Ladies and gentleman, please put your seats in the upright position, we’re on our final approach to Augusta National.
As quickly as you can say “ball in the water at 12,” the 2017 Masters is nearly upon us.
Twenty-eight days to be exact, 28!
Hello Friends!
Just four more PGA Tour events on the journey to Augusta and that means the contenders better be rounding into shape.
After this week’s stop at Innisbrook for the Valspar, you’ll have Bay Hill then the WGC Match Play in Austin and then the week before the big show is always the Shell Houston Open.
Most of the big names will skip this week. Like the Honda, the Valspar is unfortunate to fall the week after a WGC event and two weeks before another WGC event. Many will skip Bay Hill as well and use the match play as their final warmup for The Masters. A player like Rory McIlroy, who missed those six weeks, needs more work and he’ll go to Bay Hill, then the match play and hopefully he’s sharper by then.
So let’s take a moment to see how the odds-on favorites are measuring up.
DUSTIN JOHNSON has become the favorite and after back-to-back wins, the world’s No. 1 player should be. He’s sitting at 6-to-1 depending what your favorite short-term investment (gambling) facility might be. Let’s face it, the big guy has the total game to handle Augusta National. He’s learned to play that atomic fade and another guy who won six times at The Masters was pretty good at playing the power fade.
Of all the players making their way toward Augusta, he’s certainly trending the strongest. D.J. won’t play again until the Match Play.
JORDAN SPIETH: When you go T2, win the last two years at the Masters, you’re going to be among the favorites. Spieth will have to shake off the trauma of the water ball(s) at 12 when he shows up this year. Spieth had things going totally his way last year and they were brushing off his Green Jacket right before he stepped up on the 12th tee. We know what happened there, he basically handed it to the dubious Danny Willett.
Spieth will play this week at Innisbrook then the match play. He’s looked super at times, not-so-much at others. It’s been a mixed bag for Jordy but he is trending in the right direction and stands at 13-to-2 with the oddsmakers.
RORY MCILROY had a pretty decent return to action in Mexico City. Got himself a top 10 though he wasn’t as sharp as he hopes to be in 28 days. Rory will be one of the headliners at Bay Hill next week then will go to the match play. He’s at 10-to-1 right now.
JASON DAY has become total guesswork. You never know with this guy. Will he be 100 percent healthy in 28 days or be stricken down at the last moment with some alien ailment? Day will play at Bay Hill, at least that’s his plan then he’ll go to the match play. Whatever the case, he has a lot of catching up to do. At 12-to-1, you would think they’re simply going on potential and world ranking because he hasn’t shown anything as of late.
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA caused quite a stir late last year and early this year but he’s cooled off a lot and he needs to turn the temperature up and get the flames burning full bore to have a chance at Augusta. He still has some weaknesses and those can become intensified on the biggest of stages. He’s 15-to-1 right now.
JUSTIN ROSE is certainly capable and appears healthy after his tweaked back late last year. Gold Medals mean nothing at the Masters. The lanky Brit is 20-to-1.
If you had to look at a dark-horse pick right now young Jon Rahm might fit the bill perfectly. He snuck up to Augusta National this week to get a look at the course for the first time. Experience and course knowledge count for a lot at The Masters and Rahm may need more seasoning but he certainly has a lot of game.
Phil Mickelson is trending in the right direction and he’s been good and bad every week. At Augusta, it will have to be all good for Lefty to have a shot. Then there are the shadow riders like Justin Thomas, Henrik Stenson and Rickie Fowler. The next few weeks will show us how well they’re rounding into form.
Just 28 days and counting.
Can’t go by quick enough.
