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The Spiv casts his eye over the first men’s major of the year
Words: GolfPunk
Photography: Getty Images / PGA Tour
We didn’t have to wait long for the Masters to come around again. It is less than 150 days since DJ holed the putt that earned him his first Green Jacket. Augusta is going to be a different proposition from last November. The winner aside, It is a brave man that takes much note of the performances in the 2020 event to educate his choices this week. There are so many factors in picking a Master champion. The course has been extended over the years and arguably now suits the young guns booming off the tee. However, as Bryson DeChambeau found in 2020, an approach that pays dividends on a US Open course sets you up for a fall at Augusta. There is a premium on hitting the greens and this brings older players and the more accurate short hitters back into the reckoning The Spiv has cast his eye over the form and shots gained data and sharpened his pin. Here are the GolfPunk picks for the 84th edition of the famous event. All odds are the best we could find online at the time of writing. Jordan Speith (11/1) The Jordan Speith of old won his first event for almost 4 years in taking the Valero Texas Open. When this guy gets on a roll, especially with the putter, he is virtually unstoppable. A previous winner of the event as a fresh-faced 21-year-old in 2015, Speith dropped off the radar in recent years as his game deserted him. However, he is well and truly back and after knocking on the door at recent tournaments, he finally clinched the win in Texas. Dustin Johnson (9/1) The holder and world number is impossible to ignore. DJ has yet to win on the PGA Tour in 2021 but he did pop off to Saudi Arabia in February, where he won the Saudi International in impressive style. DJ knows what it takes to navigate Augusta and his strength off the tee is a natural advantage. It will not be the stroll in the park it was last November but expect to see DJ in one of the last few groups come Sunday afternoon. Johnson stats in the key criteria of ‘shots gained tee to green’ and ‘shots gained around the greens’ also point to success around Augusta. Justin Thomas (11/1) One cannot ignore the Players Championship winner, but he is not a value pick at these odds. Thomas has the game for Augusta and his performances over previous runnings of the event set him on the right trajectory. Patrick Reed (33/1) Love him or hate him, Patrick Reed is a class act and he is very much at home at Augusta. Reed already has a green jacket in his wardrobe and he finished in the to ten back in November. The 30-year-old world No 7 is one of the best at shaping his shots and attributes, which helps significantly at the Georgia venue. Add to this the fact he is ranked first on the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained – putting and his odds look attractive. Robert MacIntyre (160/1) You do not get many first-time winners at the Masters but there have been a couple of left-handed winners around Augusta. MacIntyre comes to the Masters brimming with confidence following solid performances on both the European and PGA Tours in 2021. He had a great half with Dustin Johnson in the group stage at the WGC-Dell Match Play a couple of weeks back. The only Scottish player to have won at Augusta is Sandy Lyle back in 1988 – who can forget the dance! At massive odds, the man currently ranked 45thin the world is well worth a punt to be in the hunt come Sunday.
