The Masters Invitational Picks & Preview
Jonah Owenby
The week we’ve all been waiting for, The Masters. Even the casual golf fan gets up for this one. It’s the tournament where, if we’re being honest, winning it means significantly more than the purse or the fact of even adding a major title to your accolades. The green jacket, and what comes with it, can skyrocket a player into a world that most could never dream of. The impact of Hideki‘s win 2 years ago on Japan is a great example of this. When you add “Masters Champ” to your name, you elevate your career in a single week. Like the SEC, “it just means more”.
The course is pristine, the back nine on Sunday is electric, and the field makes for a heavy weight bout as soon as the ceremonial first tee shots hit the ground. With 18 members of the LIV Tour participating, we’re getting even more storylines heading into the week. We’ve got a guy in Scottie Scheffler looking to defend as the undisputed World Number 1. The GOAT (Eldrick Tont Woods) is teeing it back up again, and even on one leg guys will be looking over their shoulder if he makes it to the weekend. Rory looks to finally get the monkey off his back, cutting the driver down an inch seemed to work in Austin. Cam Smith has finished T3, T10, T2 in his last three starts here, and won the last major at St. Andrews.
I’ve got my Taste of The Masters box, multiple TV’s waiting in the wings, ready for the best week in golf. Let’s get into it.
Tournament Details:
Dates: April 6th-9th
Purse: $15 Million
Course: Augusta National Golf Club
Location: Augusta, Georgia
Architect: Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie
Par: 72
Length: 7,510 yards
Rating/Slope: 78.1/137
The Field:
Every player in the Top 50 in the OWGR has found some time in their calendar to make it out this week. Obviously this is a Major, so that’s of no surprise. What is different however from some events this year where we had a stacked field, is that we are getting 18 players who defected to the LIV Tour over the last year. It’s not the first major we’ve had with LIV guys, but it feels a little different this time. Brooks seems to be healthy? DJ is a recent winner of this event, and Cam Smith has had a chance each of the last two years. But if you don’t think Rory, Jon, Scottie, and Tiger are looking to make a point this week you’re mistaken.
LIV is no longer an idea, they’ve established themselves in the world of golf to some degree and are looking to make a splash. This week, we finally get to see if those guys in fact are still some of the best in the world. As Greg Norman said, if a LIV member wins, all 17 other guys will be waiting for him on the 18th green (LOL).
Check out the rest of the field here.
Picks for the The Masters Invitational:
Top 20 Finish:
Brooks Koepka +150
Cam Smith -105
Fine, I’ll bite on Brooks. At one time one of my favorites on tour. He’s the first 2 time winner on LIV and has won 2 of his last 6 starts. Now, I honestly have no idea what that means or how it translates to a tournament with more than 48 guys and a cut. They also just played a dog track in Orlando and now are on one of the most difficult courses in the world. If Brooks truly is healthy, and back to being the absolute stallion he was in Majors a few years ago, then a Top 20 here seems like a strong possibility for Koepka and would honestly be impressive considering how it’s looked as of late in these events.
I mentioned it earlier, Cam Smith has been an animal at the Masters. A year ago he was in the final pairing on Sunday with the eventual winner and could have won if he didn’t catch a case of his patented snap hooks off the tee. He’s the most recent Major champ, and though I personally haven’t seen him play since that day, a Top 20 here seems like easy money.
Top 10 Finish:
Will Zalatoris +330
Jordan Spieth +165
For me when it comes to big events, I have a tendency to go with past performance over recent play. Candidly, Will Zalatoris hasn’t been lighting it up this year. He’s only got one Top 10 so far, though it was at the Genesis which is no easy feat. In his debut in 2021 he finished solo 2nd behind Hideki. Last year, he was T6 and had a chance on the weekend. If he can find that form where he was competing in every major as soon as he stepped on tour, I think he’ll be in the mix again this weekend. Just please don’t show the zoomed in putting stroke.
Anyone who follows golf knows the story of Jordan and Augusta. Not THAT long ago we would have thought by now he’d have four green jackets. A couple years ago, following his win at Valero, everyone thought it was time for the prodigal son to return home again. He missed the cut last year but this seems like the year where he’s chipping in and drilling putts from everywhere. His ball striking has been much better, if that stays and he adds a little magic it could be a big week.
Patrick‘s best finish at The Masters was in 2019 when he finished T9. He very much had a chance that week, and was part of the insane changing leaderboard that eventually parted the red seas for Tiger. He has finished inside the Top 10 in half of his starts this season, and since missing the cut at the WM Open he’s gone Solo 3rd, T4, T19, T9. Dom will keep riding Patrick until it cashes, and it could be this week because he’s coming in hot.
At some point it will happen. I don’t know if it’s this week, but it’s time for the World No. 5 to take a big one home. The Homa talk has cooled after he got his second win where he was the center of attention. That’s when he strikes. All the talk will be around LIV guys, Tiger, Rory grand slam, and that’s when Max can swipe a green jacket. There is no data to support this, wholly vibes. His Major performances have gotten incrementally better each of the last two years, so even if he doesn’t win I think he can backdoor a Top 5 on the weekend.
Swindle of the Week:
Tiger Woods any bogey free round
+700
In 2020 Tiger started his Masters defense with a bogey free 4-under 68 in Round 1. The Cat looked good at Genesis aside from a lack luster Saturday round. The leg seems to be less of a problem than last year, and I think more important is the issue of so few competitive rounds thus far. If there is anywhere he can find it, it’s at Augusta. 2019 showed that, and though this may be more hope than anything else, I could see a methodical 3/4 under round Thursday or Friday. Don’t be surprised to see him in contention at some point.
In Case You Forgot:
The Masters Invitational FAQs
When is The Masters?
The Masters begins April 6th and concludes on April 9th 2023
Who's in the field for The Masters?
The field for The Masters can be found on the PGA Tour Tournament site
Who won the 2022 Masters?
Scottie Scheffler won the 2022 Masters.
Who designed Augusta National?
Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie designed Augusta National Golf Club.
How much does the winner of the The Masters get?
With a purse size of $15 million, the winner of the The Masters now gets $2.7 million.