Our final ranking (with updated Vegas odds) of the 13 best bets to win at Augusta National in 2016.
2016 Masters
13 Picks To Win The 2016 Masters
March 09, 2016
By
Alex Myers
1.) Jason Day
Masters history: T-2 in 2011; solo third in 2013.Current Vegas odds: 7/1 (Lines from golfodds.com)Reason to pick: Day nearly became the first rookie to win at Augusta National since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. Despite his two close calls, he now knows he can close out a major after capturing the 2015 PGA Championship. After playing just four holes in three months during the off-season, Day started 2016 slow, but has emerged as the Vegas favorite thanks to his back-to-back wins at Bay Hill and the WGC-Dell Match Play.Cause for concern: Since that third-place finish in 2013 in which Day had the lead with three holes to play, he hasn’t finished better than T-20.
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2.) Bubba Watson
Masters history: Two-time winner (2012, 2014).Current Vegas odds: 12/1 (Up from 10/1)Reason to pick: Essentially a dead heat with Day, Watson seems primed to win a third green jacket after winning at Riviera for a second time in February. The lefty, 37, also seems to be getting better with age after racking up a career-best 10 top 10s on the PGA Tour in 2015 despite playing in a career-low 19 events.Cause for concern: He has been feast or famine at Augusta National with two T-38s, a solo 42nd and a T-50 in the four years around his two titles. Watson also missed his hometown Arnold Palmer Invitational to rest a bad back, but returned to play in the WGC-Dell Match Play.
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3.) Adam Scott
Masters history: Winner in 2013, runner-up in 2011.Current Vegas odds: 12/1Reason to pick: Despite questions entering 2016 about his switch back to a conventional putter, Scott is playing the best golf of his life. His back-to-back victories on difficult golf courses (PGA National, Trump National Doral) came after a runner-up at Riviera, and have the former World No. 1 knocking on the door of the top five.Cause for concern: All of Scott’s best Masters results came using an anchored putting stroke.
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4.) Jordan Spieth
Masters history: Defending champ was also runner-up in his first appearance in 2014.Current Vegas odds: 15/2 (Just gets edged by Jason Day for favorite status)Reason to pick: The World No. 1 has also been the best player at Augusta National since turning pro. In eight rounds, Spieth has a sparkling 69.13 scoring average, and he matched Tiger Woods’ scoring record with his 18-under total in 2015.Cause for concern: Since starting 2016 with an eight-shot rout at Kapalua, Spieth has struggled. At least, by his lofty standards.
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5.) Rickie Fowler
Masters history: Five-for-five on made cuts, T-5 in 2014.Current Vegas odds: 15/1Reason to pick: Always a great putter, Fowler’s increased power off the tee and much-improved iron play are the reasons he’s knocking on the Big 3’s door. With four worldwide wins in the past year, only a major can elevate him to that next level.Cause for concern: Perhaps, Fowler is putting too much pressure on himself in the big events. After finishing in the top five in all four majors in 2014, he had a missed cut, two T-30s and a T-12 in 2015.
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6.) Phil Mickelson
Masters history: Three-time winner (2004, 2006, 2010) and 15 top 10s.Current Vegas odds: 15/1Reason to pick: In addition to his incredible track record at Augusta National, Mickelson is enjoying a turn-back-the-clock season thus far in 2016 with three top fives, nearly matching his total of four from the previous two seasons combined.Cause for concern: Only two players older than Mickelson, 45, have won majors. Of course, it’s the 30th anniversary of one of them, Jack Nicklaus, pulling off the feat at the 1986 Masters.
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7.) Rory McIlroy
Masters history: Career-best fourth-place finish in 2015; also was the 54-hole leader in 2011.Current Vegas odds: 8/1 (Just behind fellow "Big 3" members)Reason to pick: The four-time major champ only needs a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam. He’s trending in the right direction with his two best finishes at the Masters coming in the past two years. And he's coming off a strong showing in the Match Play.Cause for concern: McIlroy has been incredibly volatile at Augusta National, with six rounds of 76 or higher over the past six years. Of course, that includes his final-round 80 in 2011 when he blew a four-shot lead and finished T-15. He's been volatile in 2016 as well, with final-round clunkers at Riviera and Doral and a 75-67-75-65 performance at Bay Hill.
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8.) Dustin Johnson
Masters history: Had career-best T-6 last year. Just one missed cut in six appearances.Current Vegas odds: 15/1 (Down from 20/1)Reason to pick: Like Bubba, Johnson can overpower Augusta National, as evidenced by his record three eagles in one round in 2015. He is still looking for his first major title, but he has won at least one PGA Tour title in eight straight seasons, the longest such current streak.Cause for concern: Considering all of his major heartbreaks elsewhere, he seems due for one at Augusta National.
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9.) Louis Oosthuizen
Masters history: Lost in a playoff to Bubba Watson in 2012.Current Vegas odds: 30/1 (Down from 40/1)Reason to pick: The sweet-swinging South African recently won in Australia to break a two-year winless drought, and he finished runner-up to Jason Day at the WGC-Dell Match Play. The 2010 British Open champ also finished runner-up at both the U.S. and British Opens in 2015.Cause for concern: Could still be having nightmares of Watson’s hooked wedge in 2012.
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10.) Justin Rose
Masters history: Has never missed a cut in 10 appearances and has three top-10 finishes, including a T-2 in 2015.Current Vegas odds: 25/1Reason to pick: The 2013 U.S. Open champ quietly had a fantastic season in the 2015 majors with three top-six finishes, highlighted by the runner-up at the Masters. Has shot par or better in 15 of his last 19 rounds at Augusta National.Cause for concern: No one has ever won the Masters wearing sunglasses like these.
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11.) Hideki Matsuyama
Masters history: Four appearances; solo fifth in 2015.Current Vegas odds: 40/1 (Up from 30/1)Reason to pick: Matsuyama played in two Masters before turning pro – or 21 – by winning back-to-back titles at the Asian Amateur Championship. At 19, he finished T-27. Now 24, and a two-time PGA Tour winner following his playoff victory over Rickie Fowler at TPC Scottsdale, the Japanese star is looking to improve on his first top-five finish at Augusta National last year.Cause for concern: Matsuyama has never ranked higher than 87th in strokes gained/putting on the PGA Tour.
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12.) Charl Schwartzel
Masters history: Winner in 2011, but nothing better than a T-25 in five other attempts.Current Vegas odds: 40/1 (Up from 30/1)Reason to pick: Schwartzel looked sharp with a final-round 67 at Innisbrook to win the Valspar Championship. He also won the European Tour's Tshwane Open by eight shots in February.Cause for concern: Schwartzel's record -- both at Augusta and on the PGA Tour in general -- has been a bit of a letdown since his incredible win at Augusta National in 2011. The Valspar victory was his first PGA Tour title since and just his second overall.
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Brandt Snedeker
Masters history: Played in the final group on Sunday twice (2008, 2013)Current Vegas odds: 50/1Reason to pick: Before Adam Scott’s torrid stretch, Snedeker had one of his own with a third-second-first in consecutive weeks. And the brilliant putter has played himself into serious contention at Augusta National twice.Cause for concern: On both occasions, Snedeker has stumbled with terrible final rounds. Also, he recently withdrew from the WGC-Cadillac Championship with a rib injury that has bothered him for the past two seasons. Still, he came back and played pretty well at the Masters, and at 50/1, he might be the best value bet on this list.
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