Who could win their first Major at Augusta National? We look at the main contenders...
Potential First-Time Major Champions At Augusta
Augusta National is often the location for players to open their account in the Majors – so could it be a first-timer who wins again this year?
Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Danny Willett, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Charl Schwartzel all won their maiden Major title at The Masters over the past decade.
Related: The Masters Betting Tips 2021
Below, we look at some first-timers who could pick up a Green Jacket this year…
Potential First-Time Major Champions At Augusta:
The former World No.1 is destined for greatness, with 12 pro wins to his name already despite only joining the paid ranks in mid-2016.
Rahm has finished in the top-10 in his last three Masters starts (4th, T9th, T7th).
He will be riding the new dad wave after recently becoming a father for the first time.
Schauffele has won four PGA Tour titles
The American has been playing some great golf in 2021, with three top-5 finishes in his last seven starts.
Schauffele has a fantastic record in Major Championships, finishing in the top-10 seven times out of 14.
In 2019, he finished runner-up to Tiger Woods at Augusta.
Fleetwood has had two runners-up finishes and a fourth place in Majors since the start of 2017.
The five-time European Tour winner’s best finish at Augusta is a T17th – he will surely better that in the coming years.
Related: Golf Tipsters from around the web pick their Masters winner
Tyrrell Hatton has been in scintillating form over the last 18 months, claiming four victories worldwide, including his first PGA Tour win and three Rolex Series events.
The Englishman’s record isn’t the greatest at The Masters but he has only played in the tournament four times.
Hatton is an accurate ball striker, a superb wedge player and a great putter, so is bound to put in a great performance around Augusta sooner than later.
The American is one of the most consistent performers on the PGA Tour and will enter Augusta with lots of confidence after seven top-20 finishes in eight starts.
Cantlay was low amateur at Augusta in 2012 and finished T9th in 2019, where he bogeyed 16 and 17 after eagling the 15th to take the lead in the final round. In 2020, he finished T17th.
What is there to say about the 47-year-old’s last few months?
In 2021, Westwood seems to be arguably playing the golf of his life, going toe-to-toe with some of the best players in the world.
At the the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship, the Englishman managed runner-up finishes to Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas.
Westwood is still one of the game’s best from tee to green and he has shown he can still putt very well.
The Englishman has five top-10s at Augusta including two runners-up finishes.
Since claiming his first victory in 2016, Finau has had a staggering 37 top-10 finishes without a win. Although he is yet to add to that sole win, he will definitely be a contender for the Green Jacket.
Finau has a good record in Major Championships, as well as Augusta, with the American finishing in the top-10 twice in his last three starts.
Casey has won 20 times as a professional
Casey is still playing some top quality golf at the age of 43 and will come into The Masters with confidence after victory at the Dubai Desert Classic in January.
The Englishman has five top-10s at Augusta including three in a row from 2015-2017.
The Australian has managed three top-20 finishes in his last four starts, with the standout being a 4th place finish at the Genesis Invitational.
The 27-year-old has a great record at Augusta, finishing T5th in 2018 and runner-up to Dustin Johnson in last year’s event.
In the process, Smith also became the first golfer in Masters history to shoot all four rounds in the 60’s (67-68-69-69).
Since golf has returned from lockdown, Berger has been one of the in-form players, claiming two victories and nine top-10 finishes.
The American hasn’t played at Augusta for two years, not qualifying for the event since 2018.
However, on his debut, Berger managed a T10 finish.
The Englishman has four top-10 finishes in his last five starts, with his most recent victory coming five months ago at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Fitzpatrick has made every cut at The Masters since 2016, with his best Major finish also coming at Augusta, where he finished in a tie for 7th in 2016.
Other notables seeking a maiden Major: Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im, Billy Horschel, Harris English, Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama
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