AUGUSTA, Ga. — Here are my picks for this week’s Masters, the August Nationals, which starts Thursday.
Xander Schauffele
He has won seven times on the PGA Tour and is aiming for his first major. He has finished in the top 10 in the majors 11 times, seven in the top six and six in the top five.
He’s ready and in a good head space.
This week is his time.
Scotty Scheffler
Considering he won the 2022 Masters, enters this week ranked No. 1, and has won two of his past three starts and finished runner-up in the one he hasn’t won. It’s difficult to choose who to play against.
He looks almost certain to be the leader in almost every ball-striking statistic on the PGA Tour.
Brooks Koepka
When it comes to the majors, it’s hard to ignore Koepka as the sport’s top big-game hunter.
He was runner-up last year, and this is his second runner-up finish at the Masters.
He has already won two U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships.
Maybe now is the time to be in Augusta.
The defending champion comes to Augusta as part of LIV Golf and will be hurt by the criticism he received for jumping for money.
Will Zalatoris
He was runner-up at the 2021 Masters and came into the week coming off a solid T13, T2 and T4 finish earlier this year after a year of back surgery and rehabilitation.
He played with Tiger Woods on Monday to exercise his brain.
Ludwig Aberg
Indeed, this is his first Masters, and no first-timer has won since Fuzzy Zoller in 1979.
But the 24-year-old Swede is a good player.
He led the Valero field at Strokes Gained: Tee to Green last week and has performed well in pressure situations, as evidenced by his Ryder Cup debut last fall.
