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The 87th edition of the US Masters promises to be a fascinating renewal with so many of the leading contenders boasting strong Augusta National form. Rory McIlroy heads the market as he seeks the final leg of the Grand Slam while Justin Rose and Jon Rahm are also fancied by many to give Europe their third win in the last four years. That said, home players dominated last year with Patrick Reed leading home an American 1-2-3 as his 15-under-par total beat Rickie Fowler by a shot, with 2015 winner Jordan Spieth a stroke further back in third. Rain soaked the course on Tuesday morning but the sub-air system means it will dry out quickly. However, a lack of roll which is already accentuated by the grass on the fairways being mown in the direction of the tee, could help the bigger hitters this week. Talking of which, it’s an even longer Augusta National this year with 40 yards being added to the par-4 fifth hole, extending the course to 7,475 yards. Angles to consider Driving Distance 2015 winner Jordan Spieth didn’t smash it off the tee but Bubba is a two-time champion, while the last two winners, Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia, both ranked sixth in Driving Distance when taking the green jacket. Hitting it long and high is a definite advantage around Augusta National. Greens In Regulation “Augusta National is a second-shot golf course,” says Justin Rose and it’s a comment that’s been repeated down the years by most of the top players. It’s borne out by the stats with nine of the last 12 winners ranking in the top half-dozen for GIR in the week of their win. Current form Patrick Reed was in excellent form before last year’s victory and it’s been a theme of recent winners. Indeed, many of them had posted a victory in the previous few months. Augusta National has too many traps for a player to go there and find his game. Quite simply, it won’t be alright on the night. Scrambling And one more stat. When missing the greens, a creative short game is a key skill at Augusta National. It’s shown by the fact that so many recent winners ranked in the top ten for Scrambling. Selections The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected. Dustin Johnson Using the filter of an 8-week study period, Dustin Johnson is the only player who ranks in the top 10 in the field for Driving Distance, Greens in regulation, Scrambling and Current form. He’s also cracked the top 10 in his last three Masters while he heads to Augusta with two wins in his last six strokeplay starts. On the numbers, he looks the one to beat. Hideki Matsuyama The Japanese star is fifth in the Current form table when using the Adjusted Score tab and he backs that up with long hitting (17th of the 87 players in DD), solid iron play (17th GIR) and sharp short game (6th). Tied eighth at Sawgrass on his last strokeplay start, Matsuyama has a strong Augusta record with a run of 5-7-11-19 from 2015-2018. He has great credentials to become the latest first-time major winner. Charles Howell III Again, using the last eight weeks, the only other player who makes the top 20 in all the chosen categories (Current form, DD, GIR and SC) is CHIII. The Augusta native hasn’t played the Masters since T19 in 2012 but he returns in solid form and the stats suggest he looks capable of marking his mark. Tips: 0-3; -6.00pts 2pts win Dustin Johnson at 12/1 (William Hill) 2nd 1pt e.w. Hideki Matsuyama at 28/1 (Skybet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) 32nd 1pt e.w. Charles Howell III at 100/1 (Betfair SB, Paddy Power 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10) 32nd
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