Weekly Preview: The Masters

The Masters

Augusta National GC
Augusta, GA  

The PGA Tour heads to Augusta, GA this week as the final major of the 2019-2020 season finally gets underway. It's been a long wait -- 20 months, to be exact -- since Tiger Woods captured the attention of the sports world by winning yet another Green Jacket. The good news is, the 2021 Masters is only five months away! Let's not get ahead of ourselves though; we've got quite the week ahead of us. 

The 2020 Masters will not lack for storylines. Will the course play differently in the fall? Can Bryson DeChambeau bring Augusta National to its knees? Does Tiger have another run in him? How will DJ fare after a recent bout with COVID-19? I could keep going, because there really are more questions than answers at this point. 

But let's not worry about that, let's just revel in the fact that we get a little Masters action with our football.

LAST YEAR

Tiger Woods shot a final-round 70 on his way to a one-stroke victory over the trio of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele.

FAVORITES

Bryson DeChambeau (9-1)

There have been three stages of the DeChambeau transformation, and it's unclear whether we are in stage two or three right now. In stage one, he wowed us all with his new physique and dominated the PGA Tour. In stage two, he came back to Earth and looked mortal. In stage three, he powered his way to his first major at the U.S. Open. Can he power his way through Augusta? It would seem more likely than taking down a U.S. Open venue, but unlike that tournament, there are guys in the field that have a great feel for this course, so that levels the playing field a bit.

Dustin Johnson (9-1)

DJ was cruising along a couple months ago before being sidelined by COVID-19. Fortunately he was able to recover and even get in a tune-up last week before heading to Augusta. As for tuning up, well, all he did was finish two strokes off the lead at the Houston Open last week. It looks like DJ is ready to make a run at major No. 2.

Jon Rahm (11-1)

Rahm is getting a lot of love from the golf media, which is nothing new, as he seems to the popular pick before all the majors now. However, the fact remains he hasn't been able to close out a major in his young career. Rahm has only been out here a few years, but he looks and plays older than his age, which he just added another number to Tuesday. The pressure is already on him to win a major, though, and although I'm sure he will at some point, I'd put a few guys in front of him this week.

THE NEXT TIER

Brooks Koepka (17-1)

Once a given to compete at any major, Koepka fell off the map this season. But guess what? He's back! That's my interpretation anyhow. Koepka's game didn't fallen off because of anything other than injuries, and now that he's healthy, you can be sure he will make a run this week. Koepka doesn't have nearly the track record in this major as he does in the others, but he has three top-25s in four starts and finished runner-up here last year.

Patrick Cantlay (28-1)

Cantlay underperformed for much of the 2019-2020 season, but he's already picked up a win in the current campaign and could be primed to pick up his first major this week. Cantlay's track record at Augusta isn't great, but he did pick up a top-10 here last year, and could have finished higher if not for a poor finish. Both majors in 2020 have been won by first-timers, which might have something to do with the absence of fans. Perhaps Cantlay makes that a perfect 3-for-3.

Bubba Watson (33-1)

It's well known that Watson fares extremely well in certain tournaments, and this is certainly one of them. Watson has been very streaky for a while, mixing in incredible and awful seasons over the last decade, and while he is not on a tear right now, he's playing well enough to make me think he can make a run.

LONG SHOTS

Adam Scott (50-1)

Maybe Augusta plays differently in the fall than it does in the spring, but from everything I've read, there shouldn't be any noticeable difference. If that's the case, then there is a lot of value down the board in golfers that have played well here in the past and aren't past their prime. Enter Scott, who hasn't played well since the break, but isn't too far removed from some high-level play early in the year.

Justin Rose (80-1)

Rose has not played well this season, and there's no reason to think he'll bring much, if any, momentum into this week. He does know this course well, though, and has thrived here over the years. He was a smart play a year ago here and missed the cut, but in one of those universe-correcting acts, I'm expecting him to play well this time around.

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-owned Pick: Bryson DeChambeau - It's difficult to know how leagues are handling this event, and with that, it's tough to know how the ownership will be distributed. If you're including the Masters as part of the new season, then DeChambeau will be quite popular. Is he a good pick though? It's tough to say, as there will be plenty great spots to use him in 2021. He's also 9-1 this week, which is tough to beat.

Moderately-owned Pick: Patrick Cantlay - Most OAD owners don't like using anyone other than an elite player in the Masters, but depending on how your league is handling this event, you might need to make another Masters pick later in the season, so save your elite pick for the '21 Masters and use Cantlay in this spot. His form isn't going to be better next April than it is now.

Lightly-owned Pick: Scottie Scheffler - Perhaps you are at the end of your league's season and don't have any elite players left. In that case, Scheffler could be your guy. He doesn't have any experience here, but he's played well over the past month, and if he catches fire, there's no reason he can't follow in the footsteps of Collin Morikawa and win a major well before his time.

Buyer Beware: Matthew Wolff - I've already seen some love for Wolff this week, and with the way he's played over the past couple months, I get it. But he's got a couple things working against him. First, this is his first start at the Masters At a normal event that wouldn't be a huge deal, but there are so many players in the field this week that know this course inside and out. Second, Wolff runs very hot and cold, and he did not play well in his past two starts.

Last Week: Mackenzie Hughes - 3 - $276,000

Season Total: $7,527,971

This Week: Tiger Woods - I'm treating this as the final event of the season, and as such, I have to follow the rules of the OAD league and refrain from choosing anyone I've used previously. With that in mind, I don't have many good options this week, and since I've been saving Woods all year for the Masters, I might as well just stick with the plan. I don't think he will have a great week, but it's Tiger and it's Augusta, so you never know.                                                                  

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range: Dustin Johnson ($11,800)
Middle Range: Bubba Watson ($10,000)
Lower Range: Zach Johnson ($8,100)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

Last Week: Mackenzie Hughes (3)

Streak: 5

This Week: Tiger Woods - Woods didn't look great in his most recent start, but that was a couple weeks ago and he's had time to get his game into better shape. While I don't see him contending this week, I do expect him to grind it out and make the weekend. That's not exactly inspiring I realize, but again, it's Tiger at Augusta, so let's get excited!