US Masters: South Korean Im can challenge for major honours at Augusta
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Scheffler and McIlroy favourites in US Masters odds
Excitement is building for next week’s US Masters when world number one Scottie Scheffler is the 7/1 favourite to make a successful defence of the title he won last year by three shots from Rory McIlroy, who is 15/2 to complete the career grand slam.
Scheffler heads into the year’s first major in excellent form having won two of his last four strokeplay tournaments, retaining the Phoenix Open in February which he followed with an impressive five-shot victory at The Players Championship.
The 26-year-old American was 12th at Riviera and fourth at Bay Hill recently, and two weeks ago was a semi-finalist at the WGC Match Play, but only three players have ever won the US Masters back-to-back, so we’ll look elsewhere for potential winners.
Rory on Augusta glory trail
Aside from a missed cut at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy has been in excellent nick and is in good shape to finally win a Green Jacket at Augusta National where he has finished in the top 10 on seven occasions.
It would not be a surprise if the Northern Irishman finally got over the line, but at 15/2 we’re tempted by bigger prices lower down the field, starting with Im Sung-jae at 33/1 in the US Masters odds.
The South Korean has generally struggled in majors, but his record at Augusta is excellent, finishing runner-up on his debut at the rescheduled 2020 Masters held in the autumn. Twelve months ago he was the first-round leader and in outright third heading into the final round, only for a closing 75 resulting in him finishing in eighth.
He said: “Augusta National Golf Club is a course that requires precision in every shot, and I think I was able to percentage-wise play good tee to green, so this course I think fits my game, and that’s why I played well the last two years.”
Happy 25th birthday, Sungjae Im 🎉
The best shots from Im’s career are 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙚! pic.twitter.com/YBgL2V1saQ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 30, 2023
Recent form is encouraging too, with three top 10s since the turn of the year, including sixth at Sawgrass where a third-round 64 put him on the first page of the leaderboard only for a 72 to leave him off the pace.
Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 champion, also produced a strong performance at The Players Championship where a closing 67-68 helped secure outright fifth and his US Masters record is superb.
The 31-year-old Japanese has finished inside the top 20 in six of his last eight visits and his strokes gained around the green stats, one of the measures key to earning a Green Jacket, have been exceptional this season.
Masterful Matsuyama.
Hideki is the 2021 Masters champion. pic.twitter.com/JilGnKF5ga
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 11, 2021
At 40/1, Matsuyama looks a good price to win a second major and give us another iconic bowing moment from his caddy at the 18th.
Three-time major winner and 2015 champion Jordan Spieth is peaking at just the right time, with three top-six finishes in his last five strokeplay tournaments and we expect him to get back to his early Augusta form next week.
Spieth should have made it back-to-back Green Jackets in 2016 when he held a five-shot lead heading into the back nine but bogeys at 10 and 11 portended the disaster at the par-three 12th where he put two balls in the water for a quadruple bogey which allowed Danny Willett to sneak in through the back door.
Jordan Spieth just shot the best 36 holes in the history of #TheMasters. pic.twitter.com/avlytf59mA
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 10, 2015
Between 2014-18, his Augusta figures read 2-1-2-11-3 and although the last four years have been lean, apart from 2021 when he was third, this could be the moment the American lands his first major title since the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale six years ago.
Spieth, a 16/1 shot, ticks a lot of the statistical boxes and trends required to succeed around this difficult course, especially in strokes gained both around the green and in approach.
For those who like their omens, Spieth’s last two wins at the 2021 Texas Open and last year’s Heritage both fell on Easter Sunday when the Masters champion will be crowned.
If you are looking for triple-figure US Masters odds, then Russell Henley and Harris English fit the bill at 125/1 and 200/1 respectively.
Henley has never finished inside the top 10 in any of his 28 appearances which clearly is a klaxon call for another failure, but the American likes this course and has finished in the top 35 in each of his last five appearances.
The American was 11th in 2017, 15th a year later and although he failed to break 70 last April, he produced another top-30 finish.
Henley ended a five-year title drought by winning in Mexico in November just 10 months after losing a play-off with Matsuyama at the Sony Open.
A top-20 at Sawgrass suggests his game is in good shape and while victory may be beyond him, his each-way prospects may be worth examining.
English is making just his fourth appearance at Augusta National and has improved on each occasion, starting with a missed cut on his 2014 debut, 42nd in 2016 and two years ago he was just outside the top 20.
The four-time PGA Tour winner, who finished in the top five at the US Open in both 2020 and 2021, was runner-up at the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational and 12th at Rivieira recently, so he’s hitting his stride ahead of the year’s first major.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
