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.
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.
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
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.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.