Major Power Rankings: Masters Rankings

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Updated on April 4, 2018 2:53PM EST

Below are our 2018 Masters rankings. This list is geared toward winner-take-all leagues and leagues that reward the lowest aggregate score, but it can serve other leagues as well, no matter the nuances. Check the comments section for golfers who are scratched.

A = Amateur

FAVORITES

1. Justin Thomas
He's not No. 1 in the rankings, but in the minds of many he's been the best golfer over the past 18 months.

2. Jordan Spieth
The 2015 winner and twice a runner-up, his tee-to-green game has been superior all season. It all comes down to his putting.

3. Rory McIlroy
His win at Bay Hill shows what he's capable of. Needs a Masters win to complete the career grand slam. Just a question of whether he puts too much pressure on himself to do so.

4. Justin Rose
The runner-up to Sergio Garcia last year and twice in the past three years, the Englishman has done everything at Augusta but win. He's been a worldwide top-10 machine the past six months.

5. Dustin Johnson
He's gotten pushed to a back burner in the run-up to Augusta, but let's not forget he's ranked No. 1. He finished fourth and sixth the two previous years before missing last year's tournament with a back injury.

6. Bubba Watson
The two-time Masters champ is back on his game, with two wins in the past two months. Augusta National is his wheelhouse. If his head is right, watch out for Bubba.

7. Phil Mickelson
He's

A = Amateur

FAVORITES

1. Justin Thomas
He's not No. 1 in the rankings, but in the minds of many he's been the best golfer over the past 18 months.

2. Jordan Spieth
The 2015 winner and twice a runner-up, his tee-to-green game has been superior all season. It all comes down to his putting.

3. Rory McIlroy
His win at Bay Hill shows what he's capable of. Needs a Masters win to complete the career grand slam. Just a question of whether he puts too much pressure on himself to do so.

6. Bubba Watson
The two-time Masters champ is back on his game, with two wins in the past two months. Augusta National is his wheelhouse. If his head is right, watch out for Bubba.

7. Phil Mickelson
He's playing his best in years, having won the WGC-Mexico in February. Mickelson is always one triple-bogey away from self-implosion, but he has mostly done a good job of avoiding the big numbers this season (though not last week at Houston).

8. Tiger Woods
What, you thought we forgot about the four-time champ? It's as simple as this: Woods is playing well enough to win. But so are a bunch of guys.

CONTENDERS

9. Jason Day
Day announced he was back on form with a win at Torrey Pines but has cooled a little since then. Has had good but not great Masters finishes the past four years, with just one top-10.

10. Jon Rahm
The fact that the No. 3 golfer in the OWGR is No. 10 on this list speaks more to the way the other guys have been playing. He won the CareerBuilder back in January and had a quality Masters debut last year with a T27.

11. Rickie Fowler
As much talent as anyone on Tour, he always seems to torpedo his own chances by crumbling at the biggest moments. He's got to get it done at some point, right?

12. Paul Casey
He's been in the top-6 each of the past three years and now is playing even better, breaking almost a decade-long winless stretch by capturing the Valspar. Might be too much to ask for a second win so soon after that one.

13. Sergio Garcia
The reason it's so hard to win the Masters twice in a row is because it's so hard to win it once. He hadn't had many good prior finishes at Augusta, so we anticipate some regression from last year.

14. Alex Noren
He's put to rest the belief that he was good in Europe but not in the States. Has three top-3 cashes on the PGA Tour in 2018. Missed the cut in his Masters debut last year but seems much more equipped to contend now.

15. Hideki Matsuyama
He's still on the way back after WDing with a hand injury at Phoenix. Has not been very sharp since his return. But he's finished T11-T7-T5 the past three years at Augusta.

16. Henrik Stenson
One of the world's elite ball-strikers has never enjoyed great success at Augusta. A lot of top-25s, but no top-10s. He also missed the cut last year.

17. Thomas Pieters
Finished T4 in his masters debut last year. His game is well-suited for Augusta, though his form has not been so great coming in. Got a terrific confidence boost on Tuesday when he was asked to join a practice round with Woods, Mickelson and Fred Couples.

18. Tommy Fleetwood
His ball-striking is among the best in the world. His putting could hold him back. Also, grouped with Woods the first two rounds could be a hindrance. Missed the cut in his first appearance last year.

19. Matt Kuchar
Famous for never really contending in a major, he was in the mix twice last year, including his T4 at Augusta. It was Kuchar's fourth top-10 in the past seven years at the Masters. He's on form, with a T8 last week at Houston and a round-of-16 berth at the Match Play.

20. Adam Scott
He has fallen far from the top-10 in the world, but there's no doubt he knows how to play Augusta. The 2013 champion was not at the top of his game last year at the Masters, either, but tied for ninth.

IN THE HUNT

21. Ian Poulter
His emotions have been going on overdrive the past two weeks. Hee's enjoyed success at Augusta, with three top-10s and seven top-25s through the years. it's just a question whether Poulter has anything left in the tank after grinding the past two events, including his dramatic playoff win at Houston.

22. Louis Oosthuizen
He's been decent but not great since his 2012 playoff loss to Watson, with three more top-25s. Has not played a whole lot in the run-up to Augusta, but edged Day to win their Match Play group and also tied for 16th at the Valspar.

23. Tyrrell Hatton
The Englishman has put up a bunch of high finishes in top fields, though last year's Masters was not one of them (he missed the cut). he tied for third at the WGC-Mexico in February and reached the round-of-16 at the Match Play. One of the top putters around.

24. Patrick Reed
Reed, of course, would rank himself much higher. There's no question he is on form, with a runner-up at the Valspar, a T7 at Bay Hill and a win over Spieth at the Match Play. It's just that he has a lot of trouble in majors, and hasn't cracked the top-20 in four prior visits to Augusta.

25. Marc Leishman
it speaks to his game that he is grouped with Woods for the first two rounds. He's No. 16 in the OWGR and has had two recent top-10s, including tying Reed for seventh at Bay Hill. But aside from a T4 in 2013, has had an awful Masters history. His next-best showing was last year's T43.

26. Bryson DeChambeau
He may be ranked a bit high here, but he has two top-5s in the past two months, including a runner-up at Bay Hill. His lone Masters appearance came two years ago when he tied for 21st and won low amateur.

27. Brian Harman
He has a cooled a bit after running off a series of top-10s to start the season. But he notched two more top-10s in the two recent WGCs. Has played Augusta only once before, missing the cut in 2015. He's a far more accomplished golfer now.

28. Xander Schauffele
This will be his Masters debut, so a win seems all but out of the question. But he has performed more than capably in elite fields on unfamiliar courses, having won the Tour Championship last year. A very smart player who should be able to learn the nuances of Augusta faster than most. He has top-20s in his past three stroke-play events.

29. Patrick Cantlay
He's played the Masters just once before, tying for 47th way back in 2012. Has not played much since a T4 at Riviera back in February, Perhaps he is still guarding his back from a recurring injury.

30. Daniel Berger
He is 2-for-2 in quality Masters finishes – T27 last year and a very impressive T10 as an Augusta rookie the year before. He's been decent but not great overall this season with six top-25s – but zero top-10s.

31. Charley Hoffman
Not having a great season by any measure, he is not inside the top-100 in the FedEx Cup standings. No top-10s this season and only three top-25s in 10 starts. But Hoffman has figured out Augusta National, never finishing outside the top-30 in four visits. His best was T9 in 2015.

32. Rafa Cabrera-Bello
The Spaniard had been 8-for-8 in cuts before trunk-slamming last week at Houston. he tied for third at the WGC-Mexico. More importantly, he tied for 17th at the Masters in his debut two years ago (then missed the cut last year). A very accurate golfer, he's top-10 in GIR, which should serve him well this week.

33. Kevin Chappell
A great golfer from tee to green, he finished T7 at the Masters last year, his first appearance since a T44 in 2012. He withdrew from the Match Play citing a back injury but says he's now fine.

34. Russell Henley
Was not all that sharp before last week at Houston – tying for eighth as the defending champion. But he sure does know his way around Augusta, tying for 11th last year and recording a T21 two years before that.

35. Branden Grace
The South African has been poor to mediocre in his five Masters visits, missing three cuts, tying for 18th and tying for 27th last year. He's had a decent run-up to Augusta, tying for eighth at the Valspar and a T20 at Pebble. He's ranked sixth in SG putting, but he has to get the ball on the green first (11th in SG approach).

36. Tony Finau
One of the best players to have not won a main PGA Tour event (he won the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open a few years back). Hits it far and his tee-to-green game is solid. Putting a big issue. It may be asking a lot for a high finish in his Masters debut . Update: It may be asking a lot for a high finish since he rolled his ankle celebrating a hole-in-one during the Par-3 Contest Wednesday. Well, that's one way to avoid putting.

37. Kiradech Aphibarnrat
He is up to No. 30 in the world and has top-5s cashes in the two recent WGC events. Bested Jon Rahm at the Match Play. The Thai start tied for 15th in his lone Masters appearance two years ago.

38. Zach Johnson
The 2007 champ is giving up a lot in distance to today's big hitters. He's missed the cut three of the past four years, but one cash was a T9 two years ago. Has had a decent start to the season with three top-25s, and he just missed a fourth with a T26 at Bay Hill.

39. Ryan Moore
Moore has had his moments at the Masters. He finished T9 last season and has three other top-15s (including as amateur in 2005). He's also coming off a T5 at the Arnold Palmer, his best finish in more than a year.

40. Kevin Kisner
Kisner has played Augusta twice with little to show for it, other than making the cut both times. But it appears he's found his form again after missing three of four cuts with a second-place finish at the WGC match-play event, which netted him more than $1 million and vaulted him to No. 25 in the world.

41. Cameron Smith
He's a vastly improved golfer from his Masters debut two years ago, when he tied for fifth. The young Aussie is a terrific scrambler and a good putter.

42. Charl Schwartzel
The 2011 champion had never approached similar success in ensuing years -- until last year, when he was third. The veteran South African has not been on top of his game this year, but is very capable of another high finish.

43. Gary Woodland
He is a long hitter and an accurate iron player, so it's curious why he hasn't done well at the Masters. His best finish was T24 as an Augusta rookie in in 2011. Has missed the cut the past two years. On the other hand, Woodland has played well overall this season with a win at Phoenix.

44. Matthew Fitzpatrick
He appeared to be a bright, young European star in the making. And he still could be. But aside from one good finish in the Masters, T7 two years ago, he just hasn't performed in the biggest tournaments. If you finish T7 once, you can do it again.

45. Brendan Steele
From a win in the season-opening Safeway to T3 at Phoenix to a T20 at the WGC-Mexico, he's having a terrific season. Plus, Steele tied for 27th at the Masters last year, his first invite in since 2012.

46. Adam Hadwin
The Canadian tied for 36th in his Masters debut last year. And even though the rest of the year didn't go great for him, he's picked up nicely in 2018, with two top-10s and two more top-20s in his past four starts. Very good putter.

47. Shubhankar Sharma
The darling of the WGC-Mexico has come down the earth since then. He undoubtedly has seen things at Augusta that he had never seen before on a golf course. He's a quality player, but playing the Masters for the first time is a big step up.

48. Webb Simpson
He has played some great golf the past two seasons, but he's never done well at the Masters, missing the cut in half of his six trips with zero top-25s. It's surprising that such a good tee-to-green player hasn't done better at Augusta.

49. Jimmy Walker
Battling Lyme disease, he's had good weeks and bad during 2018 -- a T8 at Pebble, a T73 last time out at Bay Hill. But he's generally had success at Augusta, going 4-for-4 in cuts with two top-25s, including last year's T18. Walker has given himself ample rest leading up to this week, so maybe he can muster three or four good rounds.

50. Francesco Molinari
The Italian has played the Masters six times but has only one top-25 cash, a T19 back in 2012. Even though he's ranked in the top-30 in the OWGR, we don't envision an Augusta breakthrough this year, as Molinari just has not been playing his best this season.

LONG SHOTS

51. Kyle Stanley

52. Jason Dufner

53. Pat Perez

54. Ross Fisher

55. Dylan Frittelli

56. Bernd Wiesberger

57. Martin Kaymer

58. Chez Reavie

59. Haotong Li

60. Patton Kizzire

61. Angel Cabrera

62. Danny Willett

63. Fred Couples

64. Si-Woo Kim

65. Jhonattan Vegas

66. Billy Horschel

67. Yuta Ikeda

68. Satoshi Kodaira

69. Austin Cook

70. Wesley Bryan

71. Bernhard Langer

72. Joaquin Niemann – A

73. Yusaku Miyazato

74. Vijay Singh

75. Ted Potter Jr.

76. Doc Redman – A

77. Doug Ghim – A

78. Harry Ellis

79. Matt Parziale – A

80. Trevor Immelman

81. Ian Woosnam

82. Jose Maria Olazabal

83. Larry Mize

84. Mike Weir

85. Mark O'Meara

86. Sandy Lyle

87. Lin Yuxin – A