This is the ultimate golfing event of the year and undoubtedly the most important tournament in the entire PGA campaign. Winning the Green Jacket is something all golfers envision winning at some point whether it’s as a kid or just starting out their professional careers. There have been some incredible moments whether it’s out of sheer remarkably incredible comebacks or failures, this is one of the most watched sporting events for a reason. Augusta National has had many historical moments, but another could happen this time around. Patrick Reed will look to retain his crown from last year, but this is such an unpredictable and dramatic tournament, anything could happen. With that being said, let’s take a look at the favorites and the dark horses for this tournament.
Favorites
Rory McIlroy
Dustin Johnson
Justin Rose
Rickie Fowler
Jordan Spieth
Tiger Woods
Spieth came close to repeating in 2016, but choked on the final day. However, he always fares well there. McIlroy will be trying to complete the career Grand Slam which would be remarkable. Johnson and Rose are talented players who might be just a few short years away from winning a Green Jacket. Fowler is due to win a major championship, could this be it? And when mentioning favorites, you can never forget Tiger Woods and his accolades.
Dark Horses
Brooks Koepka
Francesco Molinari
HaoTong Li
Vijay Singh
There’s been a lot of talks about these golfers as they all have shown promise of doing big things. The most notable is Singh, but Li, Molinari, and Koepka could be household names very soon. These guys could possibly come out of nowhere and win it like how Danny Willett did it last year.
Others to Watch
Tony Finau
Bryson DeChambeau
Justin Thomas
Jon Rahm
Paul Casey
Jason Day
Hideki Matsuyama
Matt Kuchar
Tommy Fleetwood
Louis Oosthuizen
Bubba Watson
Webb Simpson
Adam Scott
Patrick Reed
Sergio Garcia
Marc Leishman
Xander Schauffele
Henrik Stenson
Phil Mickelson
These are all really good golfers and all could make a legitimate shot at the title, but this is a list meant for seeing what they do. Most of them should at least make it to the final day, but usually it’s a smaller crowd on that day.
Predictions
James Rowe: Rory McIlroy. He’s been playing really well of late and it almost seems like he is destined to win it this year. However, Rickie Fowler will make it really interesting.
Rowe Sports Talk Network 