The 80th Masters Tournament is set to tee off on April 7. The Masters, located in Augusta Georgia, is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year.
The Augusta National Golf Club is a sight to see. While you are watching the golf, you might see a beautiful backdrop. Since the Augusta National property is a former plant nursery, there are flowers everywhere, as noted by each hole name.
As opposed to other years in the past, this year’s tournament has not clear winner. Big names like Jordan Spieth, Rory Mcllory, Bubba Watson, and even Jason Day all have a shot at putting on the green jacket, which is the ‘trophy,’ at the end of Sunday.
Unlike any other majors, the Masters is played at Augusta every year. This can be an advantage to golfers who have played well there before.
Evan’s Predictions
3rd Place: Jason Day
Jason Day is the world’s No. 1 golfer. In Day’s past 13 worldwide starts, he has six wins; all at big events (Canadian Open, PGA Championship, Barclays, BMW Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the WGC-Dell Match Play), and it’s his complete game that has made him a must-follow each week. In 324 holes played this season, Day has three-putted just six times, and has yet to miss a putt all season from inside four feet. Many are saying one would have to be crazy not to pick Day to win this year; fine call me crazy. This ranking comes with a ton of pressure. He will do well enough to finish in the top three, however he won’t capture the green jacket just yet. Eventually one year Day will be wearing the green jacket on Sunday, just not this year.
2nd Place: Jordan Spieth
In two Masters starts, Spieth has finished no worse than second, and I think for whatever reason, he gets to Augusta and his comfort level goes through the roof. He knows Augusta, he knows how to win majors, and I think he feels that if it’s a battle come Sunday, it benefits him more than anyone else in the field. Spieth already has his green jacket. This year, I think he falls up just short. Being a back-to-back champion is very tough to do, especially at the Masters. His putting game will put him into second place, just not first.
1st Place: Rory Mcllory
Rory is my winner for the 2016 Masters Tournament. Although Rory is having an average year, he still is my champion. His combination of fairways missed (he’s 145th on Tour in driving accuracy) and struggles with the putter (94th in strokes gained putting) could make for a long week for most, but I still think McIlroy’s talent keeps him afloat and in the conversation come Sunday. This lack of pressure that follows Rory will suit him for the title chase. In the end, you can always pick the winner that the experts say. Rory has never won a Masters but he is looking to attack this tournament by taking more of a laid back approach. Rory will finally be wearing that Green Jacket on Sunday.
