Golf – Masters 2021 tips: Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and more selections
THE MASTERS is just days away and SunSport are on hand with our top tips for punters.
Our golf correspondent Dave Facey has made his Hot Shot, Mid Price and Long Shot selections ahead of Augusta.
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Hot shots
Dustin Johnson 9-1
Fully deserves his position as the pre-tournament favourite, following his dazzling display to win at Augusta in November, shooting a record 20 under par.
DJ has been raising eyebrows by pulling out of a couple of tournaments and then under-performing at the World Match Play, but he has been zeroed in on his title defence for the last couple of months. Definitely the man to beat.
Jon Rahm – 12-1
The worries over whether he would have to dash away from Augusta halfway through the event are over now that he has become a first time dad – and he could easily benefit from the nappy effect, just like Danny Willett in 2016.
Rahm was the only player from the world’s top twenty to reach the knockout stages of the World Match Pay, and despite going out in the quarter-finals he seems to be coming to the boil at just the right time.
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Mid price
Patrick Reed – 33-1
Always has to be on the shortlist for Augusta – mine anyway! – and hard to imagine the world No 7 not adding to his Masters victory three years ago. He knows the course like the back of his hand from his college days.
Hasn’t been in great form recently, but already a winner this year and performed well at the World Golf Championship event in Florida. And he will relish the hard and fast conditions forecast for this week.
Sergio Garcia 50-1
Eye-catching price for the 2017 winner, who has made his best start to a year in a long time, and has been playing with a smile on his face again. And it’s Ryder Cup year, so he’ll be pulling out all the stops.
Comes in with plenty of momentum after reaching the quarter-finals in Austin a couple of weeks ago, on the back of a top ten finish at the Players. He is making more putts than he did when ended his Major drought here four years ago.
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Long shot
Dylan Frittelli, 150-1
A repeat of his fifth place finish here in November would bring a tasty profit, and the South African could easily force his way onto the leaderboard again, especially after he showed his best form in ages to top his group at the World Match Play.
His 6&5 thrashing of Tony Finau was another indication of how he can catch fire, and his first and third rounds in November – 65 and 67 – show he can play Augusta. His other scores – 72-73 – weren’t shabby, but he could do with just one in the 70s this time.
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And what of Rory McIlroy? 18-1
The four-time Major winner has finished outside the top ten just once in the last seven years, so you have to think he represents sound each way value. The big question is will he actually win at Augusta – ever?
Finished like a train last year after opening with an ugly 75, and played the final 54 holes in 14 under par, a shot better than eventual winner Dustin Johnson. But throwing in one destructive round has become a bit of a habit, and the wait for a green jacket is likely to continue.
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