The Masters 2024 Power Rankings: Top-10 Golfers To Watch

After an electric finish to the Valero Texas Open, all eyes and private planes are headed directly toward Augusta, Georgia for the 2024 edition of The Masters! History and legacy breathe effortlessly through the tall pines as the familiar roars from the crowd are set to echo through the greatest single golf property on planet Earth. Welcome to The Masters week, and we're here to highlight 10 players in particular that I believe should have their size specs on file with the tailor because this may be their week to slide on the iconic green jacket.

There is possibly no other course on the planet that we are more intimately familiar with as viewers. The setup rewards course history, experience, and aggressiveness like none other. There are places to attack, but it's perhaps even more about understanding where NOT to miss and not biting off more than you can chew on occasion. As the game has suffered in terms of viewership and hostility, I have to say it will simply be magnificent to see the best in the world all back together, in the same field, competing at Augusta National Golf Club.

My goal with these weekly pieces has always been to provide a place to start your research and preparation for the incoming week. I have carefully evaluated the field to project Augusta National course fits and expected results in an attempt to give you a glimpse at how my brain operates when it comes to handicapping golf. In addition to my Top 10 rankings, I will provide a brief summary for each player to give some reasoning behind their rankings. As always, thank you for your support, and good luck. Bring on The Masters!

No. 10 - Dustin Johnson

Dustin Johnson being the 327th-ranked player in the world according to the latest OWGR rankings should be cause for a system overhaul. Johnson still has plenty of game when he is firing on all cylinders, which he showcased earlier this season when he won at LIV Las Vegas. The strokes gained data recently released by LIV Golf would indicate that Johnson has begun to sort things out with the Driver and it has once again become a weapon.

He won The Masters in runaway fashion a few years back, albeit in totally different course conditions as the event was held in November that year. In my opinion, he has one more great run in him and now is as good of a time as any. He needs to clean up his weekends in Major Championships. If you rule out the Open Championship last year, which was a disaster for Johnson, in his previous four Major Championships he was able to get himself firmly in contention, shooting a combined -15 on Thursday/Friday. On the weekend, he was a combined +17 in those starts.

Clean up the weekend and I expect him to make a run for another Masters green jacket! And nobody makes a pimento cheese as awkwardly as DJ!

🌺🥪 2020 #TheMasters champion Dustin Johnson shares how to make the famous pimento-cheese sandwich.

pic.twitter.com/lN7DjxWiJS

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 2, 2024

No. 9 - Wyndham Clark

Yes, it's finally time we start putting proper respect on Wyndham Clark's name. The 2023 US Open champ finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS Championship. Clark is set to take on another big stage and attempt to break some longstanding narratives that have been in place around Augusta National.

He'll tee it up this week as a debutant and a right-handed player who strikes with a predominant fade, two factors that are definitely working against him in terms of tradition. That said, there is something special about Clark, as he's shown tenacity and guts that have filtered into a clutch putting stroke on the weekends of Major Tournaments. We'll see if he can bury some more misconceptions to compete in the biggest and most iconic setting in professional golf.

No. 8 - Viktor Hovland

Get ready, because the only place you may see more azaleas than on Viktor Hovland's shirt next week is behind the green on 13. Hovland has struggled to carry over his form, which peaked at the end of the 2023 season. From my understanding, he's recently moved to Florida and has been hard at work on the range, sorting out the kinks ahead of Major Championship season with his team and coaches.

Hovland took a giant step forward with his performance in Major Championships and would appear to be on the precipice of breaking through soon. He has played his last five Major Championships with a combined score of -30 under par, an astonishing total number. Hovland finished with the top 20 in every one of those starts. It's a massive week for Hovland and a giant test for the status of his game moving forward in his 2024 campaign.

No. 7 - Hideki Matsuyama

After another potential injury/withdrawal scare before the Valero Texas Open, of course, Hideki Matsuyama went on to finish T7 despite a shaky opening round 73. Matsuyama has resumed his position as one of the best ball strikers in the world and is poised to bring his amazing form to Augusta National where he won the 2021 Masters. Matsuyama gained over six Strokes on Approach at that Masters, which he also managed to do a few starts ago at The PLAYERS.

You have to wonder if the injuries, plus the wear and tear on his body, will continue to add up eventually, but there is no doubt that this week is monumental in his career as Matsuyama gets older. He has seen just about every lie, from every location, on every hole through his years at this tournament. He's a unique combination of a player who is in peak iron form and is also amongst the best course fits in the field. At roughly 25-1, there may not be a better bet on the board.

Hideki Matsuyama.

Texas Open: 3rd (currently)
Players: T6
API: T12
Riviera: Win
Phoenix: T22

2023 Masters: T16
2022 Masters: T14
2021 Masters: Win
2020 Masters: T13

SG tee to green since Jan. 1: 3rd (behind Scheffler/Schauffele)

Still 25-1 to win the Masters.

— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) April 6, 2024

 

No. 6 - Jordan Spieth

I'll be completely honest, one week ago I was totally out on the form and the prospects of winning the Masters for Jordan Spieth. That said, this guy always finds a way, an unconventional one, but a way nonetheless. Spieth has managed to ignore the somewhat erratic form in two of the previous three editions of The Masters where he finished T4 and T3. Again, he finds a way.

I had some serious concerns about his ability to control the Driver, but he was able to put some of that to rest last week at the Valero Texas Open. Spieth himself seems rather satisfied with what he's seeing in practice and is just awaiting the moment when it all comes together. Will that moment come at Augusta National? I can't say that I would be shocked, as he's always got Georgia on his mind. He hit one off the clubhouse and into a gutter in Texas last week, so of course he probably wins the Masters, right? Spiething.

Here's Jordan Spieth talking about the "bizarre" nature of his game at the moment. Noted that he "drove the living piss out of the ball today." pic.twitter.com/xvHFfYSEoC

— Patrick McDonald (@pmcdonaldCBS) April 5, 2024

No. 5 - Brooks Koepka

After Round 1 at LIV Miami last week, I was ready to fire on as many Brooks Koepka Masters future bets as I could get my hands on. I decided to let the weekend play itself out, and now I have some questions. Interestingly, I noticed that Koepka switched to a mallet-style putter. I had gotten so used to the classic blade he used for all his previous majors, which presented us fans with a putting stroke as unfazed by pressure as I have ever witnessed.

He struggled in the final two days at Doral, imploding on the par-5s and making bogeys in bunches. That said, nobody switches the gear into full "killer mode" like Koepka in Majors. He carried a big lead into the final day of the Masters last year and spoke openly about realizing a specific mistake he made that day.

Koepka said he learned from that Sunday and it wouldn't happen again. In the next Major at Oak Hill, he won! He's been waiting to get back on the hollowed ground at Augusta for a year and his chance to win the one he wants the most in his career, The Masters!

No. 4 - Xander Schauffele

Xander Schauffele is a player who you would think would be carrying the burden of a massive monkey on his back and stressing about finding a path to victory, thus capitalizing on his robotic consistency of form. He appears to me to be so focused on the big picture and ready to finally break the wall down. Schauffele has habitually found himself in contention at Major Championships. He briefly held the lead in the 2019 Masters on the back nine, finished in third place in 2021, and recorded a T10 in the 2023 Masters.

Schauffele has a new weapon for 2024 with the Callaway AI Smoke Driver. He has gained over +2.5 strokes off the tee in each of his last four starts, with three resulting in top-five finishes. He seems poised and at ease with the current place of his game, even despite growing anticipation and anxiety from the media side.

I witnessed a player in a good spot mentally at The PLAYERS, and I really believe that 2024 is the year that he finally wins a Major. We'll have to wait and see if it happens this week, but our guy @ModelManiac already has a bet in for Schauffele to compete in all four!

💰Xander Schauffele T20 in all 4 majors +800 @ Bet 365

His last 7 majors:
17th
10th
18th
10th
15th
14th
13th

Some other thoughts:

Ludvig at +600 for this bet is LAUGHABLE! 🤮 >>>Tiger Woods<<< in his first four majors: T22, T17, T9, T24 ...

...his next four though: 🏆, 2,… pic.twitter.com/Yp0vS2IKZT

— Byron Lindeque (@TheModelManiac) April 2, 2024

No. 3 - Rory McIlroy

It's cliche to say that nobody wants it more, but it rings emphatically true when talking about Rory McIlroy and The Masters. The green jacket is of course his final hill to climb to achieve the Grand Slam. It has been squarely on his mind for the greater part of the last 10 years. He possesses all the tools and knowledge to dismantle Augusta National from a course setup standpoint, but at this point, the mental hurdles he has to clear to capture his dream are the only things holding him back.

He spoke at length last season about his intense pre-tournament prep that included hundreds of practice holes played and a centered focus. McIlroy decided to shake things up in a major way this season leading into the Masters. He played three times in Florida, which was unusual for him, and competed last week in the Valero Texas Open for the first time in years.

Maybe this has all been an attempt to take his mind off Augusta and the pressure that we all know awaits him. McIlroy had a great Sunday in San Antonio to ultimately finish in solo third place. He's certainly hoping he can take that momentum and parlay it into a late Sunday tee time at Augusta.

No. 2 - Jon Rahm

It's really hard to defend your title at The Masters, no player has done it since Nick Faldo in 1990. The host of the Champions dinner is on a mission to do so, and from a content perspective, I feel like all has been quiet in terms of the Jon Rahm hype.

Well...not here. He's my favorite bet to win at around 14-1. This is a player who is hungry to compete again with his former colleagues. He has definitely heard the noise and felt the absence of PGA Tour competition over the past four months. After a solid showing at LIV Miami, Rahm seems to be peaking at a golf course that he has absolutely torn apart during his career.

In the past five Masters, Jon Rahm has been the best player at Augusta National, and the margin is wide. Rahm has gained a ridiculous +47.5 total strokes at Augusta during that span. The next closest player is +35. He understands the assignment at this course is just hitting greens, which he has quietly continued to do this season on LIV while nobody is paying attention.

He currently ranks second on LIV in GIR and also leads LIV in total birdies. He has a lot to prove and baby No. 3 on the way, but Rahm has the type of spirit that seems to relish his back semi-against the wall. Rahm has the chance to again prove to the world that there is more than one super-elite playing professional golf right now!

Thought this was interesting - an aspect of this player's game that doesn't get talked about enough:

Of the 83 players with 12+ Masters rounds since 2015, Hideki Matsuyama ranks 2nd in scrambling percentage (65.6%). Jon Rahm leads at 65.7%.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) April 1, 2024

No. 1 - Scottie Scheffler

I spent hours researching trends, player form, alternate angles, and storylines for players competing in the 2024 Masters. The process helps me separate players with similar odds and look for potential betting opportunities that may be underlooked and valuable. It helped me to curate this list, which I hope was presented in an entertaining and thoughtful article. I could point to a million different data points that will all tell you the same thing...that nobody is playing golf as well as Scottie Scheffler.

He's the man, the Universal World Heavyweight Champion of professional golf and The Masters is his WrestleMania. The odds board will tell you that Scheffler is three times more likely to win The Masters than the next-best player. You won't see an argument from me.

Is he a good value option at +450 to win? My gut and mind will always say to put my dollars elsewhere. That said, if he gains one stroke putting, then he probably wins this thing by two strokes. Shocker, your No. 1 player in my power rankings by a large margin is Mr. Scottie Scheffler.

Scottie Scheffler opened as the favorite to win The Masters on @DKSportsbook but @thefantasygrind is FADING him?🤔

Geoff joined @EmersonLotzia on @TheSweatDK to share this thoughts🔽 pic.twitter.com/M7P7fNZXjL

— DraftKings Network (@DKNetwork) April 7, 2024

Best of luck this week, RotoBaller family! Enjoy the best week in golf and wall-to-wall coverage of every shot. It's Masters week!

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