Winning the Masters is not for the faint of heart. It takes experience, ball-striking, and tenacity to score well for four rounds at Augusta National. Big names frequently come out on top at Augusta, but a few underdogs have won over the years. Charl Schwartzel, Danny Willett, Zach Johnson, Trevor Immelman, etc. Here are a few long shots we like to make a run at this year’s Masters.
Charley Hoffman (75/1) – Death, taxes, and Charley Hoffman in contention on Thursday at Augusta. It started as a joke, but Charley has been in the top five after the first round in three of the last four Masters. He has finished T-9, T-29, T-22, and T-12 in those events. That’s nuts! He’s been knocking on the door at Augusta, and he’s currently in form, placing second last week at the Valero.
Ian Poulter (100/1) – Everyone’s favorite surly Englishman is a bulldog at major championships. Poulter’s biggest asset is his tenacity, but his game packs a punch as well. He has been in the top 30 in strokes gained on approaches each of the last two seasons and is 8th in strokes gained around the green in 2019. He has played 13 Masters in his career, finishing in the top 20 in five of those. I’m not saying he’s going to win, but it is easy to see Ian Poulter making some noise this week.
Matthew Fitzpatrick (125/1) – Matty can give ya Fitz. If nothing else, Fitzpatrick deserves to be on this list because it SEEMS like he is due to break out at Augusta. Fitz has been playing in major championships since 2013 and he’s only 24 years old. He is an elite ball-striker, poised when in contention, and makes enough putts to win tournaments. Fitzpatrick has a T-7 finish at the 2016 Masters under his belt, but he is still searching for that breakthrough performance at a major. He has made the cut at Augusta each of the last three years, so expect him to at least be lurking on the weekend.
Rafa Cabrera-Bello (125/1) – Rafa has played in only three Masters, but he is a definite threat in majors. He has the prowess off the tee and approaching the green that you need to compete at Augusta. Still, RCB needs a final push to win more often. He struggles to make the putts needed for victories, but hey, he has to win one of these days. He has two top 10s in his last six majors and could very well put it all together at Augusta.