As you’re receiving this article, the 2022 Masters will have teed off at Augusta National Golf Club within the last hour or so. Tiger Woods is back prowling the course and looking for his sixth green jacket, trying at 46 years of age to make a comeback after a single-car accident shelved him with severe injuries thirteen months ago. There’s no doubt attention on the tournament will reach an all-time high with Woods on the course and a full gallery for the first time since COVID hit. But is Tiger really the player we need to be watching so closely? Let’s take a look.
This year’s field appears to be as wide open as it’s ever been. It’s really anyone’s guess who will be wearing the green jacket when the sun starts to set in Georgia Sunday evening, but we have our favorite, and he’s not named after a large jungle cat.
Although he’s the number one ranked golfer in the world, Dallas’ own Scottie Scheffler is not considered by many as the odds-on favorite this year at Augusta. Current odds in Vegas have him listed at +1500, behind Jon Rahm (+1200) and Justin Thomas (+1300), and lumped in with Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson. He is, however, one of the hottest, if not the singularly hottest, golfers in the world right now – and we think momentum at the Masters can be a difference maker.
Although Scheffler had not won a PGA Tour event entering the 2020-21 season, he had come close. Now mix in three straight top ten finishes in the last three majors…tied for eighth in the PGA Championship, tied for seventh in the U.S. Open and tied for eighth in the Open Championship…and 2022 wins at the WM Phoenix Open, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, and you can see the self-confidence growing in his game.
And although he’s just 25 years of age, he’s hungry for that first major after sniffing the finish line the last three times out. He’s now played nine majors in his career, including two times at Augusta, where he finished 19th on his debut in 2020 and 18th last year. Experience and familiarity is hugely important when playing this course, but does Scheffler have enough? We think so.
Scheffler’s distance off the tee and his gentle touch on the greens seem to be a perfect fit for Augusta National. Mix in a personality that seems to be virtually unflappable, and you have a recipe for consistent play, especially if things go awry for a hole or two (which they always seem to do on this course). His “never too high” or “never too low” mentality is the mindset needed to conquer the most challenging holes on this course (like 10 and 11).
So our pick to click this weekend is Scottie Scheffler. We see him joining that impressive club of Texans to wear green on Sunday that includes Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Fred Couples, Ben Crenshaw, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Scheffler is incredibly talented, playing as well as anyone on tour and hungry for that first major. As for Tiger Woods? After everything he’s been through if he’s still playing on Saturday we’d consider that a huge victory for him. In addition to his ailing leg, let’s not forget the oldest to ever win the Masters is Jack Nicklaus, who did it at 46 years, 2 months and 24 days. On Sunday Tiger will be 46 years, three months and 11 days.
