Preview to the 2023 Masters

Jack Carrabine and Dennis Hickey

The 2023 Masters Golf Tournament is finally here, and golf fans worldwide eagerly anticipate another thrilling edition of one of the sport’s most prestigious events. 

As always, the tournament will be held at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, featuring the world’s top golfers competing for the coveted Green Jacket.

Heading into the tournament, there are several clear favorites to contend for the title. Among them is last year’s Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, who has been in sensational form over the past year and has established himself as one of the game’s top talents. 

Other top contenders include Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Thomas, who lead the way for the best odds to win this year.

Rory Mcllroy joined the PGA at 18 and won his first title at the age of 20. He has been one of the top contenders on tour for almost 15 years and has not slowed down. 

However, Mcllroy hasn’t won a major since 2014, being the runner-up in the 2022 Masters and the 2022 Open. Rory is still one of the favorites to win this year’s Masters as he plans to make his comeback and prove that he is still legit despite his age and dry slope. If he wins The Masters, it will complete the career Grand Slam for McIlroy, meaning he will have won all four Majors (The Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and The Open Championship).

Other potential dark horses include rising star Min Woo Loo. However, there are some previously champions of the Masters who can easily give the top players a run for their money, such as Bubba Watson and Danny Willet.

Lastly, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood have come close to the top of the leaderboard in several of their last tournament appearances, and all of them have shown flashes of brilliance on the PGA Tour and could surprise the field with a strong showing at Augusta.

This year’s sleeper pick has to be Jordan Spieth. The 29-year-old Texas native grew up a golf prodigy, dominating the tour his third year winning the Masters and the US Open and being announced the PGA tour player of the year. 

By the end of the year, Spieth was ranked number one in the world and was projected to dominate the tour his next following years already looking for the Grand Slam. However, Spieth hasn’t won a major since 2017, looking to find his old self. Spieth’s last PGA victories have been on Easter, giving him high hopes that he can win another Masters this Sunday.