The Masters 2017: 10 dark horse golfers to win the Green Jacket

The playing of the 81st Masters Tournament will be going on in Augusta this weekend. Here are 10 dark horse golfers that can win the Green Jacket on Sunday.

The 81st Masters Tournament will begin at Augusta National on Thursday, Apr. 6. While a familiar face in Tiger Woods won’t be playing in this iconic PGA Tour event, there is plenty to be excited with this year’s Masters.

Will Jordan Spieth win his second Green Jacket? Will Rory McIlroy win his first? Can Phil Mickelson grab his fourth? One of those three high-profile scenarios could play out, but what if a relative dark horse comes out of the woodwork to win it in 2017? Who could that player be?

Here are 10 golfers participating in the 2017 Masters that could be considered dark horses for the event. All 10 golfers have +3,000 odds heading into the tournament, according to OddsShark.com.

10. Adam Scott

Four years ago, Australian Adam Scott won his first and only major to date by capturing the 2013 Green Jacket. With his belly-putter in tote, Scott defeated 2009 Masters Champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina in a sudden-death playoff.

That was Scott’s biggest win to date and hasn’t finished better than third in any major since. Though the belly-putter was outlawed shortly after Scott’s 2013 Masters win, he had until January 2016 to win himself off the controversial putting device.

2017 will be Scott’s 17th trip to Augusta. He has placed in the top 10 four times, but has been cut from the tournament twice. His last three Masters haven’t been as promising as the stretch he had from 2011 to 2013, where he finished top 10 in all three.

Scott has +3,000 odds according to win his second Green Jacket. His knowledge of the course should play to his favor. History has shown that Scott can get hot on the golf course and usually picks up steam throughout the season from the Masters. He is a big name, but his play in recent years makes Scott very much a dark horse to win the 2017 Green Jacket.