The Masters Tournament 10-04-2025

Now we have arrived at the biggest tournament of the year, The Masters Tournament – ​​one of the four major tournaments in golf! It is the 89th edition of this prestigious golf tournament, and takes place from April 10 to 13 at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA. Here, 96 of the world's best golfers will gather to fight for the green jacket. And we have Viktor Hovland at the start, so he just had to be in maximum form these four days.

The track and area

Augusta National Golf Club is one of the world's most famous and exclusive golf courses and is known for its challenging layout. The membership list is secret, but includes famous names in politics, business and sports. Women were first admitted as members in 2012, and the club is known for its strict control over media and access, but the winner of the tournament receives the iconic green jacket and membership in the club. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to the course, including the destruction of the 16th green, but extensive restoration work has brought the course back to its iconic condition for this year's tournament. There is a forecast of heavy rain for the start of this week as well, but hopefully not so severe that it will affect the course.

The course was designed by Alister MacKenzie in collaboration with Bobby Jones in 1933, and the first Masters Tournament was played the following year. Many of the greatest legends in golf history have won here, such as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer. The course is played as a Par 72 with a length of 7555 yards. It is known for its aesthetics and perfect condition with fast, smooth and extremely well-maintained greens with bentgrass. The course has a number of famous holes and sections, and Amen Corner (holes 11–13) is the most famous part of the course, and which is often decisive for the outcome of the tournament. Water, wind and precision make these three holes extremely crucial. They also have Hole 12 – Golden Bell (Par 3), which is perhaps the most famous par 3 hole in the world, with Rae's Creek in front of the green.

This course is constantly changing and adjusting to keep up with the latest developments in golf. It favors players with creativity and who are good on the green, it rewards risk-taking combined with precision. So players who master high drives, short and fast putts, and have nerves of steel will face Sunday night with a brand new green jacket and millions of kroner in the bank.

Elle, melle

In this tournament, there are 96 potential winners from all over the world, so it's not easy to pick candidates. But I've considered these six:

Rory McIlroy has had a strong start to the season with wins at both the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship. His impressive length and lofty ball flight are well-suited to Augusta, but past putting challenges here could be a factor. McIlroy has played five tournaments this year and has never finished lower than a tie for 17th, and in terms of putting, the stats put him 10th best in 2025. He has struggled with a sore elbow, but says it is no longer painful after some treatment over the past week. Despite several top-10 finishes here during his 16 starts at The Masters, he has yet to secure the green jacket. A second-place finish in 2022 is his best.

Collin Morikawa also has five tournaments in 2025, and with two 2nd places, a 10th place and two 17th places, he should be counted on. Morikawa leads the PGA Tour in "Strokes Gained: Approach" and Birdie average, which underlines his precision. His exceptional iron play and strategic approach make him a strong candidate, and with a putting statistic in the top 60 on Tour this year, he will be exciting to follow. And with three consecutive top-10 finishes, with 3rd place last year being the best, he shows an upward curve on this course.

Shane Lowry is the type of player who can go under the radar, but if the conditions get windy or the course is playing hard and fast, his experience, patience and scrambling can give him an advantage. Lowry is known for his precise iron play, strong close play and ability to perform in tough conditions. He has incredibly good touch around the greens, which is crucial at Augusta, but the lengths of the driver are a little behind the best and can be a challenge on long par 5 holes. He has been among the best in the field on the greens in regulation at Augusta for several years, and he was number three here in 2022, as well as having several top 25 finishes. Played consistently solid so far in 2025 with top-10 finishes in Valspar and good putting statistics. He seems mentally sharp during the day.

Min Woo Lee has said he loves Augusta, and in his three starts here he has finishes like 14th, missed the cut and 22nd from last year. Lee is the creative player I mentioned at the beginning that you have to be, and if he gets the shot from the tee to hit the fairway he can be dangerous. He hits long and his putting this year has been fervent. He won the last tournament he played this year, the Houston Open, so his confidence is clearly at its peak. The Australian hits a bit like McIlroy, where the ball goes high and far. In addition, he is comfortable with fast greens, so if over-firing is not the key word he can get high on the scoreboards.

Corey Conners is one of the best ball strikers on the Tour and hits an extremely high number of greens because he is very good with irons from the fairway. The GIR statistics say 69.61% which puts him in 23rd place this year. The putter varies, but he thrives very well at Augusta, so it suggests that he reads the course well. Conners has four top 20 finishes in his last four tournaments, so if he has a good week with the putter, Corey Conners certainly has a chance to fight for another top 20 finish. His best finishes at Augusta came in 2020, 2021 and 2022 with 8-10-6 finishes.

Sepp Straka many times, and at Augusta he can easily do great things. He hits very precisely from the tee and is sixth best on the Tour from Tee to Green. Straka has played here three times before with 16th place last year as his best result. But as mentioned in previous analyses, this year's form is much better than before. He has a win this year and with a wise golf head he can easily be in the lead ball on Sunday.

Conclusion

In The Masters, all 96 can win on a good day, but some stand out as more interesting than others. Augusta National Golf Club demands its man and its game, and that routine helps considerably, even though players like Åberg made a good debut here. We could play McIlroy or Morikawa, but then we have to drop to the top 10 or 5 to get anything back. That's why I play:

Golf at 1:40 PM: Shane Lowry top 20 (2.00)

Alternative bets:
Golf at 1:40 PM: Sepp Straka top 20 (2.45)
Golf at 1:40 PM: Corey Connors top 20 (2.40)

Round's longshot:
Golf at 1:40 p.m.: Nicolai Højgaard wins (176.00)