The Masters: 3 lurking contenders poised to make a run after Round 1

The Masters is underway with Round 1 in the books but, if we turn our attention outside of the Top 10, which players are poised to shoot up the leaderboard?

After the first round of The Masters, it feels like we’ve first learned a lot but, at the same time, like there is a lot more that we’re going to learn on Friday and throughout the weekend. There’s a reason golf tournaments aren’t 18 holes and, instead, last 72 holes. Thus, we’re going to see if anyone is going to chase down the leader, Sungjae Im, or even the second-place man, Cameron Smith.

Of course, all eyes are on Tiger Woods, who not only made a triumphant return to competition just by teeing it up on Friday, but who also went out in impressive fashion to sit at T10 after the first round with a 1-under score to his credit. Will he continue to charge? That would be something out of a storybook or Disney movie — but that’s not something I’m banking on by any means. (To be clear, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to see it.)

However, there are some players who aren’t in the Top 10 that, when you look at their performance on Thursday in Round 1, seem like they are destined to make a charge on Friday and throughout the weekend given the data we have.

In particular, look for these three players to make a charge over the final three rounds after a relatively pedestrian first round in terms of their scoring.

The Masters: Contenders poised to make a move after Round 1

3. Viktor Hovland (E) – T19

The good of the first round for Viktor Hovland was the fact that the Norwegian racked up five birdies on the day. The bad of the round is that he offset that work with three bogeys and a double-bogey to go with the birds to finish at Even for the day. That included hitting into the water on his approach to No. 11 and taking a penalty after his approach on No. 13 ended up in the middle of an azalea.

It was shocking to see that the ball-striking was the problem for Hovland and not the short game (he lost just under 0.5 strokes around the green but gained 1.24 strokes putting). Hovland gained a meager 0.14 strokes on approach on Thursday. In his previous rounds, he’s only performed worse on approach in two of them. To me, that’s a positive sign. His DNA is that of a ball-striker and, if he comes out on Friday-Sunday and shows his normal form, he’s set to make a big move up the leaderboard.

2. Rory McIlroy (+1) – T31

What we saw from Rory McIlroy on Thursday was exactly what has worried people for some time. He gained 2.30 strokes off the tee — 0.45 strokes more than anyone else in the field — but lost strokes around the green and putting while gaining a dismissable 0.15 strokes on approach. Hence why he ended up at 1-over for the day.

However, when you look at McIlroy over the years, one of the keys in majors has been that he struggles in Round 1 but turns it on for the weekend. That’s been particularly true at Augusta. So for him to have his bad round and still only be six back of the lead could actually be a positive. We know what he’s capable of with every single club in the bag and he knows this place well. It would be tremendous to see him find that form and make his move over the final three rounds.

1. Tyrrell Hatton (E) – T19

If you look at the odds on WynnBet after Round 1, Tyrrell Hatton is currently sitting at a juicy +5500. And if you want to sprinkle on that after Thursday, that would be a smart move based on what we saw from him in his opening 18 holes.

Hatton led the entire field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green in the first round, gaining 1.85 off the tee, 2.71 on approach and 0.61 around the green. He was absolutely dialed in until he got to the putting surface, where he lost an astounding 3.35 strokes.

The putter is the most volatile part of the game at this level, however. It can flip on a dime, which is why so many handicappers and prognosticators turn to ball-striking. Hatton is flushing the ball as of right now and, just as importantly, has been gaining strokes with the putter consistently in his 50 previous rounds coming into The Masters. He’s within striking distance of the lead and his profile right now says he’s primed for a big final 54 holes that could very well see him contend.

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