Masters Field 2015: Odds, Favorites and Tournament Preview
Many of golf's legendary moments have come from the Masters Tournament over the years, and due to the talented field that will be attempting to navigate Augusta National in 2015, we should expect the trend of awe-inspiring shots and heroic performances to continue.
Some veteran players will be looking to re-establish themselves at Augusta this year. Tiger Woods is generating plenty of pre-tournament buzz as he aims to overcome his lingering swing issues and win the Masters for the first time since 2005—the year he did this:
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That will be a difficult task, as Woods will be competing with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, a red-hot Jordan Spieth, a resurgent Dustin Johnson and many more players with the ability to earn the coveted green jacket.
So, who is the favorite to win it all? Here's a look at the latest Vegas odds and the outlook for this year's field.
2015 Masters Odds
| Rory McIlroy | 11-2 |
| Jordan Spieth | 9-1 |
| Bubba Watson | 10-1 |
| Jason Day | 12-1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 14-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 14-1 |
| Adam Scott | 20-1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 20-1 |
| Patrick Reed | 25-1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 25-1 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 28-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 28-1 |
| Tiger Woods | 28-1 |
| Justin Rose | 35-1 |
| Lee Westwood | 40-1 |
| Jim Furyk | 50-1 |
All odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
Tournament Preview
Vegas deems McIlroy the favorite to win this year's Masters, but should the Northern Irishman hold the top spot? The world No. 1 is worthy of favorable odds, but he hasn't been in action since just missing out on a top-10 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Granted, McIlroy was playing well entering the 2015 season, but during his absence, several other players have been riding major hot streaks and have plenty of momentum built up for Augusta National.
Spieth has moved up to No. 4 in the world following a torrid start to the year. The 21-year-old phenom is arguably playing the best golf of his young career right now, as he's been hanging around the top of the leaderboard in just about every event he's entered.
In eight 2015 appearances, Spieth has accumulated six top-10 finishes, including a win in the Valspar Championship and two consecutive runner-up finishes in the Valero Texas Open and the Shell Houston Open. Last year, Spieth tied for second at Augusta, which helped put him on the map. Considering his current head of steam, he could win it all this time around.
Speaking of players who have built momentum recently, Jimmy Walker is riding high after a victory in the Valero Texas Open propelled him to No. 10 in the world. That marked his second win in 2015, as he opened the season with a victory at the Sony Open.
Walker has plenty of distance off the tee and is a solid putter; however, he ranks 176th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy, hitting just 53.82 percent of fairways. That number must improve at the treacherous Augusta National, as errant drives can lead to catastrophic results.
Johnson can't be counted out at Augusta National, as his return to the PGA Tour has been nothing short of remarkable. In six 2015 tournaments, Johnson has four top-10 finishes, including a win in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Johnson's driving distance is his strength, but inconsistent accuracy and streaky putting could hurt him in the Masters.
The veterans to keep an eye on are Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk.
We all know Woods' story by now. His swing is a mess, and he has the yips around the green. We likely won't be seeing magic like he created in 2005. Mickelson is still ailing, but a top-25 finish at the Shell Houston Open gives Lefty a glimmer of hope in the year's first major.
Furyk has the accuracy necessary to navigate Augusta National successfully. He isn't a long hitter, but keeping the ball in good position is far more important in this tournament. He must overcome his final-round woes to win here, as a 71.80 scoring average won't get it done.
With such a versatile and talented field aiming to successfully navigate Augusta National's 7,435 yards of nerve-shattering hazards, including Rae's Creek and Amen Corner, we should expect to see some shocking results—both good and bad. We'll soon find out which player can survive this test of mettle and earn the coveted title of Masters champion.
All players statistics courtesy of PGATour.com.
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