The Masters expert picks, best bets for Augusta National Golf Club

The Masters expert picks: Outright winner picks at Augusta National

Justin Thomas (+1400)

It truly seems odd that Justin Thomas has never fully broken through at The Masters before. Sure, he finished outright fourth in 2020 but, outside of that, he’s never been inside the Top 10 in his career. But I’m looking for that to change in a big way this week.

Thomas is first in the field over the last 50 rounds in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and has been just a dynamo with his ball-striking over the past few months. The putter has been an undeniable issue but he has always been prone to erratic play with the flat stick and one good week at Augusta would be enough for him to slip on a Green Jacket. Even better, Iain MacMillan also has Thomas as one of his outright picks this week. Here’s his reasoning.

"Not many people are talking about Justin Thomas heading into this year’s Masters, but he’s been sneakily playing some fantastic golf this season, despite not yet securing a win. He’s finished 6th or better in five of his 10 starts this season, and a poor draw at The Players Championship took him out of contention before he could get going. He ranks second in strokes gained: tee-to-green and third in total strokes gained, and outside of a slight misstep at last year’s event, he’s improved his placing at the Masters every year since his debut. I think he holds the best value amongst the top names on the odds list."

I’m putting a full unit to win on Justin Thomas this week. It’s JT’s time to get that second major and finally bust through the ceiling at Augusta.

Brooks Koepka (+2000)

As mentioned, I’ve been planted on the Brooks Koepka corner for much of 2022 (or at least the past few months and I don’t plan on leaving. He’s found something with his ball-striking over his recent months, including gaining 3.25 strokes on approach in three of his last four outings, the one outlier being the wind-torn PLAYERS Championship. Writing that off as I feel is proper to do, he’s peaking in terms of form and health. Combine that with his prowess when a major is in play and I love this number for Koepka.

Tyrrell Hatton (+5000)

Prior to teeing it up at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Hatton was statistically trending towards something big. But even in Austin where he lost strokes ball-striking for the week, a recently hot putter and consistent around-the-green play allowed him to advance to the knockout stages. He finished T18 at The Masters last year and has garnered five starts overall, giving him more experience at a place where that’s crucial. Frankly, his odds just look too high to me, so I’m going to chase the value and sprinkle on him this week.

Longshot pick to win The Masters: Talor Gooch (+11000)

While some of the consistency that we were enjoying from Talor Gooch has dissipated in recent tournaments he’s played, the upside remains undeniable. He’s missed two cuts in his last six starts — THE PLAYERS and The Genesis — but has finished T26 or better in the rest of that span, including a T7 at the API.

Gooch’s big weakness lately has been off the tee but the wide fairways and less-than-penal rough at Augusta could nullify that to a degree. The big worry is that he’ll be making his Masters debut but, if we’re taking fliers, you’re likely going to see a lot of that. At 110/1 on WynnBet, I like the odds and form of Gooch to at least make a little noise and have an outside shot to win.

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