US Masters 2025 Tips: Xander Schauffele tops Jamie’s Each-Way Bets

The time has come for the first Major of the golf season and we start at the beautiful Augusta National for the 89th edition of the Masters.

Our golf tipster Jamie Worsley will be all over the action this week. We start though with his in-depth preview of the event as he takes us through the course, the key stats and trends along with of course his betting selections. Jamie has picked out five players to back, so check out his US Masters Betting Tips along with all his reasoning below right here on Betfred Insights...

Major season has arrived and thus begins the most important three months of the golfing season. It's one men's major a month from this point on, with the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow (May 15-18), the US Open at Oakmont (June 12-15) and The Open Championship at Royal Portrush all to come (July 17-20). 

However, we start with arguably the most famous one of all, as the glorious Augusta National Golf Club opens its gates for the 89th edition of The Masters this week. Where another exciting field will be hoping to get their hands on that highly-coveted green jacket. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

The Masters was created in 1934 and due in no small part to its lifelong association with the iconic Augusta National Golf Club, it has grown into the biggest golf tournament in the world. 

Horton Smith won that first ever edition of in 1934, beating 1941 winner, Craig Wood by two strokes. He then regained the title in 1936 to become the first of 18 multiple winners in this event. 

Jack Nicklaus has been awarded with the famous green jacket on six occasions, making him the most successful player in the history of the tournament. He won the first of these titles in 1963 at the age of 23 and after further victories in 1965, 1966, 1972 and 1975, he won his final one in 1986 as a 46-year-old – making him the oldest Masters winner in history.  

Tiger Woods comes next on that most-wins list with five victories. The first of which came in record-breaking fashion in 1997, as he simultaneously set the record for the youngest player to win the event at 21-years-old, whilst his incredible 12-stroke winning margin is the most dominant display we've ever seen. He won further titles in 2001, 2002 and 2005, before winning the latest of his five in unforgettable fashion in 2019. 

Arnold Palmer had four wins (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964) and there have been five three-time winners: Jimmy Demaret (1940, 1947, 1950), Sam Snead (1949, 1952, 1954), Gary Player (1961, 1974, 1978), Nick Faldo (1989, 1990, 1996) and Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010). 

Other notable winners include Ben Hogan (1951, 1953), Tom Watson (1977, 1981) and Seve Ballesteros (1980, 1983). 

Last five winners: 

• 2024 – Winner: Scottie Scheffler (-11) 

Runner-up: Ludvig Aberg (-7) 

• 2023 – Winner: Jon Rahm (-12) 

Runners-up: Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson (-8) 

• 2022 – Winner: Scottie Scheffler (-10) 

Runner-up: Rory McIlroy (-7) 

• 2021 – Winner: Hideki Matsuyama (-10) 

Runner-up: Will Zalatoris (-9) 

• 2020 – Winner: Dustin Johnson (-20) 

Runners-up: Sungjae Im, Cameron Smith (-15) 

Scottie Scheffler added his name to that illustrious group of multiple Masters winners last year, as he beat the debuting Ludvig Aberg by four strokes to regain the title he first won in 2023. He returns to defend this week and would become just the fourth player to successfully do so, joining Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. 

THE COURSE 

Augusta National Golf Club was designed by Alister MacKenzie in 1933, in collaboration with event co-founder, Bobby Jones. However, it has experienced several changes since, from architects including Tom Fazio, Perry Maxwell and Robert Trent Jones. 

Augusta National is a par 72 and measures a lengthy 7555yds, made up of 4x par 3s (155-240yds),10x par 4s (350-520yds) and 4x par 5s (545-585yds). It's a course that challenges players with one of the toughest all-round tests of golf, possessing an average winning score of -12.3 across the last 10 editions. 

The holes at this dramatically rolling course are framed by towering pine trees and pine straw. They feature frequent elevation changes - both uphill and downhill – throughout and water forms a primary defence on the back nine, in-play on five of the last eight. 

The undulating and largely right-to-left doglegging fairways are predominantly wide, ranking as the sixth-easiest to find among the courses of the PGA Tour. That being said, the punishment for missing them is often severe despite the lack of rough, with strategically placed and often imposingly deep bunkers hugging the landing areas on many. 

Missing the short grass off the tee only heightens the difficulty in attacking the large and speedy bentgrass greens. These putting surfaces and their surrounds are where the real challenge of Augusta lies.  

They're extremely sloped, with shaved run-offs repelling errant approach play and sending the ball tumbling into tightly-mown chipping areas. This puts more pressure on the short game than just about anywhere else, with Augusta ranking as the toughest scrambling test on the PGA Tour. 

However, finding the greens in regulation doesn't guarantee success on these heavily contoured surfaces. The back-to-front sloping greens are often multi-tiered, and rank as the hardest to putt on tour, making for an almighty all-round short-game challenge. 

Although it only comes into play on the 11th hole at the start of "Amen Corner", water plays a pivotal role in deciding the outcome of the event. It continues into holes 12, 13, 15 and 16, and with the swirling winds that rise up throughout, good rounds can unravel in an instant down the stretch, as many golfers can attest to. 

Augusta National is the most easy-to-recall golf course on the planet. Every hole – each of which is given a unique plant-based name to reflect its character – is immediately recognisable and most fans will have vivid memories of a particular player hitting a particular shot on a particular hole.  

There is just no other tournament/course relationship that can compare and I'm itching to see the world's best tackle this pristine layout once again this year. 

THE WEATHER 

Heavy rains are forecast for the start of the week at Augusta, which will make life difficult in terms of getting the course up to its fiery best for Thursday's first round.  

Barring the potential for some showers on Friday, the rest of the week is scheduled to be dry, sunny and relatively warm, and due to the wind not predicted to be much of a factor, with general speeds of around 7mph, the players couldn't want for better conditions. 

KEY STATS 

• SG: Approach / Greens-in-Regulation / Proximity from 150yds+ 

Augusta National is a course where creative types thrive and one at which every club in the bag needs to fire. However, it's with the irons into these demanding greens that I place most importance, especially the mid-to-long irons. 

Scottie Scheffler was a little better in other areas last year, but he still produced a strong iron display, ranking 7th in greens-in-regulation and 14th in approach. Indeed, each of the top five ranked inside the top 15 in approach and the top 25 in GIR.  

Jon Rahm was excellent across the board when winning in 2023, which included ranking 3rd in GIR and 6th in approach. In addition, his two nearest challengers, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, ranked 2nd and 7th in approach respectively.  

Scheffler was top class with his irons when winning his first title in 2022, ranking 5th in GIR and 6th in approach – a year in which five of the top 10 ranked inside the top 10 in both areas. 

Hideki Matsuyama ranked 4th in approach and 7th in GIR when winning an approach-heavy renewal in 2021.  

Meanwhile, further recent winners such as Dustin Johnson (2020), Danny Willett (2016) and Jordan Spieth (2015) had all showed quality in approach in the build up to the event. Then there's obviously Tiger Woods (2019), the greatest iron player of all.  

• SG: Around-the-Greens 

Although large, these undulating greens are still tough to find and only the most confident chippers will be comfortable hitting shots from these tight lies. With that, it's no surprise to see recent winners rank high in SG: around-the-greens. 

It was Scottie Scheffler's impeccable short game that made the difference last year, as runner-up Ludvig Aberg matched the American in every other aspect except around-the-greens, for which Scheffler ranked 1st and the Swede ranked 51st. 

It was a similar story in 2023, as Jon Rahm ranked 6th ATG as his two nearest challengers, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, struggled. 

Scheffler ranked 2nd ATG when he first won the green jacket in 2022. He was followed home by Rory McIlroy, who led the field in this area and of the top nine, nobody ranked worse than 21st and six were inside the top 10. 

Hideki Matsuyama ranked 4th ATG when winning in 2021, as five of the top six ranked inside the top 10. 

With a list of recent winners that includes short-game specialists such as Patrick Reed (2018) and Jordan Spieth (2015), it doesn't take much digging to realise how integral this part of the game is at Augusta. 

• SG: Off-the-Tee / Driving Distance 

This already lengthy course plays even longer when you consider the cut on the very generous fairways limits roll-out and with softer-than-ideal conditions possible for Thursday's opening round, distance (along with quality) should again play a key part of deciding the winner here. 

Each of last year's top two, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg shone with the driver and were among the longest hitters in the field; Scheffler ranking 2nd off-the-tee and 7th in driving distance and Aberg ranking 5th OTT and 3rd in driving distance. 

Jon Rahm was 2nd OTT and 9th in driving distance when claiming the trophy in 2023; Scottie Scheffler ranked 9th OTT and 8th in driving distance in 2022, as runner-up Rory McIlroy ranked 4th OTT and 2nd in driving distance; whilst four of the top six in 2021 ranked top 10 OTT and five ranked top 10 in driving distance. 

Other past winners such as Dustin Johnson (2020), Sergio Garcia (2017), Bubba Watson (2014, 2012) and Adam Scott (2013) all very much tick the same box. 

• SG: Putting (bentgrass) 

Any player who has putted quick and highly demanding bentgrass greens positively in the past will enjoy Augusta, but there's also no doubt that this club hasn't had the importance of other areas in latest renewals. 

This isn't to say you can get away with putting poorly, as each of the last four winners have ranked inside the top 25 on the greens, but for each it was also their worst ranking of each of the four strokes-gained areas. 

• Par 5 Scoring 

Lastly, with clear birdie chances few and far between on the par 3s and par 4s, you have to score well on the par 5s. They're by no means easy and all are fraught with danger, but they do (unsurprisingly) rate as the easiest holes on the course historically. 

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES) 

Memorial Tournament (Muirfield Village) 

There are no courses that truly replicate the feel and general atmosphere of Augusta, with the thick rough that is often used as a deterrent at most venues nowhere to be seen here. That being said many do have similarities in terms of the way they play; none more so in my eyes than host of the Memorial Tournament, Muirfield Village. 

It possesses generous fairways, moderate elevation changes and speedy bentgrass greens, though it's the challenges into and around those putting surfaces where it compares closest to Augusta. With the mid-to-long irons absolutely vital and possessing the third-toughest scrambling test on the PGA Tour. 

Notable correlating form: 

Jon Rahm: 

Masters (1st) / Memorial (1st) 

Hideki Matsuyama: 

Masters (1st) / Memorial (1st) 

Scottie Scheffler: 

Masters (1st, 1st) / Memorial (1st) 

Mike Weir: 

Masters (1st) / Memorial (2nd) 

Zach Johnson: 

Masters (1st) / Memorial (2nd) 

Adam Scott: 

Masters (1st) / Memorial (2nd) 

Bubba Watson: 

Masters (1st, 1st) / Memorial (3rd) 

Jordan Spieth: 

Masters (1st) / Memorial (3rd) 

Scottie Scheffler: 

Masters (1st) / Memorial (3rd) 

Dustin Johnson: 

Masters (1st) / Memorial (3rd) 

Justin Rose: 

Masters (2nd, 2nd) / Memorial (1st, 2nd, 2nd) 

Rickie Fowler: 

Masters (2nd, 5th) / Memorial (2nd, 2nd) 

Ludvig Aberg: 

Masters (2nd) / Memorial (5th) 

Collin Morikawa: 

Masters (3rd, 5th) / Memorial/Workday (1st, 2nd, 2nd) 

Matt Kuchar: 

Masters (3rd, 4th, 5th) / Memorial (1st, 2nd) 

Marc Leishman: 

Masters (4th, 5th) / Memorial (5th, 5th) 

Arnold Palmer Invitational (Bay Hill) 

Bay Hill is a course where those who can stripe their long irons enjoy plenty of success. Punishing errant play in every aspect, the Arnold Palmer Invitational is an event that readies players for the difficulty of a major championship test. 

Notable correlating form: 

Scottie Scheffler: 

Masters (1st) / API (1st, 1st) 

Adam Scott: 

Masters (1st) / API (3rd) 

Zach Johnson: 

Masters (1st) / API (3rd, 5th) 

Jason Day: 

Masters (2nd, 3rd, 5th) / API (1st) 

Lee Westwood: 

Masters (2nd, 2nd, 3rd) / API (2nd, 5th) 

Justin Rose: 

Masters (2nd, 2nd) / API (2nd, 3rd, 3rd) 

Sungjae Im: 

Masters (2nd) / API (3rd, 3rd) 

Rickie Fowler: 

Masters (2nd, 5th) / API (3rd) 

Will Zalatoris: 

Masters (2nd) / API (4th) 

Collin Morikawa: 

Masters (3rd, 5th) / API (2nd) 

Tommy Fleetwood: 

Masters (3rd) / API (3rd) 

Marc Leishman: 

Masters (4th, 5th) / API (1st, 2nd, 3rd) 

Russell Henley: 

Masters (4th) / API (1st, 4th) 

Corey Conners: 

Masters (6th, 8th) / API (3rd, 3rd) 

Wells Fargo Championship (Quail Hollow) 

Quail Hollow may be tighter off the tee, but this lengthy major championship course mirrors play at Augusta in other ways. The rough there isn't too thick and there are frequent elevation changes throughout, into the strategically bunkered fairways and similarly sized greens.  

Strong long iron play is a must into the elevated, sloping putting surfaces, which are among the 10 most challenging to putt and scramble around on the PGA Tour. 

Notable correlating form: 

Patrick Reed: 

Masters (1st) / 2017 PGA Championship (2nd) 

Sergio Garcia: 

Masters (1st) / Wells Fargo (2nd) 

Bubba Watson: 

Masters (1st, 1st) / Wells Fargo (2nd) 

Trevor Immelman: 

Masters (1st) / Wells Fargo (2nd) 

Rory McIlroy: 

Masters (2nd, 4th) / Wells Fargo (1st, 1st, 1st, 1st) 

Jason Day: 

Masters (2nd, 3rd, 5th) / Wells Fargo (1st) 

Rickie Fowler: 

Masters (2nd, 5th) / Wells Fargo (1st) 

Louis Oosthuizen: 

Masters (2nd) / 2017 PGA Championship (2nd) 

Xander Schauffele: 

Masters (2nd, 3rd) / Wells Fargo (2nd, 2nd) 

Sungjae Im: 

Masters (2nd) / Wells Fargo (4th) 

Justin Rose: 

Masters (2nd, 2nd) / Wells Fargo (3rd, 3rd) 

Max Homa: 

Masters (3rd) / Wells Fargo (1st) 

Genesis Invitational (Riviera Country Club) 

With its narrow fairways, tricky kikuyu rough and poa annua greens, Riviera wouldn't look the most obvious Masters comp on paper. However, there is a striking amount of comp form between these two events; events in which creative players typically thrive and with the long irons key, this major-level layout can prove a worthwhile guide this week. 

Notable correlating form: 

Jon Rahm: 

Masters (1st) / Genesis (1st) 

Hideki Matsuyama: 

Masters (1st) / Genesis (1st) 

Dustin Johnson: 

Masters (1st) / Genesis (1st) 

Bubba Watson: 

Masters (1st, 1st) / Genesis (1st, 1st, 1st) 

Adam Scott: 

Masters (1st) / Genesis (1st, 1st) 

Mike Weir: 

Masters (1st) / Genesis (1st, 1st) 

Charl Schwartzel: 

Masters (1st) / Genesis (3rd, 5th) 

Will Zalatoris: 

Masters (2nd) / Genesis (2nd, 4th) 

Max Homa: 

Masters (3rd) / Genesis (1st, 2nd) 

Collin Morikawa: 

Masters (3rd, 5th) / Genesis (2nd) 

Matt Kuchar: 

Masters (3rd, 4th, 5th) / Genesis (2nd) 

Marc Leishman: 

Masters (4th, 5th) / Genesis (4th, 5th) 

Paul Casey: 

Masters (4th, 6th, 6th, 6th) / Genesis (2nd) 

Farmers Insurance Open (Torrey Pines South) 

Torrey Pines South may have none of the charm of Augusta but as a brutish behemoth of a course – where strong, lengthy drivers and excellent long iron players excel – it imitates the difficulty of major championship golf. Which is why we've seen many Masters performers go well there.  

Notable correlating form: 

Jon Rahm: 

Masters (1st) / Farmers/2021 US Open (1st, 1st) 

Patrick Reed: 

Masters (1st) / Farmers (1st) 

Bubba Watson: 

Masters (1st, 1st) / Farmers (1st) 

Adam Scott: 

Masters (1st) / Farmers (2nd) 

Dustin Johnson: 

Masters (1st) / Farmers (3rd) 

Hideki Matsuyama: 

Masters (1st) / Farmers (3rd) 

Justin Rose: 

Masters (2nd, 2nd) / Farmers (1st) 

Jason Day: 

Masters (2nd, 3rd, 5th) / Farmers (1st, 1st) 

Ludvig Aberg: 

Masters (2nd) / 2025 Genesis Invitational (1st) 

Will Zalatoris: 

Masters (2nd) / Farmers (2nd) 

Sungjae Im: 

Masters (2nd) / Farmers (4th, 4th, 6th) 

Xander Schauffele: 

Masters (2nd, 3rd) / Farmers (2nd) 

Max Homa: 

Masters (3rd) / Farmers (1st) 

Collin Morikawa: 

Masters (3rd, 5th) / Farmers/2021 US Open (3rd, 4th) 

Marc Leishman: 

Masters (4th, 5th) / Farmers (1st, 2nd, 2nd) 

Houston Open (Memorial Park Golf Course) 

Memorial Park is a spacious course with a lack of rough, making it vaguely relatable off-the-tee to Augusta. Players also hit plenty of long irons into the sloping, elevated greens there, which are abound with run-offs into tightly-mown chipping areas not dissimilar to what awaits this week. 

Notable correlating form: 

Scottie Scheffler: 

Masters (1st, 1st) / Houston (2nd, 2nd, 2nd) 

Dustin Johnson: 

Masters (1st, 2nd) / Houston (2nd) 

Hideki Matsuyama: 

Masters (1st) / Houston (2nd) 

Tony Finau: 

Masters (5th, 10th, 10th) / Houston (1st, 2nd) 

Brooks Koepka: 

Masters (2nd, 5th) / Houston (5th) 

2020 & 2023 BMW Championship (Olympia Fields) 

As a hilly course with speedy bentgrass greens and possessing a challenging all-round test, host of the 2020 and 2023 BMW Championship, Olympia Fields' North Course be a fruitful guide. 

Notable correlating form: 

Jon Rahm: 

Masters (1st) / Olympia Fields (1st) 

Scottie Scheffler: 

Masters (1st) / Olympia Fields (2nd) 

Dustin Johnson: 

Masters (1st) / Olympia Fields (2nd) 

Hideki Matsuyama: 

Masters (1st) / Olympia Fields (3rd) 

Max Homa: 

Masters (3rd) / Olympia Field (5th) 

Other Major Venues 

I had a look through other major championship venues, and I believe anyone who went well at Pinehurst No.2 in the 2024 or 2014 US Opens, or the 2010, 2015, and 2022 Open Championship at St Andrews' Old Course could be in for a good week. 

Each of those courses possess extremely generous fairways and quick, undulating and resistant greens. That showcase a similarly demanding short-game test to what we see at Augusta, with chipping from tight lies around the greens commonplace. 

TOURNAMENT TRENDS 

• Previous positive experience of Augusta is a must, with each of the last 10 winners having made the cut here; nine of those possessed at least a top 25 and seven a top five. 

• High-class form in majors in general is key. Every winner since 2015 had recorded a top-six finish in a major prior and eight had hit the top two. 

• Players don't need to arrive here in breathtaking form to win, as shown by Jon Rahm in 2023 and Hideki Matsuyama in 2021, who had only recorded bests of 31st and 30th respectively in their three previous starts. That being said, most do have decent form, with eight of the last 10 winners having at least a top 20 in their last three starts and four came into it with a recent victory. 

• Form for the year as a whole is much more telling than the most recent results. Seven of the last 10 winners had already recorded a victory that calendar year and four of the last five winners came into the event with multiple victories under their belt. 

• Further to that, this is an event where winning PGA Tour form is vital. Only Danny Willett in 2016 of the last 10 winners hadn't previously won a PGA Tour-sanctioned event; each of the other nine had recorded multiple wins on tour. 

• Lastly, players struggle to overcome lengthier absences to win at Augusta. All of those 10 most recent winners had played in the two weeks leading up to The Masters. Although, it must be said that the event of choice for much of that time was the WGC Match Play, where the top players in the world were usually expected to tee it up. 

THE FIELD 

The still-fragmented golfing landscape reassembles this week to provide us with comfortably the best field of 2025 so far, which includes each member of the world's top 50. It is defending champion, Scottie Scheffler who still sits atop those rankings, with the in-form Rory McIlroy closely behind. 

Scheffler is one of 19 former winners in attendance this week. This consists of each champion since 2009 – barring, unfortunately, Tiger Woods – and means we'll say a delayed farewell to 67-year-old German and two-time winner, Bernhard Langer, after he was forced to miss last year due to injury. 

At the other end of the experience scale, there are 21 debutants who will get to experience the delights of Augusta for the first time. Among them are first-time PGA Tour winners in 2025: Joe Highsmith, Thomas Detry and Brian Campbell, along with England's Laurie Canter, and the winner and runner-up from the 2024 US Amateur, Jose Luis Ballester and Noah Kent. 

Meanwhile, Nicolai Hojgaard and LIV's Joaquin Niemann each received special invites into the event. 

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders: Scottie Scheffler 9/2, Rory McIlroy 13/2, Collin Morikawa 14/1, Bryson DeChambeau 16/1, Jon Rahm 16/1, Ludvig Aberg 16/1 

Defending champion and world #1 Scottie Scheffler is this week's favourite. Having said that, there's no doubting that the man second in the betting, Rory McIlroy is the form player this year and looks to have as good a chance as ever to finally secure that green jacket and the career grand slam. 

Scheffler is still playing very well this year, though not quite at the incredible levels he was showing last year and whilst I'd love to see Rory win this week, it remains to be seen whether he can rid himself of those Augusta demons. 

I'm going to avoid the top two in the betting and I am fairly clear as to where the value lies, and that's with last year's two-time major winner, Xander Schauffele, who goes in as this week's headline selection. 

Xander Schauffele 

After Xander went from zero majors to two in the space of two months in 2024, following his breakthrough success at Valhalla GC in the PGA Championship with an impressive win in The Open at Royal Troon, it would've been unfathomable that he'd be available at prices of around 20/1 for this event. At a course where he has recorded four top 10s in seven visits and was runner-up in 2019. 

However, forced to the sidelines at the start of this season to nurse a rib injury and showing little since returning in March, his price has steadily risen. That being said, he made progress when we last saw him in the Valspar Championship finishing 12th and he could've gone even closer there if it wasn't for a poor driving display in the third round.  

He did little wrong for the rest of the week in Florida, but it was his exceptional approach play that stands out. Gaining a little over 2.8 strokes per round, he not only far outperformed anyone else in that field, but it rated as his best ever approach display on the PGA Tour – not including his two rounds at Pebble Beach in 2017. Combined with the short game continuing to sharpen and this course affording him much more room to shine with driver, his game may just be coming back to the fore in time for Augusta. 

It has been three weeks since we last saw Schauffele, which is not ideal historically but I'm happy to ignore it in these circumstances. I've already mentioned his superb record here and as a now two-time major champion with multiple runner-up finishes across Quail Hollow and Torrey Pines, he's got to have every chance this week if coming on again for that showing in the Valspar. 

Brooks Koepka 

Brooks Koepka unusually flies in here a little under the radar. He has looked decent on his last three LIV starts, where his iron play is starting to come to the boil and looking an attractive price compared to those in and around him in the betting, this major specialist may just benefit from the lack of noise this week. 

Koepka recorded two wins on LIV last season and although he's been a little in-and-out in 2025, there have been positives. He recorded a first top 10 of the season at LIV Adelaide and then stepped up on that markedly two starts ago, finishing 2nd in defence of his Singapore title, before finishing a solid 18th at Doral last week. 

Most notable about his recent performances has been the quality of the approach play, gaining strokes across his last three starts. He's also looked strong around-the-greens throughout the year and as a power-packed player who has often excelled on the Augusta greens, he's a great fit for the event. 

This five-time major winner has yet to add a green jacket to his accolades, though he has gone very close, finishing 2nd in each the 2019 and 2023 editions. Koepka had made a habit of excelling for these events throughout his career and after being generally underwhelming in the majors in 2024, he'll be desperate to put that right this week. 

Patrick Cantlay 

Patrick Cantlay's strong all-round game is tailor-made for major championship golf, which makes his generally underwhelming record in these events equal parts surprising and frustrating. That being said, he equalled his best major performance when 3rd in the US Open last year and looking better than ever with his irons in 2025, he can be a prominent feature of this year's Masters. 

Cantlay began his season with a 15th-place finish in the Tournament of Champions and has gone on to finish no worse than 33rd in his six following starts. He's recorded two top fives over that time, which came courtesy of 5th-place finishes in The AmEx and Genesis Invitational, and although he'd have expected better than 33rd in Texas last week, it was a positive to see the ball striking remain strong. 

The Californian has excelled with his irons this year, ranking 7th in greens-in-regulation and 18th in approach, and is doing all of his best work with the mid-to-long irons, especially from 200yds+, ranking 24th. He's also gaining strokes in each other area to rank 15th in total strokes gained and sitting inside the top 20 in par 5 scoring, we know he has the birdie-making ability to take it to those most attackable holes. 

Cantlay made his Masters debut back in 2012 as an amateur, finishing 47th before then missing the cut on his first start in the event as a pro in 2018. Although, he's since recorded four top 25s across his next six visits, including a best of 9th in 2019. As a two-time winner of the Memorial and possessing 3rd-place finishes at Pinehurst and Riviera, his comp form indicates that his Augusta best is yet to come. 

Min Woo Lee 

Min Woo Lee broke through on the PGA Tour in Houston when we last saw him two weeks ago. As a player not short on confidence he should bounce into Augusta this week and arriving in much better form with his irons than he has done previously in the event, he can improve an already steady Masters record. 

Min Woo entered the Houston Open in good form, recording five top 20s in his first seven starts this season, but he blew those out of the water when holding his nerve late on to claim that first PGA Tour title at Memorial Park. 

That wouldn't have been possible without relatively new caddie, 'Bo' Martin's guidance. Having experienced major championship success with Shane Lowry at The Open in 2019, he'll be vital if the Aussie finds himself in contention for a major breakthrough here. 

Possessing power and an exceptional short game, ranking 3rd in driving distance, 5th in putting and 7th around-the-greens, he's always looked a great Masters fit. His iron play was the only stumbling block, but he comes here after two strong appearances in a row and generally better performances for the season as a whole, and looking especially adept from 200yds+, he's not far off being the complete package for this course. 

Indeed, Min Woo has recorded finishes of 14th and 22nd across his three starts here, despite the prior lack of strength in approach. That win in Houston is a good pointer for this week, especially his short-game abilities and having finished 5th in the 2023 US Open at the similarly spacious and undulating Los Angeles Country Club, he looks ready for Masters contention. 

Cameron Young 

Cameron Young has been underwhelming at best so far in 2025, but there was plenty of encouragement to be taken from his top 20 in Texas last week. Having finished inside the top 10 at Augusta twice in just three previous visits and often showing an ability to maintain form once he finds it, he looks an interesting contender to make some noise near the top of the leaderboard this week. 

Young looked good on his first start of the year in The Sentry, finishing 8th and then finished 12th in the Phoenix Open three starts later. However, he missed his next four cuts following that, but he arrested that slide in Texas, finishing 18th in hugely difficult conditions thanks to a season's best ball-striking performance. 

He's driven the ball well for most of the year and made serious gains on the greens, ranking 45th compared to being 145th last season. His iron play had been a concern, but he's started to find a little more consistency over recent weeks and typically at his best with the long irons, Augusta is a fine match for his long game.   

Young missed the cut on his Masters debut in 2022 but has responded with finishes of 7th in 2023 and 9th last year, looking strong in putting and off-the-tee. Runner-up finishes at the Old Course in the 2022 Open Championship, along with the Genesis Invitational, strengthens his case on this layout.