Top three questions heading into the 2023 Masters
By Ryan Kekoufski
The 2023 Masters Tournament will begin on April 6, 2023, and feature $15,000,000 in prize money for what will arguably be the best professional field in the game of golf today. In one of the more dominant performances not seen at Augusta National in quite some time, Scottie Scheffler pulled away from Rory McIlroy and the rest of the field en route to his first green jacket in 2022. Will we see a similar performance in 2023 or will this be the year a new champion is crowned at the first major championship of the year? One thing is for sure, and that is a fantastic golf course that is truly unlike anything both players and fans of the sport will come across throughout the world. Here are three of the most popular questions heading into the 2023 Masters.
Can Scottie Scheffler repeat as Masters Champion?
At only 26 years of age, Scheffler came into his own in 2022 similar to how Jordan Spieth caught fire in 2015 and won two major championships at a young age. Scheffler not only won the Masters, but nearly won the U.S. Open as well losing out to Matt Fitzpatrick. He has continued to perform at a high level in 2023 with a recent win at TPC Sawgrass and has the sort of golf game that translates well on a lot of golf courses. Scottie is not the longest hitter on the PGA Tour, but what he does have is a fantastic iron game that sets him up for easy birdie opportunities wherever he goes.
This is where the potential pitfall for Scheffler might come, however, in regard to his putting. Ever since turning professional in 2018 he has been an average putter of the golf ball at best, with 2022 being the time when he stepped it up considerably. As we all know in the game of golf, it doesn’t matter how close the approach shot is if you can’t make the putts when they matter, and it will be something to keep an eye out for ahead of the Masters.
Who are the favorites heading into this year’s event?
As he continues to play at a high level at the start of 2023, it is important to first consider defending champion Scottie Scheffler as a favourite heading into the event. He has not shown any sort of rust in his game since last year, and he has the sort of mentality that is able to overcome any small hiccups along the way. Aside from Scheffler, two other players who must be considered as favourites heading into the 2023 Masters are Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm. Both are huge drivers of the golf ball and can easily carve up Augusta National like is essentially their playground. McIlroy in particular has ascended into the top spot in the World Golf Rankings in early 2023 and he could certainly stay there for quite a while with the way he has been performing in recent months. Rahm has looked dominant so far in 2023 starting with a win at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and if he can steady a streaky putter he is certainly a player who can give it a go at the green jacket.
Are there any dark horse picks to look out for this year?
What is great about the Masters Tournament and Augusta National in particular is that the best golfers are generally the ones who are always at or near the top of the leaderboard each year, and as such dark horse picks may be few and far between. Three players who may fit the bill at the 2023 Masters Tournament are Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth, and Collin Morikawa.
One of the main commonalities with all three is that they are great strikers of the golf ball from tee to green. Spieth and Morikawa both have the experience of being a major champion and know what it takes both mentally and physically and have played well of late. Hovland, in particular is known for having a great combination of solid approach play and a putter that can catch fire from anywhere, so if he can get some momentum with the putter early on in this year’s Masters watch out.
Let us know in our instagram comments who you think will be wearing the green jacket on April 9th.
