There may be nonetheless numerous golf to play between now and the Masters, together with landmark occasions just like the Phoenix Open and The Gamers Championship, however, as is the character of the game, all roads result in Augusta Nationwide for the primary main of the yr.
As all the time, the narrative is already constructing, and the Masters odds are shaping. Will Rory McIlroy turn into simply the fourth participant to win back-to-back Masters? Is Scottie Scheffler going to be fitted into his third inexperienced jacket in 5 years? Or will somebody like Ludvig Aberg or Tommy Fleetwood break their main geese on the hallowed turf in Georgia?
We’ll have to attend and see, however for now, let’s check out the final 5 winners and the way they landed arguably the game’s most coveted prize.
2025: Rory McIlroy
It was attending to the purpose, if it hadn’t already, the place it appeared Rory McIlroy was by no means going to win the Masters. He’d tried and are available so shut many occasions up to now, together with ending second in 2022, however he simply couldn’t grasp Augusta Nationwide persistently sufficient over 4 rounds to be topped champion.
That each one modified final yr. McIlroy battled his demons in Georgia, in the end beating Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose in a dramatic play-off. His emotional celebration after the successful putt on the 18th inexperienced shall be remembered for years.
2024: Scottie Scheffler
2024 marked Scottie Scheffler’s second Masters triumph. Few gamers have mastered Augusta Nationwide fairly as rapidly because the World No.1, as this was simply his fifth begin within the match. The truth is, this victory made him the second-quickest particular person to win two inexperienced jackets after Horton Smith, who did so in three begins again within the Nineteen Thirties.
Scheffler is already a modern-day nice, and this version of the Masters was not often unsure, because the American gained by 4 strokes from debutant Aberg. He’ll be a well-liked selection with these on the lookout for golf bets once more this yr.
2023: Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm etched his title into folklore in 2023, additionally cruising to victory in fairly snug circumstances. A resurging Phil Mickelson shot an attention-grabbing seven underneath par on the ultimate day, however that solely put the three-time champion to -8 and nonetheless 4 strokes wanting Rahm (-12).
He ended Spain’s 40-year watch for a fourth Masters champion, along with his victory coming 4 many years after Seve Ballesteros’ second Augusta success. To make the second much more memorable, it might have been the legend’s 66th birthday. Some issues are simply written within the stars in relation to sport.
2022: Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler entered the 2022 Masters in red-hot type, with victories within the Phoenix Open and Arnold Palmer Invitational serving to him climb to No.1 on the earth. He marked his first begin as one of the best participant on the planet with an emphatic victory at Augusta.
Opening rounds of 69 and 67 gave Scheffler the lead on the midway level, and he maintained that place with consecutive rounds of 71 to complete at -10, three strokes away from McIlroy, whose final-round 64 wasn’t sufficient to disclaim the Texan his maiden main.
2021: Hideki Matsuyama
One of many greatest shocks of the modern-day Masters got here in 2021, when huge outsider Hideki Matsuyama defied the chances to turn into the primary Japanese golfer to win a serious. Some bookmakers had the 2011 Low Novice as large as 60/1 to assert the inexperienced jacket, however even a nervy final-round 73 wasn’t sufficient to derail Matsuyama, who beat Will Zalatoris by a shot.
