Golfers with strong tee to green form, who have a proven track record at\u00a0Augusta National Golf Club<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and other major championships, will hold a clear edge this week. Augusta National has the most predictive course history, and it\u2019s not particularly close. Length off the tee, precision with mid to long iron approaches, imaginative short game play, and the ability to capitalize on par 5 scoring opportunities are all critical components for success.<\/p>\n The Masters is the only major golf event played at the same course every year. Players competing here receive their opportunity by invitation only after meeting certain qualifications, leaving the field to only around 90 total golfers. Qualifying criteria include:<\/p>\n The top 50 players (plus ties) qualify to compete on the weekend. The field sits at 91 golfers for this year\u2019s event and is among the strongest ever assembled. Every single player ranked in the current top-50 in the world will be in attendance this week. It appears to be more of a wide-open tournament this year as the consensus top two players in the field each have question marks about the state of their game.<\/p>\n For the first time in his career,\u00a0Rory McIlroy<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0will drive down Magnolia Lane this week as a Masters champion. Nearly a year ago, McIlroy made a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to defeat England\u2019s\u00a0Justin Rose<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Though his recent form has been shaky, including having to withdraw from the\u00a0Arnold Palmer<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0Invitational a month ago due to a back injury, he remains one of the favorites to win. His three-week layoff is tied for the longest of his career entering the Masters.<\/p>\n World No. 1 and two-time Masters winner\u00a0Scottie Scheffler<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0enters the week with more questions surrounding his game than at any point in recent memory. After going an entire calendar year without finishing worse than T8, his last three starts have resulted in T22, T24, and T12, accompanied by some of his weakest approach numbers in years. With the recent birth of his second child, Scheffler has not followed his typical preparation for\u00a0The Masters Tournament<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and has not competed since\u00a0The Players Championship<\/span><\/span>\u00a0three weeks ago.<\/p>\n Six amateurs are competing, including U.S. Amateur champion\u00a0Mason Howell<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>. The final field includes only 10 members of LIV Golf \u2013 seven of which are past champions. In total, 18 previous winners are scheduled to play: McIlroy, Scheffler,\u00a0Jon Rahm<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Hideki Matsuyama<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Dustin Johnson<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Patrick Reed<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Sergio Garcia<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Danny Willett<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Jordan Spieth<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Bubba Watson<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Adam Scott<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Charl Schwartzel<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>, Angel Cabrera,\u00a0Zach Johnson<\/a><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Mike Weir<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Vijay Singh<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>, Jose Maria Olazabal and\u00a0Fred Couples<\/a><\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n In each preview article and on\u00a0Discord<\/a>, I present my final model, which gives a detailed player ranking of the most important stats and splits for the week. My modeling is based on the PGA\u2019s Strokes Gained data, which is categorized into SG: Off the Tee (OTT), SG: Approach (APP), SG: Around the Green (ARG), and SG: Putting (P). Learn more about\u00a0Strokes Gained<\/a>\u00a0and why it can be so useful in analyzing the past and predicting future performance. Many of these specific metrics and conditions can be found in \u201cThe Rabbit Hole<\/a>\u201c, with my final model exclusively published here and in the Discord for subscribers.<\/p>\n https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/10dUU9oqUr2kw-_c9jJxtS9E0g5h1stJAmkBYb3wDDMY\/edit?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n For the most up-to-date picks, check out my\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to our\u00a0Discord<\/a>\u00a0at BetspertsGolf.com.<\/em><\/p>\nThe Field<\/h2>\n
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Past Winners & Odds<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nMost Important Stats For Success at Augusta National<\/h2>\n
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Key\u00a0Rabbit Hole<\/a>\u00a0Filters<\/h2>\n
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The Masters \u2013 Final Model<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nOutright Betting Selections<\/h2>\n
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Finish Position<\/h2>\n
Top 10<\/h4>\n