The Iceman is very excited for the 2018 Masters. How can you not be? Tiger is back! Rory coming off his Bay Hill win and Phil playing some of the best golf of his career. We are in for a exciting and action packed 2018 Masters.
Here are some thoughts and betting odds on the event.
The 2018 Masters is right around the corner. How about that? It always feels so far away in July and September and November, and then the last few months fly by faster than you can say “Jack is definitely still longer off the tee than Gary, but who’s counting besides Gary.”
The first 78 days of the year have brought us pretty much everything. A pair of great European Tour events, the No. 1 player in the world galloping in Hawaii, multiple playoffs, the Jason Day Redemption Tour, mini struggles from Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson’s revival a Bay Hill win from Rory Mcllroy and, of course, Tiger Woods.
With less than one month to go before the ceremonial tee shots and 82nd Masters, here are five fun storylines I’ll be following as the first major of the season comes into focus.
1. How dominant can Dustin Johnson be? I’ve noted this in a variety of other places, but D.J. can win eight times this year. Will he? Probably not, but he can. One of the more enigmatic talents in the game has suddenly become the most consistent entity on the PGA Tour. Johnson recently joined Rory McIlroy, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods as one of only five golfers to maintain the No. 1 re has been beaten by two golfers in the last three tournaments. He’s No. 1 on the PGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee, birdie average, scoring average and second in strokes gained overall. None of this feels extraordinary, either. He just plods along with that inimitable swing and underrated putting strokes, and lifts trophies all over the world. He’ll have to prove it at Augusta, where he’s never legitimately contended, but he should roll down Magnolia Lane with nothing but freeway in front of him and six gears to work through in his hands.
2. The slam awaits: Rory McIlroy is almost always a storyline leading up to the Masters because he has the most to gain (the career Grand Slam) with a win at Augusta National. He looked fabulous at the Abu Dhabi Championship and Dubai Desert Classic but not so much at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he missed the cut last week.
McIlroy (and everyone else) has a D.J.-shaped problem right now, but it appears that McIlroy has found the goods to at least roll with Johnson on some level. Few can spar with the world No. 1 when he’s really throttling, but McIlroy is certainly one who can. Winning Bay Hill shows that he has rounded into form and the hype is going to be resounding come the beginning of April.
3. European Invasion: Following their start in the Middle East, Tommy Fleetwood and Thomas Pieters have hooked up with the PGA Tour in Los Angeles this week for the Genesis Open. Sergio Garcia will likely be on his way shortly. Jon Rahm won the CareerBuilder Challenge. Alex Noren nearly won the Farmers Insurance Open. Justin Rose has finished outside the top 10 once in his last 12 events. Branden Grace leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained. This year’s group of top Euro players is even more fascinating than normal with young guys like Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton in the mix. I’m excited to watch the amalgamation of the two tours at the WGCs and Masters after a primarily U.S.-themed first few months. Related: Is it time for the Ryder Cup yet?
4. Phil and Tiger on Sunday: I was thinking about this as Mickelson walked up the 18th hole at Pebble Beach on Sunday for his T2 finish. What if (what if?) Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson make up the final pairing on Sunday at Augusta National? It sounds crazy, but it’s really not. The last time they both played the event was in 2015. Mickelson was in the penultimate pairing with Justin Rose, and Tiger was in the pairing just in front of them with Rory McIlroy. Tiger hadn’t played in a few months, and he still sort of wriggled his way into the heart of the event.
Could Woods, with his repaired back, and Mickelson, with his semi-repaired driver, make that happen? If they could somehow pull it off, it would make for the best story of the entire calendar year short of Anthony Kim appearing like a mist in Paris and going 5-0-0 to lead the U.S. to the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Betting odds for 2018 Masters
Following a spirited run at Bay Hill, Tiger Woods remains the favorite in the latest update for the 2018 Masters.
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook lists Woods at 8/1 odds, in line with his figure when he shot up the board on Thursday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Woods, who is scheduled to make just his second Masters outing since 2013, finished T-5 at the API last weekend for his third consecutive top-12 showing.
Rory McIlroy, who left Bay Hill with the API crown, jumped from 18/1 to 10/1, a number second only to Tiger. Though McIlroy has never won a green jacket, he’s finished inside the top 10 in his last four appearances at Augusta National. Also at 10/1 are World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, who’s turned in a win and runner-up in his last two starts.
Justin Rose, who’s bronze medal at Bay Hill was his 13th top 10 in his last 15 worldwide start, saw his odds move from 20/1 to 14/1. Other notables include Jordan Spieth (14/1), Jason Day and Jon Rahm (16/1), and Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler (18/1). Reigning champ Sergio Garcia currently owns 30/1 odds.
The 2018 Masters begins on April 5.