Masters Odds 2015: Favorites to Win the Green Jacket
After a long winter of waiting, it's finally time for the first golf major of the year, and it is shaping up to be a great one.
There are storylines galore at the 2015 Masters. We have Tiger Woods on the comeback trail, Jordan Spieth as hot as can be and going for his first major and, of course, Rory McIlroy going for his career Grand Slam and third major in a row.
It should be a fantastic week of golf at Augusta. So who will claim the coveted green jacket?
Based on who's hot early this season, championship pedigree and showings in previous Masters, here are my favorites to win this weekend.
Adam Scott
1 of 8
Odds to Win: 16-1
Best Masters Finish: Winner (2013)
Season Highlights
This time last year, Adam Scott was the defending champion and a month away from nabbing the No. 1 ranking. This year, there's significantly less buzz around him. He only found the winner's circle once in 2014, and although he has four top-five finishes since last year's Tour Championship, three of them have come in the PGA Tour of Australasia. His best finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for fourth at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
Why He'll Win
Scott loves the Masters. He hasn't finished lower than 14th in the past four years, a span that includes a tie for second in 2011 and the win in 2013. He won't have the pressure of being the defending champion this year, and he has a renewed spirit after becoming a first-time father earlier this year. A happy and under-the-radar Scott is a danger anywhere, but especially at Augusta.
Phil Mickelson
2 of 8
Odds to Win: 14-1
Best Masters Finish: Winner (2004, 2006, 2010)
Season Highlights
Phil Mickelson hasn't had an impressive 2015, to put it nicely. In seven events, he has two missed cuts and only two top-20 finishes, both ties for 17th. However, he showed signs of life in the first two rounds of the Shell Houston Open last week, shooting a 66 and 67 back-to-back.
Why He'll Win
It's Phil and Augusta. He can never be counted out; even if he's struggling with his confidence elsewhere, it returns when he steps onto those greens. Lefty has 14 top-10 finishes at the Masters in his career, including eight top threes.
Henrik Stenson
3 of 8
Odds to Win: 12-1
Best Masters Finish: Tied for 14th (2014)
Season Highlights
The perennially under-the-radar Henrik Stenson has had another great season, with three straight top fives, including a runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, in the lead-up to the Masters. He is currently the No. 2-ranked golfer in the world.
Why He'll Win
The Masters is the only major where Stenson hasn't finished in the top five, and it's about time for not only that streak to end, but his major-less streak to end as well. Stenson is one of the most complete players on tour, and with three straight strong finishes (and a bit of rest due to the flu), Stenson should bring some crucial confidence to Augusta.
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Dustin Johnson
4 of 8
Odds to Win: 12-1
Best Masters Finish: Tied for 13th (2013)
Season Highlights
After sitting out for six months last season due to what Golf.com reported as a third failed drug test, Dustin Johnson has quickly shaken off any remaining rust this year. He has three top-five finishes, including an impressive victory at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
Why He'll Win
Johnson's game flows effortlessly when he's confident, and that's a dangerous combination on the demanding Augusta course. He has the length and the short game to excel at the Masters, and the tranquility to overcome bad shots. That's a winning formula.
Jason Day
5 of 8
Odds to Win: 10-1
Best Masters Finish: Tied for second (2011)
Season Highlights
Jason Day has had a great start to the season. He won the Farmers Insurance Open in February and has notched three other top fives at the Hero World Challenge, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But perhaps most importantly, the 27-year-old is healthy and confident after an injury-plagued 2014 campaign.
Why He'll Win
Day was the runner-up at this event in 2011, and in 2013 he finished in third place and watched his compatriot Scott take the green jacket. He knows how to play well on this course, and he is rejuvenated after using his forced time off last year to improve mentally and physically and to tweak his game. But don't take my word for it.
"Greg Norman, the best Australian never to don a green jacket, remarked this week that Day is 'primed' having 'refocused and re-dedicated' himself to golf," reports Ewan Murray of The Guardian.
Bubba Watson
6 of 8
Odds to Win: 8-1
Best Masters Finish: Winner (2012 and 2014)
Season Highlights
Bubba Watson has had a very solid season. He won the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in November, tied for second at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and finished third at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. He is currently ranked No. 3 in the world.
Why He'll Win
For a flashy guy, Watson certainly doesn't like to be the center of attention, which is why he struggled back in 2013 when he was the defending champion. But this year, Watson has calmed down and knows what to expect with the spotlight on him, so that shouldn't be an issue. He's taken the last month off from tournament play, so he's well rested, and his game is perfectly suited for this course thanks to his length. Really, what's not to like?
Jordan Spieth
7 of 8
Odds to Win: 4-1
Best Masters Finish: Tied for second (2014)
Season Highlights
Nobody on tour is as hot as Spieth is right now. As a lead-up for the Masters, Spieth won the Valspar Championship, was the runner-up at the Valero Texas Open and finished third in a playoff last week at the Shell Houston Open. He also had two wins at the end of 2014 to start the season, and he is currently ranked No. 4.
Why He'll Win
This kid is good, and he's going to win a major sooner rather than later. As last year showcased, he's comfortable at Augusta, and now he has another full year of pro golf experience under his belt. That is not good news for the rest of the field.
Rory McIlroy
8 of 8
Odds to Win: 5-2
Best Masters Finish: Tied for eighth (2014)
Season Highlights
The No. 1-ranked golfer in the world won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic this year and finished as the runner-up on three other occasions. He has firmly retained the No. 1 ranking in the world as he goes for his third major in a row, which would give him a career Grand Slam.
Why He'll Win
In the past year, McIlroy has simply been unstoppable on the biggest stages of the sport. Now he's chasing history. While he's never sniffed a Masters victory on a Sunday before, he thinks the pressure on him this year will do him some good.
"If there is a lot on the line, a lot to play for, it feels like you are a little bit sharper and a little bit more aware," he said, as reported by Ewan Murray of The Guardian. "It is probably something to do with adrenalin, everything becomes a bit clearer."
If McIlroy has a clear mind, it's hard not to see him walking away with the green jacket.
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