Spring is in the air, and with spring comes one of the most anticipated golf tournaments of the year, The Masters. Golf fans have been waiting all winter long to get to see the best golfers in the world tee it up at Augusta National, and as an avid golf fan myself, here are some of the players I believe have the best shot this year.
5. Dustin Johnson – Dustin Johnson is a man that many probably wouldn’t expect to be in the mix at the Masters due to his subpar short game, but as we saw in many of the majors last year, Dustin Johnson is hungry for his first major title. Johnson’s ability to overpower a golf course will come in handy this year at Augusta as he can turn some of these beastly par 4’s turn into birdie holes. While short game is very important at Augusta, I believe if he can manage his way around the golf course his short game will not be a problem. As most of us know Dustin has had some difficult losses, that could ruin careers. However, Johnson continues to put himself in the mix in major championships year after year and it’s only a matter of time until he breaks through.
4. Rickie Fowler – Rickie Fowler is coming off his best year as a pro golfer, and while he’s still young he has matured greatly. Fowler went through big swing changes when switching to swing coach Butch Harmon, and they have proven to help his game greatly. Many people used to call Fowler overrated due to his huge following but lack of massive success on the PGA Tour in years prior. While I probably would have agreed with it last year, Rickie has proven us all wrong adding several new titles to his resume in the last year and a half. Rickie has been extremely successful in the past 18 months, and his nerves were really tested in last years Players Championship where he birdied the famous 17th hole three times on Sunday (including twice in a playoff), which sealed his victory. Aside from all this other success, Augusta National is a golf course where we’ve seen Rickie really shine with several top finishes. Many believe a major is the next step for Fowler, and his chances at The Masters this weekend look better than ever.
3. Rory McIlroy – Rory McIlroy is an obvious pick for everyone; debatably the best golfer of this era and someone who we’ve seen lots of success from at The Masters. McIlroy’s game fits Augusta National better than probably anybody in the field, and it has shown in years prior. While McIlroy has still never won at Augusta, he seems to always be in the mix, and has the major championship experience that many of these players lack. He has had some good finishes this year and I believe Rory will be entering The Masters with plenty of confidence and only one objective: win. Rory has four majors already and the only one he is missing is The Masters. It’ll be tough to find someone who wants a green jacket more than Rory McIlroy this week.
2. Jordan Spieth – Jordan Spieth is someone that you cannot leave out of the conversation of any golf tournament. At only 22 years old, Spieth has more hardware than many golfers will ever have in their career. Not only is Spieth the defending champion this week but he is also the reigning FedEx Cup champion, U.S. Open champion, and Player of the Year. If this wasn’t enough for you, Spieth placed in the top 5 in all of the majors last year and also has already won in 2016. After reading this, all of you are probably thinking that Spieth has to be the best golfer in the world. However, Spieth sits at #2, currently behind a surging Jason Day. This might be the motivation that Spieth needs to go out there and run away with the tournament like last year. Spieth truly is America’s next great golfer and is constantly being compared to a young Tiger Woods. As a huge Tiger fan, I don’t think Spieth is quite there yet, but I promise you that he’ll be in the hunt for that green jacket this Sunday.
1. Jason Day – Jason Day as my #1 pick is a given to golf fans. Day has 7 wins in his last 14 starts, which are some unheard of numbers in the world of golf. Day also just won the WGC Dell Match Play Championship, where he faced many of the opponents he’ll see at this year’s Masters. Day picked up his first major championship last year at the PGA Championship so he knows what it’s like to be there and finish one off. Along with his recent success, Jason has always played well at Augusta, including a second place finish in 2011 and several top 10’s. With his recent great play, Day is now the #1 golfer in the world and he definitely wants to prove that he is deserving of that title. Expect to see Jason Day playing some great golf this week at Augusta and to be in the hunt on Sunday.