The Masters has been chalky in recent years.
Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm have combined to win the past three green jackets, doing so with average odds of 10/1.
Scheffler was a +500 favorite when he won last April, marking the fifth time in six years that a player from the top five on the betting board won at Augusta National.
The lone exception was Hideki Matsuyama, who won the tournament as a 40/1 outsider in 2021.
Things weren’t always this predictable on Magnolia Lane. In 2016, Danny Willett cashed as a 50/1 long shot. The following two winners, Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed, were 30/1 and 50/1, respectively.
In 2011, Charl Schwarzel won the green jacket at 110/1. Two years before that, it was Angel Cabrera who outran his 125/1 odds. The two winners before that, Trevor Immelman and Zach Johnson, were also triple-digit long shots.
The point is, the Masters used to be a place of shock and awe. Lately, it’s felt like the opposite.
This year’s field does feel more wide open than it has in recent years. Scheffler isn’t scorch-earthing the PGA Tour, Rahm is on LIV, and who knows how second-favorite Rory McIlroy will handle the heaps of pressure on his shoulders.
After years of chalk, it feels like we’re due for another Schwartzel or Willett to be the last man standing on the 18th green.
Here are a few players that could fit the bill.