Masters Picks 2016: Dark-Horse Candidates to Win the Green Jacket
When evaluating your Masters Tournament picks, it could pay to look beyond favorites such as Jason Day, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.
Taking a glance, major sportsbooks list nearly 30 players at better than 100-1 odds. As that's roughly one-third of the field, 100-1 seems like an appropriate cutoff for dark-horse candidates.
So, with odds ranging from 250-1 to 120-1 (via Vegas Insider), here are the best dark-horse bets to don the green jacket when the tournament—which starts Thursday—concludes this coming Sunday.
Bryson DeChambeau (200-1)
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Last We Saw Bryson DeChambeau: T27 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
2015 Masters Finish: N/A
Best Masters Finish: N/A
Here's a real dark horse for you: amateur Bryson DeChambeau. CBS' Jim Nantz recently said (via Golf Digest's Guy Yocom) DeChambeau is obsessed with winning the Masters as an amateur, adding he has been preparing in earnest.
The reigning U.S. Amateur champion performed admirably at Bay Hill, firing off a final-round 66. He carded an opening-round 64 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship to seize the lead in January before a third-round 78 derailed him en route to a 54th-place finish.
DeChambeau wants to improve upon amateur Charlie Coe's tied-for-second finish of 1961, according to Nantz (via Yocom). He seems as uniquely prepared to play well at Augusta National as any amateur in recent memory. The eccentric physics major can think his way around the golf course and has shown he can go low on the professional circuit.
If you're looking for a true dark horse, DeChambeau is the guy.
Angel Cabrera (165-1)
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Last We Saw Angel Cabrera: MDF (made cut, did not finish) at the Shell Houston Open
2015 Masters Finish: T22
Best Masters Finish: 1st in 2009
Throw everything out of the window with this guy. Angel Cabrera hasn't finished better than a tie for 42nd this season. He's missed three of his last five cuts. However, when Cabrera won the Masters in 2009, he had missed two consecutive cuts immediately prior to teeing it up at Augusta, for whatever that's worth.
El Pato has totaled six top-10 finishes in 16 tries at Augusta National, and he's still long enough off the tee (averaging 297.5 yards per poke) at age 46 to get around the 7,435-yard course.
Sure, his strokes-gained numbers are abysmal, but you never know what the Argentine will do. He seems as likely to shoot 78 to 80 to miss the cut as he does to win the tournament, which he's a playoff loss to Adam Scott (2013) away from having done twice.
Kevin Streelman (150-1)
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Last We Saw Kevin Streelman: Missed the cut at the Shell Houston Open
2015 Masters Finish: T12
Best Masters Finish: T12 in 2015
Kevin Streelman did good work at Augusta National last year, improving on his tied-for-42nd showing in 2014. However, the 37-year-old has missed the cut in each of his last three starts, so the majority of prognosticators will be writing him off entering the season's first major.
Streelman is 106th in total strokes gained, which is concerning until you remember that he was 96th last year, when he tied for 12th at the Masters.
If Streelman's recent subpar performances have been due to non-golf-related distractions—his second child, Rhett, was born last week—perhaps he could improve upon last year's outing at Augusta.
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Byeong-Hun An (150-1)
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Last We Saw Byeong-Hun An: T9 at the WGC-Dell Match Play
2015 Masters Finish: N/A
Best Masters Finish: Missed cut in 2010
Not well-known among fans of the PGA Tour, Byeong-Hun An splits his time between the PGA and European tours.
The 24-year-old tied for fourth at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour in February and was solid at the WGC-Dell Match Play, winning his group before a neck injury forced him to withdraw midway through his match with Rafael Cabrera Bello.
An, the No. 26-ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking, is a top-tier talent. While he missed the cut as an amateur at Augusta in 2010, his appearance there has to be a net positive at a course that prizes experience and local knowledge.
Assuming his neck checks out, don't overlook the South Korean.
Billy Horschel (150-1)
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Last We Saw Billy Horschel: T38 at the WGC-Dell Match Play
2015 Masters Finish: Missed cut
Best Masters Finish: T37 in 2014
A cut-misser at Augusta last year, Billy Horschel is a power player who has no trouble hitting the ball high—a traditional attribute of Masters champions. Horschel tied for 20th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, firing off two sub-70 rounds prior to failing to get out of the group stage at the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Charley Hoffman (125-1)
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Last We Saw Charley Hoffman: T33 at the Shell Houston Open
2015 Masters Finish: T9
Best Masters Finish: T9 in 2015
At 125-1 odds, Charley Hoffman is one of the best dark-horse bets based on his recent form and his play at last year's Masters.
While he faded over the weekend in Houston, Hoffman opened with a stellar eight-under 64 and carded a second-round 70. He arrived in Houston with top-20 finishes in his previous two stroke-play events, too.
His recent outings would seem to indicate the California native can reprise his 2015 performance.
Bill Haas (125-1)
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Last We Saw Bill Haas: T9 at the WGC-Dell Match Play
2015 Masters Finish: T12
Best Masters Finish: T12 in 2015
Bill Haas returns to Augusta following a career-best finish last year. He finished second in a playoff at the Valspar Championship in his most recent stroke-play event. He's totaled an impressive four top-10 finishes in nine starts this season.
In addition to his tie for 12th at Augusta last year, the 33-year-old tied for 20th in both 2013 and 2014, so his strong showing in 2015 was no fluke.
Veteran, stalwart and a perennial strong performer, Haas is a solid dark-horse bet.
J.B. Holmes (120-1)
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Last We Saw J.B. Holmes: Withdrew from the Shell Houston Open prior to the opening round with a shoulder injury.
2015 Masters Finish: Missed cut
Best Masters Finish: T25 in 2008
You can't overlook a guy who averages 313.2 yards off the tee (second on tour) and hits the ball higher than anyone at a course that prizes both of those qualities.
With top-15 finishes in four of his last five stroke-play starts, Holmes is playing quality golf at the moment.
His opening-round 76 at Augusta National last year put him outside the cut line, but the long hitter rebounded with a second-round 71. Assuming he's able to play more like he did in the second round and his shoulder isn't an issue, Holmes ought to be able to dominate Augusta's gettable par fives. If he hangs tough on par threes and fours, he could contend.
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