Masters DFS picks 2025: Why my belief in Rory McIlroy has never been stronger

It’s the biggest week of the year for golf betting and golf DFS with DraftKings offering three DFS contests with $1 million as a first-place prize. If you’re not a regular DFS player, it’s a great week to get involved.

You know what’s on the line for players this week. Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, will look to defend his title and capture his third green jacket in four years, a feat only accomplished by Jack Nicklaus. While Scheffler remains the deserving favorite and the highest priced player on the DraftKings slate, Rory McIlroy has captured many of the storylines in his own right given his play to the open the 2025 season. The four-time major winner has already won twice in 2025, including the Players Championship, and enters another quest for his first green jacket in some of the best form of his career.

This begs the question for daily fantasy players of which superstar to favor at the top, if any, as an interesting crop of challengers led by Ludvig Aberg, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau, also present intriguing options.

Let’s dive into the DraftKings DFS Masters slate.

$10,000 range

Play: Rory McIlroy, $11,100:

As has been the case for the last decade, Rory McIlroy is once again one of the top contenders heading into the Masters, and he is entering this week in some of the best and most complete form of his career. McIlroy will always have a tremendous advantage off the tee at the Masters given his power, but his precision iron play that propelled him to recent victories at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass remains the key to finally securing his first green jacket.

Fade: Ludvig Aberg, $10,800:

Ludvig Aberg’s runner-up at the Masters last year was everything we could have hoped for from a debutant, but regression feels imminent on the greens for the budding young superstar. Since breaking through with his second career PGA Tour victory at Torrey Pines, Aberg has lost over two strokes on approach in two out of his past three starts. The approach play feels just a few a minor details off at the moment, which is enough of a red flag for me at this price point.

$9,000 range

Play: Justin Thomas, $9,600:

Justin Thomas has shown flashes of brilliance in 2025, and I continue to believe that he is right on the precipice of his 16th career PGA Tour victory. The two-time major champion is coming off a runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship where he gained over a stroke in a half in all four major statistical categories. The approach play for Thomas has returned to peak levels, and he is finally beginning to show some form with the elusive flat-stick.

Fade: Viktor Hovland, $9,200:

While it was encouraging to see Viktor Hovland return to the winner’s circle at the Valspar, there are still considerable questions about his game heading into the 2025 Masters. While the ball-striking is trending back toward peak Hovland levels, the young Norwegian’s problems around the green still persist. We are splitting hairs in this price range, and Hovland’s deficiencies around the green still pose a greater concern than his similarly priced peers.

$8,000 range

Play: Shane Lowry, $8,800:

Shane Lowry continues to be one of my favorite players to blindly back at major championships, and he was featured in this column for both the 2024 PGA Championship and Open Championship, which both resulted in top-10 finishes. Lowry is in even better form now than he was predicating the 2024 majors, and he is coming off a remarkable ball-striking performance at the Valspar, where he gained over four strokes off the tee and on approach.

Fade: Tyrrell Hatton, $8,600:

I’m generally a long-term believer in Tyrrell Hatton, but his play this year on LIV has been less than inspiring. The fiery Englishman has failed to finish in the top 15 in his past four starts on the LIV, and his recent off-the-tee form in particular raises some serious red flags. There are far more trustable options in this range of the slate.

$7,000 range

Play: Corey Conners, $7,900:

Corey Conners continues to play some remarkably consistent golf in 2025 and enters this week with five straight top-25 finishes. We can always count on Conners’ accuracy off the tee and precision approach play, but the fact that he has now gained strokes around the greens, an area of his game that has typically been a weakness, in four straight starts leaves me very encouraged about his chances at Augusta National.

Fade: Sahith Theegala, $7,700:

While Augusta National is a great course for Sahith Theegala in theory, his game doesn’t appear sharp enough at the moment to make real noise. In 10 starts this year, Theegala is still searching for his first top-10 finish, and he is coming off a 67th-place finish at the Houston Open where he lost strokes in all three tee to green categories.

Flier: Sungjae Im, $7,300:

While Sungjae Im’s 2025 season has been marred in disappointment due to some shaky approach play, this is the perfect buy-low opportunity on a player with remarkably strong course history. Im has already recorded two top-10s in five appearances at the Augusta, and both of his best finishes came when the golf course was playing softer and longer, something we can certainly expect in 2025.

RELATED: Masters 2025: 5 players who will help you win your Masters pool

$6,000 range

Play: Taylor Pendrith, $6,700:

Taylor Pendrith was a key piece in the article for the Houston Open at Memorial Park, and he rewarded us with a top-five finish where he gained over 2.5 strokes off the tee, on approach, and on the greens. For many of the same reasons that Pendrith performed well at Memorial Park, he is also one of my favorite sleepers on the board at the Masters. Both golf courses accentuate his power off the tee, middle to long iron play, and lag putting skill. I’m expecting a strong debut from the big hitting Canadian.

Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports

MORE FROM GOLF DIGEST @ THE MASTERS

Masters 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
How to watch the 2025 Masters
Power Rankings: Every player in the Masters field, ranked
Tee times for Round 1 and Round 2
50 defining Masters Moments, ranked
The most memorable Rules issues in Masters history
Before and after photos of Augusta National’s tree loss from Hurricane Helene
Every course change ever made at Augusta National
A brief history of Masters prize money payouts
15 people who ended up in the Masters penalty box
The Champions Dinner Tell-All, from those inside the room
When Lee Elder desegregated the Masters