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Undefeated in two massive WGC events since rising to No. 1 in the world, Dustin Johnson will unsurprisingly enter the 2017 Masters as the oddsmakers’ favorite to don the Green Jacket.
With the year’s first major on the horizon, here’s a look at the odds to win, as well as my prediction for who will be on top of the leaderboard come late Sunday afternoon:
2017 Masters Odds
Notes: Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com and are as of April 4, 2017
Dustin Johnson: 11/2
Rory McIlroy: 7/1
Jordan Spieth: 8/1
Hideki Matsuyama: 18/1
Rickie Fowler: 18/1
Jason Day: 18/1
Jon Rahm: 25/1
Justin Rose: 25/1
Phil Mickelson: 28/1
Henrik Stenson: 30/1
Justin Thomas: 35/1
Adam Scott: 35/1
Paul Casey: 40/1
Sergio Garcia: 40/1
Bubba Watson: 45/1
Brandt Snedeker: 50/1
Louis Oosthuizen: 50/1
Marc Leishman: 50/1
Tyrrell Hatton: 60/1
Brooks Koepka: 66/1
Russell Henley: 66/1
Daniel Berger: 75/1
Matthew Fitzpatrick: 80/1
Thomas Pieters: 80/1
Charl Schwartzel: 80/1
Patrick Reed: 80/1
Adam Hadwin: 80/1
Lee Westwood: 80/1
Matt Kuchar: 80/1
Tommy Fleetwood: 80/1
Alexander Noren: 80/1
Branden Grace: 100/1
J.B. Holmes: 100/1
Bill Haas: 100/1
Jimmy Walker: 100/1
Danny Willett: 125/1
Gary Woodland: 125/1
Kevin Kisner: 125/1
Zach Johnson: 125/1
Charley Hoffman: 125/1
Emiliano Grillo: 125/1
Martin Kaymer: 150/1
Rafa Cabrera Bello: 150/1
Ross Fisher: 150/1
Shane Lowry: 150/1
Bernd Wiesberger: 150/1
Jason Dufner: 150/1
Ryan Moore: 150/1
Soren Kjeldsen: 150/1
Pick to Win
Johnson, who has won three tournaments in a row, looks unbeatable right now. As Jon Rahm put it after coming up short against DJ in the WGC-Match Play a couple weeks ago: “He’s just a perfect, complete player. He doesn’t make mistakes.”
.@DJohnsonPGA is peaking at the perfect time. #themasters
Johnson is the deserved favorite, but there’s no shortage of intriguing contenders at this year’s Masters.
Jordan Spieth has finished second, first and second at Augusta, he’s playing extremely well this year, and he’ll have a little bit of extra motivation after last year’s collapse on No. 12. Rahm was still playing in college tournaments when Danny Willett was putting on the Green Jacket last year, but he has been a Top-10 machine over the last two months. Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas have multiple wins this. Rickie Fowler is red-hot. Tyrrell Hatton is one of my favorite sleepers.
OddsShark’s Stephen Campbell likes Spieth:
But there’s one player who’s better than all of them when he’s at his best: Rory McIlroy.
Think about what it takes to succeed at Augusta, and Rory checks it all off the list.
Right-handed draw? Check. Big off the tees? No question. Ability to hit greens? Over the last 12 events, he ranks fifth in the field in strokes gained tee to green, third in strokes gained approaching the green and third in GIR percentage. Can you score on Par 5’s? No problem there. He has a birdie or better on a ludicrous 63.64 percent of Par 5’s this season, which is better than everyone. In good form? Since winning the PGA Championship at the end of last year, Rory’s worst finish in a 72-hole tournament (not counting Match Play) is ninth.
And he’s not short on motivation, as the Masters is the only major that eludes him.
This week presents an opportunity for @rorymcilroy to complete the career Grand Slam. #themasters
With Rory, it comes down to putting and avoiding the bad round–in his last three trips to Augusta, which have all produced Top-10 finishes, he has played just two rounds over par, but those two rounds have been 77’s that have taken him out of contention.
Ultimately, though, as long as he can be average with the flatstick, his blend of distance off the tee and accuracy with his irons gives him the potential to run away with this thing. The quality of competition means he won’t turn it into a blowout, but with the way he’s playing, this feels like the year he finally gets that Green Jacket.
Prediction: Rory McIlroy (-10)
