The Masters: Three in-form players who could get their hands on the green jacket

It’s just a matter of days before the Masters, the first major on the golfing calendar, gets underway at the iconic Augusta National. There’s no better place to get the ball rolling as far as the major championships are concerned than at the prestigious Georgia-based course — truly one of the best venues in the world of sport.

There’s nothing quite like Augusta in the spring sunshine, when the azaleas and ping dogwoods are in full blown, and every player that makes the short journey down the famous Magnolia Drive will want to get their hands on the sought-after Green Jacket come the end of play on Sunday evening.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Being one of the biggest names and best golfers in the world simply isn’t good enough to breeze your way around Augusta. You need form to be on your side going into the week and that’s why so many ‘outsiders’ in the US Masters betting odds go on to win the club house trophy, as they fly under the radar with wind in their sails.

So, with the tournament set to tee off on April 7^th, read on as we take a look at some of the in-form golfers heading into the Masters.

Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler’s stock has risen massively in the last couple of months. The 25-year-old got off the mark in the PGA Tour in February, winning the Phoenix Open after a nail-biting, three-hole playoff against compatriot Patrick Cantlay, and he hasn’t looked back since.

He added the Arnold Palmer Invitational to his mantel in March, beating Tyler Hatton, Billy Horschel and Viktor Hovland by a stroke, and he racked up a third tour victory later in the month — beating fellow American Kevin Kisner 4 and 3 to win land the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Now top of the FedEx Cup standings, with a total of six top 10 finishes, this will be Scheffler’s third time at Augusta for the Masters, and on current form, the 25-year-old will surely be confident that he can better the previous outings (T19 and T18). 14/1 in the betting, he could be worth an each-way bet to finish in the top six places.

Sam Burns

Another relatively new American to the tour, Sam Burns has been making waves since he broke onto the scene in 2021. He secured his first PGA Tour triumph in May last year, winning the Valspar Championship by three strokes and he has tasted success twice more this season — landing the Sanderson Farms Championship in October before defending his Valspar title in March.

With three other top 10 finishes, Burns is currently second behind Scheffler in the FedEx Cup standings. This will be his maiden outing at Augusta, but that shouldn’t be too much of a concern. After all, fellow American Will Zalatoris made his debut last year and finished just one stroke behind Hideki Matsuyama at the top of the leaderboard.

Cameron Smith

Another player who will be brimming with confidence heading to Augusta, Cameron Smith is finally starting to prove his worth on the PGA Tour. A three-time winner heading into this season, with victories in the Zurich Classic (2017 and 2021) and Sony Open (2020), the 28-year-old has nearly equalled that tally already this season — winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January and The Players Championship, golf’s unofficial fifth major, in March.

Third in the FedEx Cup rankings, with two other top 10 finishes this season, Smith has a decent record at Augusta — finishing T5, T2 and T10 in three of his four Masters outings, while ensuring he’s never missed the cut with T51 finish in 2019. At 14/1, the Australian could also be worth a small each-way punt — especially with his knack for top 10 finishes.

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Dan Dunn

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Editor and Admin at MarkMeets since Nov 2012. Columnist, reviewer and entertainment writer and oversees all of the section's news, features and interviews. During his career, he has written for numerous magazines.

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