Masters Odds 2019: Latest Predictions for PGA's Top Ranked Players
The top three players in the Official World Golf Rankings are the three favorites to don the green jacket at the conclusion of The Masters.
Rory McIlroy is ranked third in the world, but he is the odds-on favorite to win his first tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, per OddsChecker.
Dustin Johnson is second behind Justin Rose in the world rankings, and he is also directly beneath McIlroy on the odds chart for the first major of the 2019 season.
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Rose, who like Johnson only has one major title in his possession, enters Augusta as the top-ranked player in the world, but he has the third-best odds to take home the green jacket.
Including McIlroy, Johnson and Rose, six of the top nine players in the eyes of the oddsmakers are major champions, which hints at a star-studded field fighting for the green jacket on Sunday.
Predictions For Top Ranked Players
Justin Rose
Rose isn't the first player you mention in the conversation of favorites to win a major tournament.
Usually that honor goes to McIlroy, Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods or another big name, but Rose is more than capable of taking home his second major crown at Augusta.
The 2013 U.S. Open winner won the Farmers Insurance Open in January and earned a tie for eighth at The Players Championship.
The Englishman has also been remarkably consistent at The Masters over the last five years, finishing in the top 15 in every year since 2014.
From 2015 to 2017, Rose strung together three consecutive top-10 finishes that were bookended by a pair of runner-up medals.
In his last nine rounds at Augusta, Rose has carded a 72 or lower, and we are likely to see similar scores out of the 38-year-old.
But with so many heavy hitters in the field, Rose is going to need to break out a round in the mid-60s to separate himself from the other contenders.
If he can hit the ball similar to 2015, when he carded a 67 in the first and third rounds, Rose will be at the top of the leaderboard at some point over the weekend.
But if he follows his recent trend of shooting between 69 and 72 at Augusta, he might not record enough birdies to earn the green jacket.
Prediction: Tie for fifth.
Dustin Johnson
Johnson is viewed as one of the Masters favorites because he's landed in the top 10 in each of his last four stroke-play tournaments.
The 34-year-old won the World Golf Championships event in Mexico and followed that up with a tie for fifth at The Players Championship and a tie for sixth at the Valspar Championship.
In those three tournaments, Johnson scored in the 60s in all but one round, with a first-round 64 in Mexico being the best mark.
In his last three Masters, the second-ranked golfer in the world has landed in the top 10, with a tie for 10th coming a year ago.
Four of Johnson's last 12 rounds at Augusta have been in the 60s, and the worst number of the bunch is a 73.
If he produces the same consistency and records at least one score in the 60s, Johnson will be in the mix for the green jacket.
If anything, Johnson will be in contention Sunday, but we're leaning toward another in-form golfer to take home the green jacket.
Prediction: Tie for third.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy is favored to win his first major title since the 2015 PGA Championship and complete the career Grand Slam.
The 29-year-old from Northern Ireland hasn't experienced a dip in form since the start of 2019, with top-10 finishes in seven straight tournaments.
McIlroy won The Players Championship by putting together four rounds of 70 or under, and he's carded a score under 65 in one round in four of his last five stroke-play tournaments.
McIlroy proved he's capable of shooting low rounds at Augusta during last year's competition, when he carded a first-round 69 and third-round 65.
Unfortunately for McIlroy, a final-round 74 derailed his chances of finally crossing the green jacket off his career wish list.
With some of the best recent form of anyone in the field and extra motivation to rebound from his tough finish at Augusta a year ago, McIlroy will command the leaderboard and win his fifth major tournament.
Prediction: Champion
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from PGATour.com
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