PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 Masters Tournament

We do a lot of DFS site specific coverage here at FantasyCPR, so in an effort to bring in new golf fans, and look at Fantasy Golf as a whole, I am excited to bring you my PGA Power Rankings for this weeks first Major Championship, and the most exciting tournament of the year, The Masters.

This PGA Power Rankings article will cover the top 20 golfers for this event, and with each golfer will come a short blurb with some justification to their respective rankings. Before we do that, let’s touch briefly on the illustrious history of The Masters.

PGA Power Rankings: The Masters – Course and History

Legendary Masters week is here! Festivities are already underway at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, as the annual Drive, Chip, and Putt finished up on Sunday, as well as the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship finishing on Saturday. 21-year-old Wake Forest senior Jennifer Kupcho finished 10-under par to capture the tournaments first ever championship.

Augusta National and the Masters Tournament is always known for difficult greens, high scores, and the best of the best golfers in the world usually prevailing. The course plays at par-72, and will play close to 7500 yards. It was 2016 when we saw a rare occasion, in the sense that a virtually unknown to the world golfer won a green jacket, when Danny Willett of England won on a very tough weekend with a score of 5-under.

Last year, it was a one stroke victory for Patrick Reed, as he held off Rickie Fowler to win his first major. Sergio Garcia beat Justin Rose in a playoff in 2017, and Tiger Woods is a four-time Masters Champion, with his last victory coming in 2005.

All of these huge names and more will tee it up at Augusta, and early weather forecasts are saying to expect a windy week. For golf fans, this is our Super Bowl week, and without further ado, I present to you this weeks top 20 rankings for the 2019 Masters Tournament.

PGA Power Rankings: The Masters

***The following golfers are my top 20 overall. Each golfer will be followed by their official golf world ranking (OGWR) in parenthesis.***

20. Louis Oosthuizen – (20)

Just a coincidence, but the 20th ranked golfer in the world in Oosthuizen is also our 20th ranked golfer for this weeks Masters. He was cruising on the European Tour to end 2018, with four straight top-tens, including a win at the South African Open.

His form took a slight hit on the journey to the states, as he missed cuts at the Genesis Open and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but his results over the past three weeks suggest he is rounding back into form. Oosthuizen T-2 at the Valspar Championship, and then followed that with a good result at the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship by finishing in the final eight.

Oosty lost in a playoff to two-time Masters champ Bubba Watson in a playoff in 2012 to just miss a green jacket, and he has been back every year since. He has finished in the top-25 four times in the last five years, and has not missed a cut here at Augusta since 2013.

19. Matt Kuchar – (16)

No other words to explain it really. Kuchar is a machine. I was certain he would skip the Valero Texas Open last week after his grueling runner-up finish to Kevin Kisner at the WGC-Dell Match Play. I guess he thought he needed to shore up a few things with his game before the Masters, and it looks to have been a good idea. Kuch ended up grabbing another top-ten, with a T-7 finish.

For a crafty veteran not necessarily long off the tee like you need to be here, Kuchar has made the cut nine straight years here at the Masters. From 2012 to 2014, Kuchar notched three straight top-tens, and has four total in that nine-year span, with his most recent being a T-4 in 2017.

18. Adam Scott – (29)

Another course horse, Scott’s history here at Augusta, and his recent play make him the 18th ranked golfer this week. After a runner-up finish in 2011 and a T-8 in 2012, Scott finally knocked the door down and captured the green jacket. More recently, Scott T-8 in 2017, putting him just a notch above Kuchar here with his victory.

Scott has been on and off in 2019, and his recent form may not be as good as others this week. He has missed two cuts so far this year, but has also had two top-tens, including a solo second place at the Farmers Insurance Open. He comes into the Masters on two weeks rest, with a T-12 at the Players Championship in his last action.

17. Sergio Garcia – (27) 

Another Masters Champion, Garcia won his green jacket in 2017. Consistency here at Augusta on the other hand is a different story. His best finish prior to his victory, was a T-8 in 2013, and on the other end of the spectrum, he has missed a couple cuts here as well, including just last year.

Sergio has been playing very well as of late, and could quite possibly be in position to make another run here. He was running hot on the European Tour at the same time as Oosthuizen, and has also grabbed a couple top-tens since being back on the PGA Tour. He had a rough week at the Valspar three weeks ago, but played well at match play the following week, finishing in the final eight.

16. Bubba Watson – (17)

Two-time green jacket winner Bubba Watson comes in at 16 this week in the PGA Power Rankings. The 2012 and 2014 champion has obviously been fantastic here, but he has had a couple of bad years as well. He missed the cut in 2017 after a couple of finishes in thirties, but was able to bounce-back last year and contend once again. Watson of course came up short of his third green jacket however, finishing T-5 at 9-under. Through nine events thus far in 2019, Watson has two top-fives, and four top 20’s.

PGA Power Rankings: The Masters

15. Jason Day – (14)

Jason Day has been hampered by a bad back, and if that was not the case, he would likely be quite a bit higher in the rankings. After withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational after just six holes, he bounced right back to T-8 at the Players Championship. However he missed the cut at the Valspar, and was hardly competitive at the WGC-Dell Match Play. Of all the top names in golf, Day comes into the Masters in not the greatest form.

On the flip side, Day has been pretty good here at Augusta. Over the last eight years, he has not missed a cut, and has also notched three top-10’s, with the last coming in 2016. Last year. he T-20 at 2-under.

14. Hideki Matsuyama – (26)

Matsuyama struggled through most of 2018. In fact, one of his best finishes all year was his solo 19th place finished at last years Masters Tournament. He has played really well here at Augusta over the last four years, finishing in the top-20 every year. The 19th last year was actually his worst finish in that span, with the best being a solo fifth in 2015.

In eight events in 2019, Matsuyama appears to be getting his game back. He has not missed a cut, and has six top-25’s. Hideki T-8 at the Players in his last stroke-play action, and his best finishes this season thus far was his T-3 at the Farmers Insurance Open.

13. Xander Schauffele – (10)

Schauffele was off and running to start the new season, picking up two wins early. The first came at the WGC-HSBC Champions at the end of October, then when the calendar turned to 2019, he won the Sentry TOC at Kapalua on Maui. He has played sparingly since the win, but he did rip off four straight top-25’s after the second win. Most recently however, Schauffele is slipping a bit.

In his last stroke play action, Schauffele missed the cut at the Players. He also competed in match play, and did not make it to the weekend. The slight lapse in form over the last three weeks takes him down a spot or two this week. Last year was his first Masters, and while he made the cut, he slipped to +8 and finished T-50th.

12. Tommy Fleetwood – (13)

Fleetwood has stayed incredibly consistent this season as to be expected, but victory always seems to elude him. He tied for third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and followed that with a T-5 at the Players, so there is little doubt he is knocking on the door.

Fleetwood has only been around for a couple of years worth of majors in his young career, and after missing the cut in his first go at Augusta in 2017, he bounced back well with a T-17 last year.

11. Bryson DeChambeau – (6)

The mad scientist of golf was on a tear for quite sometime not too long ago, but has hit maybe his worst funk of his career over the last few weeks. Four total wins on tour from the end of August to the end of January was pretty impressive, but DeChambeau has cooled off quite a bit.

He isn’t missing cuts or anything, or even playing bad for that matter, it is just that when he is not in the top-ten every time he steps foot on the course there is just that feeling that something is not quite right, and he earned that with his play for a good stretch.

All in all, in DeChambeau’s last three events, his best finish was his T-20 at the Players, and the worst was the T-56 at the WGC-Mexico. This will be the 25-year-old’s third Masters, and he finished T-38 at +3 last year.

PGA Power Rankings: The Masters

10. Brooks Koepka – (4)

Last years U.S. Open champ Brooks Koepka barely sneaks in the top ten this week, and how he is still ranked in the top-five in the OWGR is something I cannot understand. I guess being the last major champion has mostly everything to do with that, because other than a T-2 at the Honda Classic, the last few weeks have not been great.

Koepka comes into Augusta in shaky form at best, as he missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and T-56 at the Players after his T-2, and was also a non-factor in match-play for the most part. In three Masters Tournaments for Koepka, his best finish was a T-11 in 2017.

9. Justin Thomas – (5)

Another top-five golfer in the OWGR that is just not playing up to the best of his proven ability as of late is Justin Thomas, and he comes in at number nine this week. Thomas started 2019 with a bang, rattling off five straight top-10’s including four top-tens. He just missed a win at the Genesis Open, but J.B. Holmes held him off by one stroke to capture the victory. However, in his last two events, things were not as good.

It started at the Honda Classic where Thomas was among the favorites, and a second round 74 and a final round 71 led to a T-30th finish. That was followed by another disappointing outing at the Players Championship, where he failed to shoot a round in the 60’s, and finished T-35th. In three Masters Tournaments for Thomas, his best finish was last year, when he finished T-17 at 4-under par.

8. Francesco Molinari – (7)

The worlds number seven ranked golfer Francesco Molinari comes in at number eight for the Masters Tournament. Unlike those previous, Molinari comes into Augusta in much better form, after a good show at the WGC-Dell Match Play where he finished third. There was a slight blip with his T-56 at the Players Championship, but just prior to that, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a masterful final round 64.

The Italian has played in seven Masters Tournaments since 2010, with mixed results. He has missed two cuts, but the last was back in 2013. In more recent years, Molinari T-33 in 2016, and T-20 last year.

7. Paul Casey – (11)

Now we are starting to get into the favorites, as we find Paul Casey in the seven spot this week. Casey has been awesome at Augusta for the last four years, and he comes in in as good of form as any. Casey finished T-15 at last years Masters, and grabbed top-tens in the previous consecutive three years.

He T-6 in 2015, T-4 in 2016, and finished alone in sixth in 2017. His stretch over the last four years is only bested by the top three golfers in the world. Looking at his recent results, after a rare missed cut at the Players Championship, Casey bounced back to win the Valspar. He was also solid at the WGC-Match Play, winning his pool, but eventually exiting in the round of 16.

6. Tiger Woods – (12)

With just five events under his belt in 2019, I have to keep Woods out the top five this week, although he is right on the cusp. Tiger was pretty impressive in match play, making it to the final eight, and his worst finish up to this point this year was his T-30 at the Players Championship.

We all thought he was done at one point, then he proves us all wrong as he comes up just short of winning another major with a solo second at the 100th PGA Championship, losing to Koepka by two strokes. He then followed that with a victory at the Tour Championship in September.

Tiger is always game for the big ones, and I expect nothing less this week. It has been since 2013 since Woods finished in the top-five at Augusta, but I expect that to change this week.

PGA Power Rankings: The Masters

5. Jon Rahm – (9)

Playing the Masters just for the second time in his young career last year, Rahm was very impressive with a solo fourth place finish at 11-under par. Along with his T-4 at the PGA Championship, it is pretty evident that Rahm can play on the biggest stages, among the best in the world.

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Although Rahm is listed as ninth here, he did move up a spot to number eight this week. A T-12 at the Players Championship, and T-6 at the Valspar Championship puts him in as good of form as any coming in, and I expect Rahm to be right in it this week.

4. Rickie Fowler – (8)

Although he swapped spots with Rahm in the OWGR this week, Fowler has a much better track record in major championships given he has more experience. He is yet to win a major, but has been awfully close on a few occasions as we all know. None more recent however than last year, when he lost to Patrick Reed by a stroke.

Although he missed the cut in 2016, Fowler has been in contention in four of the last five years here at Augusta. The second place last year was his best finish of course, but he also T-5 in 2015. His most recent form may bump him down a few spots in other power rankings you see this week, but I am putting more leverage in his past performances in majors.

3. Justin Rose – (2)

Don’t look now, but Rose has crept back into the number one ranking in the world heading into the Masters. I have no idea how he swapped spots with Dustin Johnson considering both were idle this week, but they are so close in the rankings points wise it is pretty incredible.

With plenty of wins on his resume, Rose has not won a major since the 2013 U.S. Open, but he has two second places here at Augusta in the last four years. Rose lost in a playoff to Sergio Garcia in 2017, and he should be at his best this weekend still looking for redemption.

2. Dustin Johnson – (1)

Almost number one but not quite, Johnson as been in great form as well of late as expected. He didn’t make it out of his pool at the WGC-Dell Match Play, but prior to that had been cruising along with four straight top-tens, including his win at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

DJ did not play in the 2017 Masters, but he has been solid here at Augusta, with top-tens in his last three trips to Augusta. He T-10th last year, and his best finish was a T-4 in 2016. DJ’s only win in a major was the 2016 U.S. Open, but like Fowler, he has also been close on a number of occasions.

1. Rory McIlroy – (3)

Four time major champion Rory McIlroy is the top ranked golfer for the Masters this week, as his track record as good as any, although the green jacket still has ultimately eluded him. McIlroy has won the U.S. Open twice, along with the Open Championship twice, and although he has ripped off five straight top-tens here at Augusta, his best finish in that span was a solo fourth place finish in 2015.

With his win at the Players Championship just three weeks ago, and his solo second at the WGC-Mexico Championships, McIlroy looks to be set to be right in the thick of things on Sunday, as he usually is. Will he put it all together and win his first Masters?  He is my pick.

Thanks for stopping by FantasyCPR and checking out our ever-expanding PGA coverage. Be sure to keep an eye out for my FanDuel article coming soon, along with some Fantasy Draft coverage once again as well.

Please give me a follow on Twitter with the link at the top of the page, and feel free to ask any PGA Power Rankings questions if you wish. Good luck with your Fantasy Golf this weekend!