The Masters 2024: The SEVEN players you must watch at Augusta… including the dark horse bet for a top-10 finish

The 2024 Masters kicks off this week with a packed field of 89 men battling it out at Augusta National to claim the sacred Green Jacket.

Scottie Scheffler, the red-hot favorite to win the tournament, will look to throw down the gauntlet after expected thunderstorms roll in over the course.

However, several others in a field made up of the world’s best players will also have their eyes on the prize. Twelve months after an emotional victory, Jon Rahm looks to defend his title, with intrigue added by his LIV defector.

Rory McIlroy is also in the fray as he looks to end his decade-long quest to finally complete the Grand Slam by adding the Masters to his glittering collection.

Here, Mailsport‘s RIATH AL-SAMARRAI takes a look at the seven players to watch…

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A packed field of 89 men will compete at Augusta National to win the coveted Green Jacket

Scottie Scheffler

Undisputedly the big favorite of this week. If he maintains his recent form with the putter, his tee-to-green play is so far ahead of the rest that he may be unbeatable. His stats on the latter are the best golf since Tiger Woods.

Of course, putting will be the area of ​​greatest intrigue. It’s been terrible for over a year, so you wonder if there could be a setback on these slick greens, but his switch to a hammer has led to an immediate and ominous revival.

With two wins and a second in his past three starts on the PGA Tour, all of which came after the equipment change, he enters in earnest and with no apparent weakness.

He also has the psychological poise to withstand the pressure; after winning the green jacket here in 2022, he would be better placed than most to put aside the doubts emerging from the business side of the tournament.

Chances:

To win – 7-2

Top five finish – 10-11

Top 10 finish – 4-9

Scheffler’s tee-to-green game is so far ahead of the rest that he may be unbeatable

Jon Rahm

Back in the mainstream after his move to LIV, the defending champion has questions about his form having failed to finish higher than third in five starts at his new circuit.

When he’s at his best, his match with Scheffler could be one for the ages and he’s arrived here bullish and in the mood to prove his point. He’s excited.

But the concern is whether his game has been sharpened enough on the LIV circuit. If you’re preparing for resort courses with slower, softer greens and much smaller crowds, a return to this stage could feel a bit like a dip in an ice bath, but Rahm has the grit and quality to overcome these factors.

Chances:

To win – 10-1

Top five finish – 9-4

Top 10 finish – 11-10

If he does his best, Jon Rahm’s (right) match with Scheffler could be one for the ages

Rory McIlroy

Chasing the final piece of the career Slam puzzle, but ten years removed from his fourth major win.

He has looked sharp in practice and has a game that always seemed tailor-made for this spot. There will also be some encouragement from his second-place finish last week, thanks to some very disappointing results since victory in Dubai in January.

His technical concerns center on shaky play with his short irons and wedges, which is a long-standing problem. However, they seemed to improve after his visit to Butch Harmon a fortnight ago, as did his mental outlook – another key variable with McIlroy.

Given the scar tissue he built at Augusta, overcoming those internal demons will be essential.

Chances:

To win – 9-1

Top five finish – 9-4

Top 10 finish – Evs

Rory McIlroy looks sharp and has a game that always seemed tailor-made for this spot

Brooks Koepka

Golf’s ultimate big game hunter and reigning US PGA champion. By his own admission, he choked when he was in the lead on the last day here a year ago, but this man will always play with swagger.

His form here is also good: he has finished second twice and also has a top-seven finish either side of two missed cuts in his years of injuries and struggles. He knows the course implicitly, which is half the battle, and he has the game to exploit it.

That said, his results this year on the LIV tour are poor: 46th, 28th, 12th, 13th, 7th. But if there was ever a man who only cared about the majors and not the gaps between them, it’s Koepka.

Chances:

To win – 18-1

Top five finishes – 4-1

Top 10 finish – 2-1

If I was ever a man who only cared about the majors and not the gaps in between, it’s Brooks Koepka

Ludvig Aberg

He made his big debut after ten months as a professional, during which he won twice, was part of a victorious Ryder Cup team and showed every sign of being a generational talent. There is huge anticipation for his Augusta debut and no one is ruling out a prominent finish here.

His game suits the course well and, crucially, so does his temperament. He played a scout a fortnight ago and felt comfortable enough to hit driver on all the holes that weren’t par threes. That confidence is worth a fortune on this course, but so is the experience on and around the greens, which he clearly lacks.

Chances:

To win – 20-1

Top five finish – 11-2

Top 10 finish – 5-2

Ludvig Aberg’s game suits the course and, crucially, his temperament

Joaquin Niemann

Tops the LIV standings after two wins this season, but only here thanks to a special invite from Augusta National. The 25-year-old, who finished 16th in this tournament last year, is an enormous talent and has no shortage of desire.

It was that desire to play in the Majors that brought the invitation to him; his attempts to rack up ranking points outside LIV, where they earn none, saw him travel far and wide from Australia to Dubai.

His reward is a spot on the field and he has the game to make an impact. His shared 16th place shows some degree of comfort on the course.

Chances:

To win – 22-1

Top five finish – 11-2

Top 10 finish – 9-4

Joaquin Niemann is only here thanks to a special invitation from Augusta National

Russel Henley

To go by the assessment of a former world No. 1, Henley would be a prime darkhorse bet for a top-10 finish.

He’s not a player who regularly features in these conversations, but Henley is in form here, having finished fourth last year, and his approach game is a key requirement for the course.

The world number 23 has two fourth-place finishes in his past three PGA Tour starts, but they came on either side of a missed cut, so any bet would of course be in jeopardy.

Chances:

To win – 50-1

Top five finish – 9-1

Top 10 finish – 4-1

Russell Henley could be a prime darkhorse bet for a top-10 finish at this year’s tournament