by Big Al Staff
Thursday, Apr 08, 2021The Masters Championship Preview: April 8th, 2021
The 85th Masters Championship returns to its traditional April weekend this week after last year’s tournament got delayed until November because of the COVID shutdown. Dustin Johnson returns as the defending champion after breaking a course record by two strokes with his 20 under par to win the event.
Johnson is the favorite to win this tournament again at +900 odds (all odds from BetOnline). Johnson has won five victories in the last ten months, but he has not in his top form as of late. Johnson had registered six top-10s in a row before winning the Masters in November. This time around, Johnson finished in 54th place at the World Golf Championships event at the Concessions before a tie for 48th place at the Player’s Championship and a tie for 28th place at the World Gold Championship match play event two weeks ago. Only Tiger Woods has scored better than Johnson in the last two Masters Championships, with Johnson finishing second in the spring of 2019.
Bryson DeChambeau is +1000 to win going into Thursday morning. After winning the US Open last fall, DeChambeau claimed that his par for Augusta National was 68. He finished tied for 34th place that week. DeChambeau won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March before finishing tied for third place at the Player’s Championship a week later. DeChambeau has never placed better than 21st in his four appearances at this tournament.
Justin Thomas is +1000 to win the tournament as well. Thomas won the Player’s Championship in March after shooting 12 under par on the weekend at TPC Sawgrass. He has made all five cuts in his previous trips to Augusta, with his fourth place in November being his best result.
Jordan Spieth is +1000 to with the tournament, with bettors pushing his number down after winning the Valero Texas Open last weekend. The former number one player in the world has rediscovered his game with four top-four results since February. Spieth won the 2015 Masters, and he has finished in third place or better four times.
Jon Rahm is +1200 to win this week. Rahm is a new father as of Sunday, and he hopes he can experience the same magic that Daniel Willet did when he won the Masters as a new father in 2016. Rahm has been the model of consistency with top-ten finishes in seven of his last nine events. He has finished in the top ten at the Masters in three straight appearances, including his tie for seventh place last November.
Rory McIlroy comes in at a +1800 price. He finished in a tie for 28th place at the World Golf Championship match-play event two weeks ago after missing the cut at the Player’s Championship. McIlroy blames his recent form on being too aggressive with his driver after witnessing DeChambeau’s recent success. He has since hired a new driving coaching. McIlroy has six straight top-ten finishes at Augusta National since 2014.
Patrick Cantlay is a +2200 favorite. He has eight top-20 finishes this season, with a win at the Zozo Championship and second place at The American Express. Cantlay finished tied for ninth place in 2019 after leading on Sunday before a tie for 17th place last November.
Xander Schauffele is a +2500 favorite. His last event was a tie for 18th place at the World Golf Championship match-play event two weeks ago. Schauffele followed up a tie for 2nd place at the Masters in 2019 with a tie for 17th place in November.
Brooks Koepka is a +2800 favorite. He returns to action for the first time in six weeks after having surgery on his right knee a month ago. He had previously finished in second place in 2021 at the World Golf Championship event at the Concessions. Koepka finished in a tie for second place at the 2019 Masters before a tie for seventh place in November.
Collin Morikawa is a +2800 favorite. He won the PGA Championship last year, and he has since won the World Golf Championship event at the Concession. This event is his second Masters after finishing in 44th place in November.
ESPN and ESPN+ broadcast the Masters on Thursday and Friday. ESPN+ has the early coverage on the weekend before CBS takes over on both days.
Prediction: Rory McIlroy (+1800) to win The Masters Championship.
The 85th Masters Championship returns to its traditional April weekend this week after last year’s tournament got delayed until November because of the COVID shutdown. Dustin Johnson returns as the defending champion after breaking a course record by two strokes with his 20 under par to win the event.
Johnson is the favorite to win this tournament again at +900 odds (all odds from BetOnline). Johnson has won five victories in the last ten months, but he has not in his top form as of late. Johnson had registered six top-10s in a row before winning the Masters in November. This time around, Johnson finished in 54th place at the World Golf Championships event at the Concessions before a tie for 48th place at the Player’s Championship and a tie for 28th place at the World Gold Championship match play event two weeks ago. Only Tiger Woods has scored better than Johnson in the last two Masters Championships, with Johnson finishing second in the spring of 2019.
Bryson DeChambeau is +1000 to win going into Thursday morning. After winning the US Open last fall, DeChambeau claimed that his par for Augusta National was 68. He finished tied for 34th place that week. DeChambeau won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March before finishing tied for third place at the Player’s Championship a week later. DeChambeau has never placed better than 21st in his four appearances at this tournament.
Justin Thomas is +1000 to win the tournament as well. Thomas won the Player’s Championship in March after shooting 12 under par on the weekend at TPC Sawgrass. He has made all five cuts in his previous trips to Augusta, with his fourth place in November being his best result.
Jordan Spieth is +1000 to with the tournament, with bettors pushing his number down after winning the Valero Texas Open last weekend. The former number one player in the world has rediscovered his game with four top-four results since February. Spieth won the 2015 Masters, and he has finished in third place or better four times.
Jon Rahm is +1200 to win this week. Rahm is a new father as of Sunday, and he hopes he can experience the same magic that Daniel Willet did when he won the Masters as a new father in 2016. Rahm has been the model of consistency with top-ten finishes in seven of his last nine events. He has finished in the top ten at the Masters in three straight appearances, including his tie for seventh place last November.
Rory McIlroy comes in at a +1800 price. He finished in a tie for 28th place at the World Golf Championship match-play event two weeks ago after missing the cut at the Player’s Championship. McIlroy blames his recent form on being too aggressive with his driver after witnessing DeChambeau’s recent success. He has since hired a new driving coaching. McIlroy has six straight top-ten finishes at Augusta National since 2014.
Patrick Cantlay is a +2200 favorite. He has eight top-20 finishes this season, with a win at the Zozo Championship and second place at The American Express. Cantlay finished tied for ninth place in 2019 after leading on Sunday before a tie for 17th place last November.
Xander Schauffele is a +2500 favorite. His last event was a tie for 18th place at the World Golf Championship match-play event two weeks ago. Schauffele followed up a tie for 2nd place at the Masters in 2019 with a tie for 17th place in November.
Brooks Koepka is a +2800 favorite. He returns to action for the first time in six weeks after having surgery on his right knee a month ago. He had previously finished in second place in 2021 at the World Golf Championship event at the Concessions. Koepka finished in a tie for second place at the 2019 Masters before a tie for seventh place in November.
Collin Morikawa is a +2800 favorite. He won the PGA Championship last year, and he has since won the World Golf Championship event at the Concession. This event is his second Masters after finishing in 44th place in November.
ESPN and ESPN+ broadcast the Masters on Thursday and Friday. ESPN+ has the early coverage on the weekend before CBS takes over on both days.
Prediction: Rory McIlroy (+1800) to win The Masters Championship.
