Avery Perri

Class is about to be in session at the Masters.

Augusta National is one of golf’s toughest tests, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find out-of-form players succeed. I’m grading 20 players, from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to three-time champion Phil Mickelson, on their performance through the first few months of 2025.

Check out my 2025 golf grades ahead of the first major championship beginning on April 10.

2025 golf grades

We’ll break down players into four sections:

• The top betting favourites
• Next best contenders
• Canadians at the tournament
• Fan favourites

Sections are sorted by the shortest odds to win the Masters.

Full Masters betting markets

Masters betting favourites

Player: Scottie Scheffler
Odds: +450
Best Masters finish: Win (2022, 2024)
Grade: B

Let’s get this out of the way: Not everyone will be graded equally. Scheffler has been the third-best player by DataGolf’s strokes gained over the last three months (+2.55) with three top-10 finishes in six starts.

But when you win 10 times in one season, expectations change. Scheffler hasn’t lifted a trophy in 2025 and had a pedestrian T20 finish at the Players. I’ll cut him some slack after missing January following wrist surgery and expect to see him in contention on Sunday.

Player: Rory McIlroy
Odds: +650
Best Masters finish: Second (2022)
Grade: A+

This could be McIlroy’s best chance to win the Masters and complete the career grand slam. He’s on top of his game, winning the Players Championship and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and is the only player gaining north of 0.66 strokes on approach, off-the-tee and putting.

It’s been a dream start to the season for the Northern Irishman, who is playing like the best player in the world. But at this point in Rory’s career, he’s looking for majors and majors alone, so we’ll see what happens under the bright lights.

Player: Jon Rahm
Odds: +1,200
Best Masters finish: Winner (2023)
Grade: B

We’re grading with a blindfold on now, folks. Rahm has five straight top-10 finishes on LIV and has been gaining strokes pretty consistently in all four categories. So what’s that worth? I’m not sure, so I’ll just give him a “B” and move on. A strong finish at Augusta seems necessary to shake the “washed” allegations, though.

Player: Collin Morikawa
Odds: +1,400
Best Masters finish: T3 (2024)
Grade: A

Morikawa, not Scheffler or McIlroy, paces the field in strokes gained over the last three months. He’s been the best player from tee-to-green by a wide margin, yet hasn’t found the winner’s circle after a few close calls.

After knocking off two majors in his first eight starts, Morikawa has gone three years without a win. He has finished inside the top-10 three straight times at Augusta, though, and is in elite form.

Bet on the 2025 Masters

Player: Bryson DeChambeau
Odds: +1,600
Best Masters finish: T6 (2025)
Grade: B+

DeChambeau also hasn’t won on LIV but is trending in the right direction, most recently finishing fifth in Miami while gaining boatloads of strokes off the tee. When you factor in off-course success and the afterglow of winning the 2024 U.S. Open, I’m sure he’s having a pretty nice start to the year.

2025 golf grades: The top contenders

Player: Ludvig Aberg
Odds: +1,800
Best Masters finish: Second (2024)
Grade: B-

Aberg’s had a bizarre start to the season. The Swede kicked things off with a T5 at the Sentry before falling ill, which caused a pair of ugly results

The 25-year-old won the Genesis Invitational in his return, flashing his ceiling as one of the best in the world. That carries a lot of weight in this report card, considering he’s missed back-to-back cuts at the Players and Valero Texas Open heading into this event.

Player: Justin Thomas
Odds: +2,000
Best Masters finish: Fourth (2020)
Grade: A

I love Thomas’ chances of knocking off major No. 3 this week. The 31-year-old hasn’t missed a cut all season and has a pair of runner-up finishes (American Express, Valspar Championship). He ranks eighth in SG: APP over the last three months and is finally rolling the rock well. This is the best golf we’ve seen out of JT in a long time.

Player: Xander Schauffele
Odds: +2,200
Best Masters finish: T2 (2019)
Grade: C

The biggest knock on Schauffele was not being able to win the big one — and then he did it, twice. So it’s fair to say the start of this season has been troubling, as the World No. 3 struggles to find form following a rib injury.

He’s only made three starts since the Sentry, recently logging a T12 at the Valspar after finishing T40 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and 70th at the Players. Interestingly, he’s gained plenty of strokes on approach but is losing with the putter and off the tee.

Player: Joaquin Niemann
Odds: +2,800
Best Masters finish: T16 (2023)
Grade: A

Niemann won his third and fourth LIV titles this year and is now up to $48.5 million earned on the tour. Consistently referred to as one of the best in the world by players like Phil Mickelson, it’s time for the Niemann to put up or shut up on the biggest stage. He only has one top-20 finish (T16, 2023 Masters) in 22 major starts.

Player: Hideki Matsuyama
Odds: +2,800
Best Masters finish: Winner (2022)
Grade: B-

Hideki started his year with a win at the Sentry but tapered off immediately afterward. He hasn’t been bad, but also hasn’t threatened to win anything since with as many top-20 finishes (two) as missed cuts. If he hadn’t found the winner’s circle this grade would be much lower.

Player: Brooks Koepka
Odds: +3,000
Best Masters finish: T2 (2019, 2023)
Grade: B

I didn’t put much stock into Rahm’s recent play, so I certainly won’t put much in Koepka’s, as the five-time major champ has come out of the blue to win these in the past. But I’m sure Kopeka feels good about his runner-up at LIV Singapore and strong iron and around the green play.

Grading the Canadians

Masters odds & betting lines

Player: Corey Conners
Odds: +4,500
Best Masters finish: T6 (2022)
Grade: A-

Conners has to love his chances this week. The Listowell, Ontario native has posted four straight top-20 finishes, headlined by a career-best T6 at the Players. Elite iron play has always been the cornerstone of Conners’ game, and now the putter is running hot, too.

Player: Taylor Pendrith
Odds: +12,500
Best Masters finish: N/A
Grade: C+

This could be a rough week for Pendrith, who is making his Masters debut. The 33-year-old posted a T5 in his last start but failed to finish inside the top 35 in four straight beforehand, missing two cuts. He’s been losing a boatload of strokes around the greens, which will be a problem at Augusta.

Player: Nick Taylor
Odds: +25,000
Best Masters finish: T29 (2020)
Grade: B+

Taylor’s first two months of the season were great. He had four top-25 finishes, including a win at the Sony Open in January and a T9 at the Genesis Invitational. Consecutive missed cuts ahead of the Masters isn’t ideal, but the Winnipeg native has to be happy with how his 2025 has gone so far.

2025 golf grades: The fan favourites

Player: Jordan Spieth
Odds: +3,300
Best Masters finish: T3 (2024)
Grade: C+

Spieth, like fellow Texas Longhorn Scheffler, is also coming off a wrist surgery — and it’s been a predictably wild ride. The 2015 Masters champion has two top-10 finishes but some ugly results, too (MC Genesis Invitational, 59th Players). This grade might seem harsh, but Spieth is a three-time major champ and hasn’t played like one in a while.

Player: Min Woo Lee
Odds: +4,000
Best Masters finish: T14 (2022)
Grade: A

Min Woo has been a fan favourite for some time, and is beginning to match the hype with on-course results. The Aussie won his last start at the Texas Open and was in the mix at the Players before unravelling on a tough Saturday. All in all, he’s been playing great golf — expect Dr. Chipinski to make noise this week.

Player: Cameron Smith
Odds: +5,000
Best Masters finish: T2 (2020)
Grade: D

I hate to say it, but Smith has lost his fastball. The Aussie has played in eight majors since winning the 2023 Open Championship and has just one top-five. And with only one top-10 finish on LIV this year, things aren’t exactly trending in the right direction. The hair still looks great, though.

Player: Dustin Johnson
Odds: +10,000
Best Masters finish: Winner (2020)
Grade: F

Within three years, DJ went from a top-10 player in the world to one of the worst players on LIV, finishing outside of the top 25 in four of five starts this season. Does he care, though? I doubt it. The 40-year-old has two major championships under his belt and a boatload of cash to ride off into the sunset with.

Player: Phil Mickelson
Odds: +10,000
Best Masters finish: Winner (2004, 2006, 2010)
Grade: B+

If we’re taking Mickelson’s LIV results at face value, it looks like Lefty is having a renaissance. He’s picking up a ton of strokes on approach and putting, and has two top-six finishes in four starts. Mickelson became the oldest major champion by conquering the 2021 PGA Championship at 50 … could he do that again?

Player: Max Homa
Odds: +25,000
Best Masters finish: T3 (2024)
Grade: F-

It feels like more than a year has passed since Homa was in contention on Masters Sunday. The 34-year-old is a legitimate mess entering this tournament: He’s missed five straight cuts and has hemorrhaged strokes on approach in every start. Finishing dead last among non-past champions wouldn’t be out of the question.

The Masters is almost here, with all signs pointing to an epic Sunday showdown between Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.

While world No. 1 Scheffler hasn’t won a tournament this year, he remains favoured to win a third green jacket. World No. 2 McIlroy, meanwhile, enters the week in top form as he seeks his first Masters title and the career Grand Slam. Scheffler and McIlroy are the only two players with odds shorter than 10-to-1, leaving plenty of other enticing betting options on the board.

Let’s break down all that and more in our 2025 Masters betting guide.

Masters betting guide

Full Masters Betting Markets: CLICK HERE

2025 Masters schedule and course preview

The Masters will be held April 10-13. The field will include 96 golfers.

Before we dig into the field, you probably want to know a little about the course. Check out these key stats about Augusta National, which measures 7,555 yards and scores as a par 72.

All data is provided by Data Golf’s Course Table, which measures every Shotlink-equipped course played (majors and PGA Tour events) since the 2015 season. There are 100 total courses in this table, for reference:

• A stern test: Augusta’s +2.12 average score to par is the ninth highest on the course table.

• Room off the tee: Its fairways are 50.7 yards across on average, the fourth-widest.

• A second-shot course: Finding not only the fairway, but the right side of the fairway, is critical for success at Augusta. Only 57.9% of greens are hit in regulation (13th-lowest rate), and players lose an average of 0.057 strokes on every approach shot (second-most).

• Short game is key: Augusta ranks as the third-most difficult course for strokes gained putting and around-the-greens.

• Try to survive the Par 4s: The 10 par 4s play at an average of 0.24 shots over par (third-hardest). Playing these at a neutral and capitalizing on the par 5s is key to success.

More 2025 Masters coverage

• Top 5 picks to win
• Best long shot picks
• Odds to win the Masters
• Full Masters betting markets
• Who’s hot and cold ahead of Masters
• Corey Conners odds and best bet

A heavyweight fight

I wouldn’t go as far as to call this year’s event a two-horse race, but it’s pretty close.

Scheffler and McIlroy hold the same ranking in DataGolf’s strokes gained tool over the past 12 months. In that time, they have combined for 12 wins (13 if you count Scheffler’s Olympic gold medal), and are contending week in and week out on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy has been the better of the two lately, winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and the Players Championship in March, while posting outrageous season-long strokes gained: off-the-tee numbers.

It’s worth noting that Collin Morikawa ranks first in strokes gained over the last three months (+2.93), though he has no wins to show for it.

Despite the edge in recent form, it’s hard to give McIlroy the edge over Scheffler.

The Northern Irishman hasn’t won a major since 2014 and has fallen excruciatingly short in recent years, posting four top-three finishes in the last three seasons alone. McIlroy has six top-10 finishes at Augusta in his past 10 starts — but one has to wonder if the scar tissue will be too much to overcome.

Scheffler, meanwhile, has won the Masters twice in five career starts while never finishing outside of the top 20. His +3.25 average strokes gained at Augusta National is the best of anyone with more than one start since 1981. McIlroy’s +1.94 average strokes gained at Augusta ranks 17th in that time.

And don’t look now, but Scheffler is coming off his best start of the season, a T2 at the Houston Open, where he straightened out the flat stick and finished sixth in strokes gained: putting (+1.77).

Full Masters Betting Markets: CLICK HERE

Masters betting guide: The best of the rest

I’m fairly confident that Scheffler and McIlroy will be in the mix come Sunday. But that doesn’t mean they’ll win, and it doesn’t mean bettors have to flock toward their outright markets.

Six players hold odds between +1,200 and +2,500 as of April 5, and each one of them can win.

Ludvig Aberg, who finished runner-up to Scheffler last year in his Masters debut, broke through with a win at the Genesis Invitational this season.

The others — Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, and Justin Thomas — are all major champions.

Let’s look at how this group has performed at the Masters and in the run-up to this year’s event:

Of these studs, Morikawa seems to be the safest bet. He’s been in the best form lately, has performed well at the Masters, and is coming off a career-best finish in 2024.

Thomas missed the cut at the past two Masters, but is playing his best golf in a long time.

Then you have Rahm, DeChambeau, and Schauffele, all of whom are slightly unpredictable. Rahm and DeChambeau have an elite ceiling, but it’s hard to say how well they’re truly performing, given they play on the LIV tour.

Schauffele would be one of my picks had he not been injured at the beginning of the season. He won two majors last year but is struggling to find form, as indicated by his just-above-average +0.21 strokes gained.

Full Masters Betting Markets: CLICK HERE

What about Canada’s chances?

Could there be a better time for a Canadian to win the Masters?

Corey Conners is on a roll, logging three consecutive top-10 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (third), Players Championship (T6) and Valspar Championship (T8).

The Listowel, ON native has always been a great iron player and has now logged positive strokes gained: putting in four consecutive starts… a very encouraging sign. Connors has three top-10 finishes at the Masters, and his pinpoint accuracy off the tee plays well here.

Nick Taylor and Taylor Pendrith are long shots but have flashed in 2025, with the former winning the Sony Open in Hawaii and the latter logging two top-10 finishes at signature events.

Canada’s lone Masters champion, Mike Weir, is also in the field, having just narrowly missed the cut last year at the age of 53.

Full Masters Betting Markets: CLICK HERE

Masters betting guide: Winner trends

Let’s take a look at a few betting trends for the Masters:

• No Masters debutant has won since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

• The past 10 winners have averaged at least +0.60 SG: OTT in the calendar year of their victory, per CBS Sports.

• Each of the past 12 winners has ranked within the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings before winning (take this with a grain of salt for the likes of LIV players such as Rahm and DeChambeau currently outside the Top 25).

• 10 of the last 11 winners at Augusta had at least a top-15 finish at a major the year prior, and nine of them had at least a runner-up.

• The average winning score has been 10.75 shots under par since Dustin Johnson broke the course record in 2020. Each of the last four winners has shot between 10 and 12-under par.

The top of the Masters odds board is stacked with big names, but there are plenty of viable long shots in play.

The latest: Former champion Patrick Reed is in form and has my attention. I’m also backing Daniel Berger and have a bet on a player who carries 250-to-1 odds.

Check out my Masters long shot picks for the major championship beginning on April 10.

Masters long shot picks

Full Masters betting markets

Best bet: Reed to win (+6,600)

I don’t think anyone wants to see Reed win the Masters, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do it.

The 2018 champion is coming off a solid T7 at LIV Miami at a tough Trump National Doral course and finished second on an Asian Tour event before that.

He’s still one of the game’s top putters and has an immaculate track record at Augusta. Check out what Reed has done since his win:

• Six straight made cuts
• Three top 10s
• T4 in 2023

He finished T12 last year while ranking sixth in strokes gained: putting and third in SG: around-the-green, per DataGolf.

If the irons were cooperating (he ranked 50th in SG: approach), he would’ve been right in the mix.

Key stat: Reed is gaining an average of 1.67 strokes per round at Augusta, the 14th most of anyone in this field with more than one start.

Quick picks

Berger to win (+12,500): I’ve been banging the Berger drum all year, so why stop now? The Floridian was once a top 10 player in the world and is slowly making his way back after missing 18 months with a back injury.

He’s made six straight cuts heading into the Masters, posting positive SG: PUTT and APP in all of them.

During that run, he has a runner-up at the WM Phoenix Open and two top 15s at signature events. Berger’s game fits this course, and I expect him to turn up.

Bet on the Masters

Tom Hoge to win (+25,000): Will Hoge win this week? Probably not. But I can’t make sense of his 250-to-1 odds.

He’s coming off back-to-back top-five finishes, one of which was a T3 at the Players Championship.

Hoge is an elite ball striker who is rolling the rock well. He doesn’t have a great history at majors and is making just his third Masters start, but you could do much worse at this number.

When I’m making my best prop picks later this week, you can believe I’ll have Hoge in some capacity.

Masters long shot picks made at 9:23 a.m. on 04/08/2025.

It’s Masters week, meaning someone will have an extra green jacket come Sunday. Let’s try and predict who that will be.

The latest: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are the clear-cut favourites to win, but I’m turning elsewhere for value. Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas are my favourite plays. I’m also keen on Brooks Koepka, Sepp Straka and Will Zalatoris.

Check out my Masters predictions for the major championship beginning on April 10.

Masters predictions

Full Masters betting markets

Best bet: Rahm to win (+1,400)

Not long ago, Rahm was the consensus No. 1 player in the world — and then Scheffler came along.

But Rahm was still regarded as one of the game’s best after Scheffler took the throne, and I don’t think the Spaniard is that far off despite lurking in the shadows over on LIV.

He’s finished inside the top 10 in every start this year and just gained a ton of shots on approach (+0.68) and off the tee (+1.55) while finishing T9 at the difficult Trump National Doral.

I’ll happily strike Rahm’s T45 finish last year at the Masters from the record.

He had just switched tours and was the topic of heavy criticism while defending his title. He had made seven starts at Augusta before that, never finishing outside of the top 30 with five top 10s and a win.

Rahm also finished T7 at last year’s Open Championship, so it’s not like the entire major season was filled with bad vibes.

Key stat: Rahm’s +2.50 average strokes gained at Augusta is the fourth-best of anyone in this event with more than one start, per DataGolf.

Best bets to win Masters

Thomas to win (+2,200): This is the best golf we’ve seen Thomas play in a long time, and I want to strike while the iron is hot.

The two-time major champ is gaining strokes across the board, hasn’t missed a cut all season, and is coming off a runner-up finish at the Valspar Championship.

In the last three months, he ranks ninth in strokes gained: approach and around-the-green. But perhaps more importantly, he’s rolling the rock well (23rd in strokes gained: putting).

Thomas flashed his elite ceiling by tying the course record at TPC Sawgrass last month with a 10-under 62. He’s contended at Augusta before, and I expect him to be a force this weekend.

Brooks Kopeka to win (+3,500): I don’t want to be standing there with my pants down when Koepka wins another major championship.

It’s hard to predict how the five-time winner will play leading into the majors. But he did have a runner-up finish on LIV in March, and his Masters record speaks for itself (two runners-up, T7).

Koepka has been the greatest major golfer of this generation, and he’s far from over the hill at 34 years old. I’ll take a wing at palatable odds.

Masters predictions: Semi-long shots

Straka to win (+5,000): Straka has been a top-five iron player in the world this year, which is the bedrock of his impressive run:

• 10 starts
• Seven top 20s
• Three top 10s
• One win (American Express)

Straka is Austrian, but he attended the University of Georgia after his family moved to the state when he was 14. The Bulldog will contend when the putter gets hot. And he’s coming off a career-best T16 finish at Augusta last year — I love these odds.

Zalatoris to win (+5,000): I bet on Zalatoris to win this event back in March and I’ll stick with it, despite a mediocre run of form.

The 28-year-old has gained strokes tee-to-green in eight straight starts, finishing inside the top 30 six times.

He hasn’t really threatened to win but was one shot off the lead at the Players Championship before a disastrous run of holes. Still, Zalatoris has a habit of turning up at majors, with seven top-10 finishes in 14 starts.

He has finished second, T6 and T9 in his three Masters starts.

Masters predictions made at 2:44 p.m. on 04/07/2025.