Every April, the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia brings together golf fans all over the world. With its rich history, iconic moments, and signature characteristics the Masters truly is “a tradition unlike any other.”
This year’s Masters is expected to be very exciting as many new faces have risen to the top of the golf world and will be hoping to compete with the world’s best for the coveted green jacket from April 9th to April 12th. This year’s tournament will be the 90th edition of the tournament and will be the first major tournament of a highly anticipated golf season. Along with some exciting newcomers many golf fans will be interested to see how defending champion Rory McIlroy will fare in this year’s tournament as well as how world number one Scottie Scheffler will perform in his quest for a third green jacket just this decade. While looking for how top players will perform it is also important to consider some other players.
Scheffler and McIlroy are the top two betting favorites according to various sport books. Other favorites include Luvid Aberg, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, and Colin Morikawa. Those 7 players round out most of the top 10 players that fans and bettors are speculating to take home the green jacket.
However there are some long shot or dark horses that could get hot and potentially win the tournament. These players include Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, and Jordan Spieth. Thomas has always competed well at the Masters while Koepka and Spieth are former green jacket winners who have struggled in previous years but are poised for a potential return to victory.
Many students here at Mundelein High School find themselves interested in this tournament as it is the tournament that most people are familiar with when it comes to golf. One student is sophomore Jacob Matyasik, he shared some of his picks for the tournament as well as what he thinks makes the tournament so special. Starting with his picks, Matyasik shared, “Bryson DeChambeau will win the Masters this year.”
He elaborated, “DeChambeau has competed well at the Masters in past years and other majors while showcasing week in and week out that he is a top player in the world.”
He also shared, “I think that Jordan Spieth has a real chance to potentially win the tournament and that it would be really cool for him to return to glory after a couple of years where he was not competitive.”
As for why he thinks the tournament is so special, Matyasik said, “There is nothing like tuning into the first round of the Masters and hearing the theme as the broadcast fades into the beautiful fairways outlined by the towering trees.”
Mataysik says that the feeling he gets on the first day of the tournament will never get old and that one day he hopes to go watch the tournament in person.
It’s no question that the Masters is truly a special time of the year and that this year should be no different. The Masters 90th edition will be sure to bring excitement while being a great way to kick off the major season. Make sure to tune in this year for the tournament to see whether it’ll be a top player who wins that green jacket or if an underdog can snatch it away.