US Masters 2024 Tips: Rahmbo can go back-to-back at Augusta

The first of the four golf majors takes place this week, as the battle for the iconic Green Jacket takes place at Augusta, Georgia for The Masters. As always, our ace golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with his famous long-read preview as well as give each-way tips for glory, with Betfred paying a HUGE 10 places on our outright market. 

So without further ado, here are Jamie's US Masters Predictions...

Major season is upon us and begins the most important three months on the golfing calendar. With the delights of Valhalla, Pinehurst and Royal Troon to come, we traditionally start with arguably the most famous championship of all, as Augusta National welcomes a superb field for the 88^th edition of The Masters, all hoping to get their hands on that coveted Green Jacket.

It’s time to ignore the chaos and divisiveness that has followed the game around over recent years and enjoy what should be another memorable week in Georgia.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Masters debuted in 1934 and despite that making it the newest of the four men’s majors, it has developed into arguably the biggest golf tournament on the planet. Due in no small part to its lifelong association with the iconic and majestic Augusta National Golf Club.

Horton Smith was crowned the first Masters champion in 1934 and after regaining the trophy in 1936, he became the first multiple winner of the event; a feat that has since been repeated by a further sixteen players.

Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most wins with six. The first of these came in 1963 and after winning for the final time in 1986 at 46-years-old, he broke and still holds the record for oldest player to win the event.

Tiger Woods is second on the list of all-time wins with five. He not only set the record for the youngest ever winner with his first victory in 1997 at just 21-years-old, but his incredible 12-stroke success that year is also the highest winning margin in the event’s history. He won for the fourth time in 2005 but would have to wait fourteen years before getting that unforgettable fifth title in 2019.

Arnold Palmer comes next on the list with four wins (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964) and there have been five three-time Masters 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:

• 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)
• 2019: Winner: Tiger Woods (-13); runners-up: Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele (-12)

Jon Rahm won his first Green Jacket in a weather-affected edition in 2023 to become a two-time major champion; following in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia in being the fourth Spaniard to win this famous trophy.

A lot has changed since then, with Rahm now on LIV and this week represents the first time that both sides of the golf divide will have come together since the Open Championship in July last year.

THE COURSE

The pristine Augusta National Golf Club was designed by Alister MacKenzie in 1933 in collaboration with Bobby Jones. However, countless people have had a hand in renovations over the years, including Tom Fazio, Perry Maxwell and Robert Trent Jones.

The Augusta we have today is a lengthy 7555-yard par 72 (playing even longer when you consider the fairway cut stops the ball running out too much); possessing 10x par 4s (350-520 yards), 4x par 5s (545-585 yards) and 4x par 3s (155-240 yards).

There are few courses as imposing or in requirement of an all-round skillset than Augusta National; a test that averages a winning score of -12 across the last ten renewals.

This dramatically rolling course is framed by tall pine trees and features elevation changes - both uphill/downhill – throughout.

Whilst the sloping fairways are predominantly wide, ranking as the sixth-easiest to find on the PGA Tour over the last five years, the punishment for missing them – in the way of strategically-placed and often cavernous bunkers – is among the most severe on tour; with an average of 41.57% greens-in-regulation when missing fairways over the last five years – the fifth-lowest on tour.

Having said that, you don’t have to miss the fairways to make things difficult on approach into the large and lightning-fast bentgrass greens.

The greens and their surrounds are extremely sloped, with severe shaved run-offs and false fronts designed to repel unprecise approach play; sending the ball into tightly-mown chipping areas which are notoriously tough to get up-and-down from, with Augusta ranking 2^nd in scrambling difficulty on tour over recent years.

Hit them and a player’s job will get no easier, as these undulating surfaces, which slope back-to-front and are often multi-tiered, rank as the toughest greens to putt. Making it all the more important to hit the ball well to give yourself the best chance of getting it (relatively) close.

The lay of the land is not the only cause for concern here. The swirling winds can cause havoc and we have a particularly watery finish at Augusta, with each of the five water holes coming over the back nine, on holes 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16. Meaning good rounds can unravel in an instant.

This is simply the most recallable golf course on earth. Each of the holes – all given a unique plant-based name to reflect its character and design – are instantly recognisable and every generation will have memories of certain players hitting certain shots on certain holes.

There is just no other event/course combination like it and I can’t wait to see the players tackle Augusta National once again this week.

THE WEATHER

The weather caused problems last year and there is potential for more of the same this year, with thunderstorms predicted for the opening round. However, it looks dry and clear throughout the remainder of the week.

Gusts of 30mph+ could make this week extra difficult, though that dies down to a moderate breeze over the weekend and with those storms clearing up, we should be set for ideal conditions for the second half of the tournament.

KEY STATS

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

Approach play is always a key ingredient to success at Augusta. With fairways generally easy to find, players will be going at these greens from the short grass more often than not and quality iron play will help conquer them, whilst also avoiding the punishing danger that awaits around them.

Jon Rahm was excellent across the board when winning last year, including ranking 3^rd in GIR and 6^th in approach; whilst his two closest challengers in 2^nd, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, ranked 2^nd and 7^th in approach respectively.

More of that all-round excellence was on show when Scottie Scheffler won in 2022, part of which saw him rank 5^th in GIR and 6^th in approach. Five of the top 10 that year ranked top 10 in approach and GIR.

Hideki Matsuyama ranked 4^th in approach and 7^th in GIR when winning an approach-heavy renewal in 2021; with a remarkable eight of that top 10 ranking top 10 in GIR and five were top 10 in approach.

We can stretch it back even further to players such as Dustin Johnson in 2020, Danny Willett in 2016 and Jordan Spieth in 2015 among others. There are few winners of The Masters who don’t arrive having shown some quality recently in approach.

In addition, this is a course where the wedges come out as little as just about any other course. It’s all about the mid-long irons and we should focus on players who excel with approaches from 150+ yards, with 70%+ of approaches coming in that range over recent years.

• SG: Around-the-Greens

There are not many players who win at Augusta without a tidy short game and this area has proved as important as ever over recent renewals.

Rahm was 6^th ATG when winning last year, whilst Russell Henley, Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth (all who finished 4^th), ranked 1^st, 3^rd and 7^th ATG respectively.

Scottie Scheffler was 2^nd ATG when winning in 2022, with Rory McIlroy in 2^nd the leading player in this area and a further four ranked inside the top 10.

Hideki ranked 4^th ATG in 2021 with a huge seven members of the top 10 ranking inside the top 10. Including Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele in 3^rd, who both ranked inside the top 3.

No surprise that two players already mentioned here, Reed and Spieth, have won at Augusta, which just goes to strengthen the belief that players need to be sharp around the greens.

• SG: Off-the-Tee/Driving Distance

Quality, long drivers usually dominate the top of the leaderboard at The Masters and as a lengthy course with wide fairways, it’s easy to see why.

Jon Rahm was 2^nd OTT last year and top 10 in driving distance. Whilst we had a noticeably driver-led top 2 in 2022, with Scottie Scheffler ranking top 10 both OTT and in driving distance when winning and his nearest challenger, McIlroy, ranked 4^th OTT and 2^nd in driving distance.

Hideki doesn’t lack for length and drove it well on his way to victory in 2021, with his nearest challengers, Will Zalatoris, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm ticking the same box somewhat.

We can look back to the likes of Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott for proof that the course suits these types of player perfectly.

• SG: Putting (bentgrass)

Whilst the putter frequently looks the least important area in attempting to determine the winner of this event, few players putt poorly and win at Augusta.

Each of the last three winners have ranked inside the top 25 on the greens and it can only be seen as a positive if a player has a proven track-record of putting well on speedy bentgrass surfaces.

• Par 5 Scoring

Finally, there are few real birdie chances at the course, with each of the par 4s mid-long in length and the par 3s full of danger and possessing some of the tougher putting surfaces. With that it’s extra important to take advantage of the par 5s, which whilst not easy by any stretch do still comfortably give up the best scoring opportunities.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

Memorial Tournament (Muirfield Village)

There are a handful of courses that often get described as “big boy courses” on the PGA Tour and it’s these setups that carry some of the strongest comp form with Augusta. First up is the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.

Muirfield Village ranks close to Augusta in most of the important aspects, providing both a similar driving test into the generous fairways and requiring much of the same standard of play into speedy bentgrass greens, which rank as the toughest to scramble around on tour. In addition, it’s another course where wedge opportunities are scarce in comparison to the amount of long iron approaches required.

Notable correlating form:

Jon Rahm:

Masters (1^st) / Memorial (1^st)

Hideki Matsuyama:

Masters (1^st) / Memorial (1^st)

Mike Weir:

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

Zach Johnson:

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

Adam Scott:

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

Bubba Watson:

Masters (1^st, 1^st) / Memorial (3^rd)

Jordan Spieth:

Masters (1^st) / Memorial (3^rd)

Scottie Scheffler:

Masters (1^st) / Memorial (3^rd)

Dustin Johnson:

Masters (1^st) / Memorial (3^rd)

Justin Rose:

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

Rickie Fowler:

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

Matt Kuchar:

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

Marc Leishman:

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

Arnold Palmer Invitational (Bay Hill)

Bay Hill is another long course which requires a high-standard of long iron play. Fairways are generous in spots and penal should you miss, whilst it is also tough on and around the greens. It has become one of the go-to courses for major championship comps.

Notable correlating form:

Scottie Scheffler:

Masters (1^st) / API (1^st, 1^st)

Adam Scott:

Masters (1^st) / API (3^rd)

Zach Johnson:

Masters (1^st) / API (3^rd, 5^th)

Jason Day:

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

Lee Westwood:

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

Justin Rose:

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

Sungjae Im:

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

Rickie Fowler:

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

Will Zalatoris:

Masters (2^nd) / API (4^th)

Marc Leishman:

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

Russell Henley:

Masters (4^th) / API (4^th)

Corey Conners:

Masters (6^th, 8^th) / API (3^rd)

Wells Fargo Championship (Quail Hollow Golf Club)

Quail Hollow might be tighter off the tee but it ranks closely to Augusta in every other aspect, including short-game difficulty. Also measuring in at over 7500 yards, it’s no surprise to see longer hitters and quality long iron players dominate the top of the leaderboard there.

Notable correlating form:

Patrick Reed:

Masters (1^st) / Quail Hollow (2^nd)

Sergio Garcia:

Masters (1^st) / Quail Hollow (2^nd)

Bubba Watson:

Masters (1^st, 1^st) / Quail Hollow (2^nd)

Trevor Immelman:

Masters (1^st) / Quail Hollow (2^nd)

Rory McIlroy:

Masters (2^nd, 4^th) / Quail Hollow (1^st, 1^st, 1^st)

Jason Day:

Masters (2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th) / Quail Hollow (1^st)

Rickie Fowler:

Masters (2^nd, 5^th) / Quail Hollow (1^st)

Louis Oosthuizen:

Masters (2^nd) / Quail Hollow (2^nd)

Xander Schauffele:

Masters (2^nd, 3^rd) / Quail Hollow (2^nd)

Justin Rose:

Masters (2^nd, 2^nd) / Quail Hollow (3^rd, 3^rd)

Genesis Invitational (Riviera Country Club)

Whilst I prefer Riviera as a US Open comp, the correlating form between these two courses is pretty striking. It is a course at which the more creative players have enjoyed great success, much like Augusta and with wedge-play almost rendering null and void there, it’s a course that favours those long iron stripers.

Notable correlating form:

Jon Rahm:

Masters (1^st) / Genesis (1^st)

Hideki Matsuyama:

Masters (1^st) / Genesis (1^st)

Dustin Johnson:

Masters (1^st) / Genesis (1^st)

Bubba Watson:

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

Adam Scott:

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

Mike Weir:

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

Charl Schwartzel:

Masters (1^st) / Genesis (3^rd, 5^th)

Will Zalatoris:

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

Matt Kuchar:

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

Marc Leishman:

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

Paul Casey:

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

Farmers Insurance Open (Torrey Pines)

Whilst vastly different to Augusta, Torrey Pines is a monstrously long course that usually results in bomber-heavy leaderboards. It is a true championship test, ranking among the most difficult courses on tour in every aspect and once again it typically negates the need for strong wedge play, with over 66% of approaches coming at 150+ yards.

Notable correlating form:

Jon Rahm:

Masters (1^st) / Farmers (1^st)

Patrick Reed:

Masters (1^st) / Farmers (1^st)

Bubba Watson:

Masters (1^st, 1^st) / Farmers (1^st)

Adam Scott:

Masters (1^st) / Farmers (2^nd)

Dustin Johnson:

Masters (1^st) / Farmers (3^rd)

Hideki Matsuyama:

Masters (1^st) / Farmers (3^rd)

Justin Rose:

Masters (2^nd, 2^nd) / Farmers (1^st)

Jason Day:

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

Will Zalatoris:

Masters (2^nd) / Farmers (2^nd)

Xander Schauffele:

Masters (2^nd, 3^rd) / Farmers (2^nd)

Marc Leishman:

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

2020 & 2023 BMW Championship (Olympia Fields Country Club – North Course)

I’m going to finish with Olympia Fields CC. Despite only hosting those two recent editions of the BMW Championship, with its speedy bentgrass greens, regular elevation changes and providing an all-round challenging test, it has developed some very limited but notable form-ties with Augusta National.

Notable correlating form:

Jon Rahm:

Masters (1^st) / Olympia Fields (1^st)

Scottie Scheffler:

Masters (1^st) / Olympia Fields (2^nd)

Dustin Johnson:

Masters (1^st) / Olympia Fields (2^nd)

Hideki Matsuyama:

Masters (1^st) / Olympia Fields (3^rd)

TOURNAMENT TRENDS

• Previous positive experiences of the nuances of Augusta are expectedly important, with seven of that last ten winners possessing a prior top 5 here and all having at least made the cut in the event before.
• If you fancy a player who doesn’t quite have the Masters form then you will want them to have shone in one of the other three majors. Each of the last ten winners of The Masters had previously recorded a top-6 major finish and eight had finished in the top 2.
• Most recent form figures don’t always point to Masters success. Jon Rahm hadn’t hit the top 25 in any of his three starts prior to winning last year and neither did Hideki Matsuyama in 2021. Only six of those last ten winners had a top 5 in the three run-in events; four had won across those starts.
• Though the most recent results aren’t telling, quality form in the calendar year is. Seven of the last ten Masters winners had recorded a win previously in the year they won; with three of the last four winners, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson, all having three wins apiece before tasting success at Augusta.
• Whilst six of the last ten winners here were taking home their first major title, nine of them had multiple PGA Tour-sanctioned wins under their belt. The one standout in this regard was Danny Willett in 2016, though he was a four-time DPWT winner. Prior wins at a good level are obviously important.

THE FIELD

We’ve had some strong fields already this year but there’s no doubt things step up a level this week, as the fractured golfing landscape reassembles for the first time in nine months.

Each member of the world’s top 50 will tee it up and it’s the first time that the world’s three best players will have played together in a stroke play event since the Tour Championship in August last year. As #3 and defending champion, Jon Rahm competes with #1 Scottie Scheffler and #2 Rory McIlroy for the first time since last year’s season-ending event.

Rahm is one of eighteen former champions in attendance and as always excitement will be ramped up as this list includes five-time winner, Tiger Woods, who returns following his withdrawal from the Genesis Invitational back in February.

We saw how strong the LIV contingent were last year with Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson occupying the runners-up spot and their hand is twelve-strong in 2024. This includes previously mentioned past winners, Mickelson and Rahm, along with (among others) Koepka, Cameron Smith and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann; who was one of three international players to receive a special invite to this week’s event with Thorbjorn Olesen and Ryo Hisatsune.

The list of debutants this year is both long and impressive. World #4 and reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark is chief among them and joined by future megastar and current world #9 Ludvig Aberg; a list that also includes several first-time PGA Tour winners in 2024, such as Matthieu Pavon, Nick Dunlap and Stephan Jaeger. Whilst the lucky last man in the field is the winner of Sunday’s dramatic playoff in the Texas Open, Akshay Bhatia, who will also be making his debut this week.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders: Scottie Scheffler 4/1, Rory McIlroy 10/1, Jon Rahm 12/1, Brooks Koepka 16/1, Xander Schauffele 16/1, Hideki Matsuyama 16/1

Scottie Scheffler is this week’s predictably hot favourite but as he showed in Houston, he is far from over those issues with the putter.

That small chink in the armour makes him well worth taking on at such a low price and though Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama’s performances in Texas caught the eye last week, there is nobody at the top of the betting that appeals to me more than defending champion, Jon Rahm and he goes in as my headline selection for The Masters again this year.

4 pts Jon Rahm each-way (1/5 - 10 places) - 12/1

Rahm went off as a 9/1 shot here last year, that despite arriving at the event in pretty suspect form over his most recent starts. When taking into consideration the unreliable performances of many top players on the PGA Tour so far this year, he looks huge at 12/1 considering his consistently strong performances on LIV in 2024.

The Spaniard has made five starts there since he made that seismic move at the end of 2023. He finished 3^rd at Mayakoba on his debut and then recorded results of 8-5-8 before a 4^th-place finish in Miami last week; firing 14/15 under par rounds across these five starts.

We know what this big-hitting behemoth is all about and it wasn’t a shock to see him lead the field tee-to-green on his way to a four-stroke win last year. Whilst official strokes-gained data isn’t available for LIV, rankings of 2^nd in GIR and 7^th in scrambling at least suggest that the tee-to-green game is in good shape.

Rahm had finished in the top 10 at Augusta on four occasions prior to winning last year, including twice finishing in the top 5, as well as possessing an exceptional book of comp form on “big boy courses”, with wins at Torrey Pines, Muirfield Village, Riviera and Olympia Fields to his name.

He’s as well suited to this course as just about anyone and raising questions about his motivations with that earth-shattering defection to LIV last year, he’ll be desperate to prove that winning these biggest trophies is still the thing that motivates him most this week.

2 pts Will Zalatoris each-way (1/5 - 10 places) - 30/1 

I do think this week’s debutants are a particularly strong bunch and a few of them were considered, especially reigning US Open champ, Wyndham Clark and Swedish phenom, Ludvig Aberg. However, as proven by Fuzzy Zoeller being the last player to win on debut in 1979, a spin around Augusta is hugely important and has me looking elsewhere at the prices.

Will Zalatoris was all the rage for Masters success following a few standout performances at comp courses a month or two ago. Though he’s underwhelmed on his latest two starts, he’s continued to look good in approach and with positive memories on these greens, I’m taking him to put his recent putting woes to bed this week.

Zalatoris made his official return from a back injury in the Sony at the start of this year and though missing the cut there, he didn’t take long to get back up to speed. He improved in each of his next three starts, finishing 34^th in The AmEx, 13^th in the Farmers Insurance Open and recorded his best finish of the year when runner-up to Hideki Matsuyama at Riviera; before another strong effort when 4^th on his next start in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

He did disappoint with a missed cut at TPC Sawgrass and a 74^th-place finish in Houston on his last two starts, but he continued to hit his irons well, gaining strokes in four of those six rounds and he looks worth another go this week.

Zalatoris has at times showed quality across all areas this season but it’s the irons that stand out most, ranking 8^th, and looking especially strong above 150 yards. He’s solid enough around the greens and whilst the putter is a well-documented area of concern, he has putted excellently on each of his two previous Masters starts.

He was an exceptionally impressive runner-up at Augusta on debut in 2021, where he ranked 7^th both T2G and in putting; then looking almost as impressive when returning to finish 6^th in 2022, where he again putted well, ranking 6^th.

A pair of further major championship runner-up finishes in the 2022 US Open and PGA Championship are a sign of Zalatoris’ major pedigree and with a strong book of comp form on offer with 2^nd-place finishes at Riviera and Torrey Pines, as well as top 5s at Bay Hill and Muirfield Village, we see exactly why he’s been able to form such a strong record in his limited Augusta starts so far.

1.5 pts Justin Thomas each way (1/5 - 10 places) - 33/1

With his length off the tee, excellent touch around the greens and high-class approach play, Justin Thomas has long looked an ideal Masters fit. Though recent results look poor on paper, he has continued to look good tee-to-green.

JT started the season in fine form, finishing 3^rd in The AmEx and 6^th at Pebble Beach; both times producing strong T2G displays. This was again on show when he finished 12^th on his next start in Phoenix and drove him to a bounce-back 12^th at Bay Hill three starts ago after missing the cut at Riviera on his previous start.

Though disappointing when narrowly missing the cut in THE PLAYERS, he was as strong with his irons as anyone over the first two rounds there and they again looked in good shape when finishing 64^th in the Valspar on his most recent start.

By any measured time period, Thomas ranks as one of the strongest combined approach/ATG players in the world. Indeed they are his standout areas this season, ranking 6^th in approach and 39^th ATG. Add in his length off the tee and ability on the par 5s and there is little not to like about his chances from a statistical point of view.

He recorded a disappointing missed cut here when fancied last year, though that was his first in eight visits. His best of 4^th came in 2020 and he again hit the top 10 in 2022, finishing 8^th. Strong comp form of 2^nd-place finishes at Riviera and Muirfield Village emphasise his suitability to the test.

As a two-time major winner, Thomas has the mettle to win this event and whilst some will see his recent split from renowned caddie, Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay as a negative, I think he can capitalise on flying in here somewhat under the radar at a price bigger than we’re used to seeing on him and put up a strong performance at Augusta.

1.5 pts Sahith Theegala each way (1/5 - 10 places) - 40/1 

The swashbuckling Sahith Theegala looks a perfect fit for the Masters and I believe he can bely his relatively limited major form to conquer Augusta National this week.

Theegala has looked in good form for most of 2024, hitting the top 10 on four occasions across his nine starts and going closest in the opening event of the year when 2^nd in The Sentry.

His electric short game had engineered much of his early success on the PGA Tour but he has improved greatly with his ball-striking in 2024. The driver has been especially strong, ranking 14^th this season and is complimented by a top-50 ranking in approach – for which he has gained strokes in four of his last six starts – and a ranking of 11^th in GIR again signals how well he’s hitting the ball this year.

Looking sharp ATG in the last two years and a generally high-class putter, ranking 13^th this season, he has the all-round game to handle this testing venue.

Theegala was majorly impressive when finishing 9^th on debut last year, with a closing 67 – the third-best round of the final day – showing he’d finally got to grips with the course, and he looked comfortably throughout his bag.

Whilst his general major form outside of that is lacking, top-6 efforts at Torrey Pines, Muirfield Village, Bay Hill and Riviera show why he was so comfortable on debut last year, at a course that perfectly suits his creativity and shot-making abilities.

1 pt Gary Woodland each way (1/5 - 10 places) - 250/1

With Betfred offering a huge 10 place each-way this week, there looks room for a slightly left-field selection at a large price. With his last two approach performances making me sit up and take notice, I fancy Gary Woodland to enjoy a good week at Augusta and he can push himself into that top 10 for the first time.

Woodland made his return at the beginning of this year following missing the latter part of 2023 after having brain surgery, and there were positive signs from the off. However, he was struggling to put four rounds together, before his first top 25 of the season on his last start in Houston.

He ranked 2^nd T2G in his 21^st-place finish there, gaining strokes in all areas, but it was the outstanding quality of his approach play that impressed most – his best since the 2023 Genesis Invitational - as he not only led the field for the week but bookended his tournament with two of the best individual approach rounds of the event.

This didn’t come out of the blue, barring the odd round Woodland had looked good in approach throughout his starts this year, including on his previous effort in the Valspar and he’s also driven the ball solidly for the most part; showing flickers of all-round T2G quality at TPC Sawgrass too. As still one of the longest drivers on tour, he has plenty in his favour for this test.

After promising 24^th and 26^th-place finishes among his first three visits to Augusta, Woodland’s form sort of tailed off, but he put it right by achieving his best ever finish of 14^th last year, where he looked to have finally got to grips with these greens.

With several top-5 finishes at Quail Hollow, Muirfield Village and Bay Hill, the 2019 US Open champ has plenty of form in the right places and if able to kick on from two weeks ago, he can get himself in the mix for us at Augusta this week.

You can find all Jamie's latest Golf Betting Tips over on our dedicated golf Insights hub.