Masters Picks 2019: Best Predictions for Sleepers & Contenders

Getty Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are two of the top Masters contenders.

For golf fans in parts of the country with a particularly brutal winter, the Masters signals the start of spring. Filling out a DraftKings lineup or picking a few sleepers to win adds a bit of excitement to the biggest golf tournament of the year. Let’s take an early look at our best picks for the 2019 Masters.

Augusta will be full of the world’s top golfers, making it a little more difficult to know who to pick. Rory McIlroy is the favorite in Vegas and the most expensive player on DraftKings. It is hard to argue with the oddsmakers given McIlroy’s recent success at Augusta combined with his red-hot play on the golf course. No golfer enters Augusta playing as well as McIlroy.

Woods finally enters the Master breaking his long streak without a tournament win, but the next thing for him to conquer is winning another major. Woods is among the favorites as the golfer looks to be back to top form after sustaining a neck injury earlier this year. The question is whether Woods can do enough to be in contention when the final day of play rolls around.

There are plenty of other top golfers expected to contend at Augusta including Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood. Jordan Spieth has been on the wrong side of things in 2019, but there is a chance he could turn around his play at the Masters. Spieth has a great track record at Augusta and hopes he can create some momentum for a big stretch of upcoming tournaments.

Here are my Masters picks for the golfers to watch this week. The odds listed are courtesy of OddsShark and the prices are based on DraftKings.

Masters Picks: Contenders

Rory McIlroy (15 to 2, $11,600)- There is little value in McIlroy given he is the favorite in Vegas and most expensive player on DraftKings. We would be remiss to exclude McIlroy from our list with his lethal combination of strong recent form combined with solid outings at Augusta.

McIlroy seems to consistently be knocking at the door at Augusta to wear the green jacket and finished T-5 last year after dropping back on the final day. Nobody enters the Masters hotter than McIlroy. He has six straight top 10 finishes including his victory at The Players. McIlroy also has made the cut in seven straight tournaments. McIlroy leads all golfers in strokes gained.

Jon Rahm (18 to 1, $10,000)- Rahm is proving he is more than just a golfer who can drive the ball off the tee. Rahm has finished inside the top 12 in eight of his last nine tournaments. He has made the cut in 10 straight tournaments. Rahm finished fourth last year at Augusta. The key for Rahm is keeping his composure through the ups and downs the Masters can bring.

Justin Rose (14 to 1, $10,800)- Rose seems to consistently be in contention in majors. He finished T-12 last year at Augusta and lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2017. Rose has flashed some in 2019 with a victory at the Farmers Insurance Open and a T-8 finish at The Players.

Tiger Woods (12 to 1, $10,500)- With so many casual fans backing Woods at major tournaments, it is hard to find great value with Woods. There may be a little trepidation this year with his recent neck injury. Woods is not surging, but he has been dependable in 2019.

He has finished in the top 15 in two of the last three tournaments. Woods knows this course as well as anyone but fell out of contention last year finishing T-32.

Jordan Spieth (20 to 1, $8,900)- If you are taking into account recent form, Spieth is not your guy. That said, it is hard to argue with his track record at Augusta. It is not often Spieth brings value, but this year he is priced outside the top 10 golfers on DraftKings. The odds offer a reasonable payout should Spieth be in contention on Sunday.

Masters Picks: Sleepers

Paul Casey (40 to 1, $9,000)- Casey has finished in the top 15 in four straight outings at Augusta. Casey’s recent finishes include T-15, sixth, T-4 and T-6. Aside from The Players, Casey has strong recent form winning his last outing at Valspar Championship and finishing T-3 at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

Tony Finau (33 to 1, $8,200)- Finau has made nine of his last 10 cuts. The golfer has not been amazing as of late, but has been solid with three straight top-25 finishes. Consider this, Finau finished T-10 last year at Augusta on a dislocated ankle. It was also his first time play at the Masters. With Finau’s driving ability, he is dark horse to be in contention on Sunday.

Francesco Molinari (33 to 1, $8,600)- Molinari has looked good in recent months, aside from his poor showing at The Players. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and placed T-17 at the WGC-Mexico Championship. Molinari is coming off a T-20 finish at Augusta last year.

Masters DraftKings Lineup Picks

Here is an early look at my top DraftKings lineup.

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