGA Tour so far this year.
Brandel Chamblee names his three dark horses to win The Masters
However, with Scheffler not at his best and McIlroy yet to really come close to contending down the stretch on Sunday at Augusta, there are several players who will fancy their chances.
And speaking on The Skip Bayless Show, Brandel Chamblee picked out three less fancied names who he could see winning.
“When it comes to dark horse, they are kind of off the radar. But Shane Lowry, Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas. They are all off the radar. Justin Thomas has not played well at Augusta, which is a big head scratcher, but he is driving a little better, his irons are amazing and around the greens is amazing. That is why Shane Lowry and Hideki are a dark horse,” he said.
How Matsuyama, Lowry and Thomas have performed at The Masters
The first thing to point out is that Hideki Matsuyama is a Masters champion. He has not missed the cut at Augusta since 2014, while he won at The Sentry earlier this year. But he has missed his last two cuts on the PGA Tour, so he is not in the best form.
Meanwhile, Lowry has fewer top 10s at The Masters than any other major. But he did finish in a tie for third as recently as 2022, so that could bode well.
Thomas certainly has the worst track record of the three when it comes to The Masters. He has missed his last two cuts at Augusta.
But Thomas’ game definitely appears to be trending in the right direction. He has finished second three times on tour since the most recent Tour Championship – including at the Valspar Championship.
If the two-time PGA Champion can get off to a fast start this week, then perhaps that wait for a win could soon be over.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
