Masters Odds 2016: Predictions for Top Favorites Heading into Augusta

The first major of the year should be a brilliant exhibition of golf at perhaps the most legendary course in the United States, if not the world.

Augusta National should be in excellent condition throughout the majority of the week, although the Weather Channel predicted there could be some thunderstorms when the Masters Tournament gets underway Thursday. The rest of the week should be crystal-clear.

Three golfers are getting the bulk of the attention as far as the handicappers are concerned. Jason Day is the 7-1 favorite, while Rory McIlroy (19-2) and Jordan Spieth (10-1) are the second and third choices, according to Odds Shark. 

Bubba Watson, a two-time winner at Augusta, and Adam Scott, another former Masters champion, are right behind at 12-1.

Player	Odds	Prediction	Skinny
Jordan Spieth	7-1	Not in top 10	Trouble on moving day.
Jason Day	7-1	Winner	At his best on back nine Sunday.
Rory McIlroy	7-1	Not in top 10	Too wild off the tee.
Bubba Watson	10-1	Third	Makes another run at Augusta.
Adam Scott	10-1	Second	Putter keeps him from getting second green jacket.

Spieth, of course, won the Masters in runaway fashion last year, and he was able to double up on major championships when he also won the U.S. Open.

McIlroy is itching to win the Masters because it is the only major he has not been able to corral yet.

Day was a runaway winner of the PGA Championship in August, and the Australian has the all-around game to make it two majors in a row.

While anyone can make a good case for all three of the favorites, it's just as easy to do that for the two second choices. Watson appears to have a game that suits Augusta as well as any of the other top pros. The huge left-hander has explosive power, and his creativity with the short game makes him a dangerous contender.

DON EMMERT/Getty Images

Scott is on top of his game, and he may be the sport's best ball striker when he is playing with full confidence. Scott won the 2013 Masters, and he has already won two PGA Tour events this year.

While the field is strong and deep, it seems that the winner will emerge from this group of five. Apologies to Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen and Rickie Fowler, but when Day, Spieth, McIlroy, Watson and Scott are at their best, they are a step above the rest.

Justin Ray of Golf Channel noted Spieth will try to make history:

While Spieth was impressive in the first half of last year, winning two majors, he appears to be fatigued and not as sharp this year. He has just one top-10 finish since winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January. Unless he serves notice by getting to the front early, we don't see him making it back-to-back championships at the Masters.

McIlroy is not at the top of his game, either. He has been too wild and unpredictable lately, and his lack of accuracy off the tee (145th) may keep him from stringing four excellent rounds together.

That's not the case with Day, who has won the last two tournaments that he has played. He has every shot in the game (20th in driving distance, third in strokes gained from putting), and his victory at the PGA Championship last year showed he's at his best when the pressure is the thickest.

Day has the distance off the tee, the touch in his short game and the skill with the putter to earn the green jacket.

Will he be able to hold off Watson and Scott? When Watson is on his game, he seems to own Augusta the way that Tiger Woods did when he was at the peak of his career. If Watson makes his putts and keeps the ball in the fairway consistently, he is going to be difficult to beat.

The same holds true for Scott. He is such a fine shot-maker and his swing is so picturesque that it's difficult to pick against Day's countryman.

Predictions

This could be a tournament for the ages if two or more of the top five betting choices are on top of their games. We expect Day, Watson and Scott to be close to top form.

Day has the all-around game and the ability to make clutch putts on a consistent basis. Look for him to play his best golf on the back nine Sunday, and that's when he will get away from his countryman. Scott will have a wonderful week when it comes to playing from tee to green, but he won't make enough putts.

Watson will finish a solid third with his spectacular distance off the tee (311.1 yards per drive). However, at least one out-of-bounds shot on the front nine of the closing round will trouble him, and that will take him out of title contention.

McIlroy and Spieth will play themselves out of contention on moving day, but their time will come later this year at the U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship.

Stats courtesy of the PGA Tour's official website.