Who can win the 2021 Masters, and who has absolutely no shot
Tier I: The guys who can win
Dustin Johnson
The reigning Masters champion set the 72-hole scoring record at 20 under while winning by 5 strokes in November. He'll attempt to become the first back-to-back winner since Tiger Woods in 2001-02.
Justin Thomas
Thomas was tied for the 36-hole lead in November and has been under par in each of his previous seven rounds at Augusta National. Another promising trend: His finish has improved in each of his five Masters starts, including a solo fourth last year.
Xander Schauffele
The 27-year-old has been close, but just short, since winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January 2019. He has finished runner-up eight times since then, including a tie for second at the 2019 Masters, in which he led the field with 25 birdies.
Jon Rahm
With three straight top-10s at Augusta National, the 26-year-old from Spain is among the favorites. His wife, Kelley, gave birth to their first child Saturday, so Rahm will be in the field. He had warned that he would be ready to bolt for home if she had gone into labor.
Patrick Reed
Love him or hate him, the 2018 Masters champion is probably going to be in contention to win a second green jacket. He tied for 10th in November and won the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Reed has carded scores in the 60s in half of his previous 12 rounds at Augusta National.
Jordan Spieth
The 2015 Masters champion has finally found his game and confidence again, winning the Valero Texas Open this past weekend, after struggling for much of the previous three seasons. He has finished tied for 15th or better in six of his previous seven tour starts, including four top-5s. Even during his struggles, Augusta National was Spieth's happy place; he tied for second in 2016 and was solo third in 2018.
Patrick Cantlay
The UCLA graduate, if you forgot, briefly held the Sunday lead on the second nine before fading to a tie for ninth behind Woods in 2019. He finished tied for 17th in November after a not-so-great weekend. He won the Zozo Championship in October and was playing great golf until a missed cut at the Players Championship.
Bryson DeChambeau
After suggesting that he intended to play Augusta National as a par-67 course, Brawny Bryson finished tied for 34th in November. He led the field in driving distance at 324.4 yards but made far too many mistakes. He hasn't finished better than a tie for 21st in four starts here. If he straightens out the driver and continues his hot putting, he should perform better.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy returns to Augusta National a decade after he squandered a 4-shot lead in the final round -- and he's still searching for a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam. He finished in the top 10 in six of his previous seven Masters starts. The former World No. 1 hasn't won on tour in more than 17 months. He recently turned to swing coach Pete Cowen to help turn things around.
Webb Simpson
Simpson isn't one of the longest hitters on tour, but he more than makes up for it with outstanding iron play and putting. He was a factor in each of the prior two Masters, finishing tied for 10th in November and tied for fifth in 2019.
Cameron Smith
In November, the Australian became the first player in the 84-year history of the Masters to post four rounds in the 60s. He still finished 5 shots behind DJ. Smith has two top-5s in four starts at Augusta National -- and a glorious mullet to boot.
Tony Finau
Few players have been as consistent on golf's biggest stages as Finau, who has seven top-10s in majors in the past three years. Unfortunately, few players have less to show for it than Finau, who hasn't won on tour in more than five years. He has two top-10s in three starts at Augusta National.
Collin Morikawa
The 24-year-old has quickly become the most accomplished player among the sport's young stars, already winning four times since turning pro in 2019, including the 2020 PGA Championship. He added a victory at the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession in February, becoming the only player other than Woods to win a major and a WGC event before turning 25. He tied for 44th in his first Masters start in November.
Sungjae Im
The 23-year-old from South Korea had quite the debut in November, using three rounds in the 60s to finish in a tie for second at 15 under. It was the best finish by an Asian player at the Masters. He had nine top-25 finishes in his first 18 starts this season.
Abraham Ancer
In his first Masters start last year, Ancer opened with three straight rounds in the 60s to play with Johnson in the final group on Sunday. He shot 76 and finished tied for 13th. He had nine top-25s in his first 14 starts this season.
Lee Westwood
At 47, Westwood has enjoyed a resurgence with back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship in March. He is a two-time runner-up at the Masters, in 2010 and 2016, and is still searching for that first elusive major championship.
Paul Casey
Like Westwood, Casey is playing some of his best golf in his 40s while still trying to end a long major championship drought. Casey, 43, finished in the top 15 in four of his prior six starts at Augusta National.
Viktor Hovland
The first Norwegian to compete in the Masters, Hovland was the low amateur in 2019, when he had three rounds under par to finish 3 under. This will be his first appearance as a pro. He's already won twice on tour, including the Mayakoba Golf Classic in December, and tied for runner-up at the WGC-Workday Championship. The sky's the limit for the former Oklahoma State standout.
Tyrrell Hatton
The Englishman's lone tour victory came at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational. He hasn't finished better than a tie for 44th in four Masters appearances, but the game and potential are there for the 29-year-old to make some noise -- if he can improve his work around the greens.
Daniel Berger
Even though he was the hottest player after the restart last year, Berger was a victim of circumstance and didn't make the Masters field in November. He's making his fourth start at Augusta National -- his best finish was a tie for 10th in 2016. He won at Pebble Beach in February and is still playing well.
Bubba Watson
Watson became the second fastest to win multiple green jackets by doing it in just five career starts. He'll have to hit more fairways and improve his putting to get a third.
Brooks Koepka
The four-time major winner underwent surgery March 16 to repair a dislocated right kneecap and ligament damage. It was the latest setback for Koepka, who struggled with a left knee injury and hip ailment in recent years. He finished tied for seventh at Augusta National in November, after finishing tied for second behind Woods in 2019.
Entire article:
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/31187871/who-win-2021-masters-absolutely-no-shot
2021 Masters -- ESPN predictions for who wins this year's green jacket
Matt Barrie, ESPN
Winner: Justin Thomas
Why he'll win: Like his overall game and status among the world's best, Thomas has slowly been ascending the Masters' leaderboard each year he's played since 2016. And since 2018, he's found himself inside the top 20, including fourth in November. This says JT now has comfort and familiarity with how to play this major and this course. Add to that his win at the Players, and it's a perfect recipe of confidence and game plan for DJ to give JT his first green jacket.
David Bearman, ESPN Sports Betting
Winner: Cameron Smith
Why he'll win: Anytime you have "first player in Masters history" attached to your name, it gets my attention. Smith became the first to have all four rounds in the 60s in his runner-up finish in November. No one was catching the runaway DJ train, so T-2 was as good as it was going to get for the rest of the field. Add the fact that Smith finished T-5 two years prior and you have a youngster who has figured out how to get around this course. He finished fourth at the Genesis and T-11 at WGC Workday Championship at The Concession, where a third-round 77 knocked him out of the lead. He's in the top 25 in strokes gained: total, putting and around the green, all perfect for the challenge of Augusta National.
Michael Collins, ESPN.com
Winner: Jon Rahm
Why he'll win: All morning I kept trying to think of who the winner was going to be and I couldn't get the movie "Rocky II" out of my head. When Adrian is in the hospital and wakes up. Rocky is there with her and holding their new baby and she says, "There's one thing I want you to do for me. Come here." Rocky leans in close. "Win ... WIN!" Jon Rahm, whose wife, Kelley, gave birth to their first child last week, is winning his first major this week. And y'all need to go watch Rocky II right now.
Michael Eaves, ESPN
Winner: Collin Morikawa
Why he'll win: Great ball-strikers always have a chance at Augusta. Right now, Morikawa is the best iron player in the world. He's first in strokes gained: approach, third in strokes gained: tee-to-green, fourth in birdie average and fifth in greens in regulation. He's far from a bomber, but I'll take his 6-iron against most guys' 9-irons.
Chris Fallica, ESPN Stats & Information
Winner: Justin Thomas
Why he'll win: He's improved his finish each year at Augusta National, and there aren't many iron players out there like him right now. I expect these greens to be like glass after the score-fest last fall and JT's iron play will offer him a big edge. He also just won the Players and should have a ton of confidence in his game right now. Few players have the ability to grind it out on Thursday and Friday and then go super-low on the weekend like JT.
Charlotte Gibson, ESPN.com
Winner: Jon Rahm
Why he'll win: It's simple: Life is good for Jon Rahm right now. This weekend, Rahm and his wife, Kelley, welcomed their first child, a boy named Kepa Cahill Rahm. In an Instagram post, Rahm said, "Without a doubt the greatest day of my life!" And call me crazy, but it feels like we could have another Danny Willett situation on our hands (five years ago, Willett won the Masters just days after the birth of his son). And if that's not a good enough reason to pick someone to win their first green jacket, Rahm's three straight top-10 finishes at Augusta and No. 3 ranking should do the trick. It feels like Rahm might experience the second-greatest day of his life this week.
Bob Harig, ESPN.com
Winner: Rory McIlroy
Why he'll win: For once, Rory can play without pressure. Certainly there is the self-imposed variety, but not many are going to give McIlroy a chance given his play of late and the fact that he's brought on a new coach Pete Cowen. And yet, McIlroy never seemed that far off. Perhaps he plays Augusta National with lower expectations and sees the results show up immediately. McIlroy is more than capable of putting up the low numbers, despite his recent struggles.
All their picks:
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/31198396/2021-masters-espn-predictions-wins-year-green-jacket
