Who will win the Masters in 2022? Check out our latest picks for this years opening major.
All the attention leading into the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club revolved around the return of Tiger Woods. But there is so much more happening in the year’s first major.
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Why he’ll win: There is such a thing as momentum in golf. And no one has more than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. In January, Scheffler might have been a Masters sleeper at best. Now, he has to be the favorite. A winner at the WM Phoenix Open, Bay Invitational and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, he has the confidence needed going to Augusta National. Golf right now belongs to Scottie Scheffler.
Winner: Cameron Smith
Why he’ll win: Smith is coming off a win at the Players and has contended in three out of the past four Masters, including a runner-up finish in 2020. He said it himself in his news conference: He’s confident and his game is ready. His advantages? Creative play on a hilly Augusta course and a locked-in short game. He’s going to chip and putt his way to a green jacket on Sunday.
Winner: Brooks Koepka
Why he’ll win: Who’s a highly ranked player no one is talking about with major championship experience and titles? Who also has played in atrocious weather and been successful, with a respectable record at Augusta already? Who might have a chip on his shoulder since his former bestie and now rival, Dustin Johnson, has a green jacket that this player doesn’t have? Yeah, Brooks Koepka checks all the boxes.
Winner: Jon Rahm
Why he’ll win: We could throw around a bunch of stats from 2022 (first in shots gained off the tee, fourth in shots gained tee to green) or past performances in majors (five straight T-8 or better finishes) or at Augusta specifically (four straight T-9 or better finishes). But the real reason Rahm will get fitted for his first green jacket is that he can’t believe he doesn’t have one already. And with Scottie Scheffler taking away his world No. 1 ranking, Rahm couldn’t come to Augusta with any more motivation than he will bring with him this year.
Winner: Viktor Hovland
Why he’ll win: Are we picking the 24-year-old Norwegian to win again? Absolutely. Chipping aside (seriously, let’s not talk about the terribly bad chipping), Hovland remains one of the best drivers and iron players on tour. This season, he has found himself in the top 10 for nearly every tournament. And in the past, he has had strong finishes at Augusta with a T-32 as an amateur and T-21 last year. But the real reason he’ll get his first green jacket? The simple fact that Hovland always has a smile on his face and shows us time and time again that he’s just happy to be there and doing what he loves. Mix it all together and you’ve got yourself a green jacket winner.
Winner: Justin Thomas
Why he’ll win: He’s rounding into major form. He has figured out how to play Augusta National. He’s ready for that second major.
Winner: Tony Finau
Why he’ll win: No, he hasn’t played great in 2022 – three missed cuts and no top 20s in six events. But he knows how to get around this place – three top 10s in four appearances. He was in the final group with Tiger Woods on Sunday in 2019, when Woods stunned the world by winning his fifth green jacket. Finau played respectably that day, shooting even-par 72 and finished fifth. He handled that moment. He won’t be intimidated by anything this year’s Masters throws at him.
Winner: Collin Morikawa
Why he’ll win: My heart says Tiger; my head says Morikawa, who won the PGA Championship and The Open in his first starts in those events. He’s one of the best iron players in the world, and ball striking might be the most important skill in the Masters. He improved from a tie for 44th in 2020 to a tie for 18th at Augusta National last year. A green jacket would give Morikawa three-fourths of the career grand slam, and he would join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth as the only golfers to win three majors at age 25 since World War II.
Winner: Jon Rahm
Why he’ll win: He’s the only player to post top-10 finishes in each of the past four Masters. Plus, he hasn’t posted a single round over par for 15 consecutive rounds, one shy of Tiger’s record 16 straight rounds of par or better. That consistency will earn Rahm the green jacket Sunday.
Winner: Tiger Woods
Why he’ll win: GOAT.
My Goat Sports 