The Masters is a week away now and predicting who might win the event is one of the hot topics of discussion right now.
Fans and pundits everywhere will be making their guesses and placing their bets as to who will walk away from Augusta with the treasured green jacket.
Right now, world number one Scottie Scheffler is as good as a pick as anyone. Scheffler has won two of his last three events on the PGA Tour and only missed a putt to force a playoff last weekend for an attempt at three from three.
Betting against Scheffler, then, will take some doing.
However, there are some big names in the field who will fancy their chances.
Golfs top stars looking to win The Masters
The natural pick for a lot of golf fans will be Rory McIlroy1. The story is already written for Rory and should he finally win at Augusta, it completes the career grand slam that has alluded him for so long now.
Beyond McIlroy, there are a number of PGA players who will fancy their chances. Top stars like Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland and Patrick Cantlay will all fancy their chances, while young up and comers like Ludvig Aberg will want to make an impression.
Likewise, from the LIV Tour, the current green jacket holder Jon Rahm is looking to defend his title, while former Masters winners like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Patrick Reed will want to play well.
However, when it comes to winning the event, Sky Sports pundit Gary Murphy has suggested it’s a PGA player, and recent winner at Augusta, who could be his wildcard pick.
That man, is Hideki Matsuyama.
Hideki Matsuyama tipped to be in contention at The Masters
As we know, Matsuyama only very recently won at Augusta. 2021 saw the Japanese star card a ten under to see off Will Zalatoris by a single shot.
And speaking on the most recent episode of the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, Gary Murphy shared why he thinks Matsuyama could be the man again.
“One name I’m going to go for is Matsuyama. I just think because golf is golf, the stars are aligned and Scheffler wins the Masters, but golf just doesn’t work like that. I think there is still a lot of really good players. Ludvig Aberg is fascinating. I’ll go for Matsuyama,” Murphy said.
Matsuyama will come into the tournament in good form anyway, having won The Genesis a few months ago, again, beating Zalatoris to the punch.
The 32-year-old has a solid record around Augusta. He’s won it the once, and finished inside the top 20 in eight of the last nine years there.
Matsuyama, then, will very much be there or there abouts you feel come next weekend.
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