Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2022 Masters Tournament

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2022 Masters Tournament 

Masters Tournament Fantasy Preview

It’s finally here!

The 2022 edition of The Masters is shaping up to be a classic, with a good 20 or so players with a genuine chance of relinquishing Hideki Matsuyama of his green jacket. Oh, and there’s the possibility of a return from one Mr T. Woods….hopefully, anyway.

The early media content suggests that Augusta National is looking in fine order, and despite a pretty fruity weather forecast – more on that later – the scene is set for another wonderful edition of what is (whisper it) the greatest golf tournament on earth.

The field is now set, with JJ Spaun the last man to gate-crash the party with his victory at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday.

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To say he showed tremendous character would be an understatement. Spaun became the first PGA TOUR event winner since Tiger himself in 2008 to make a double-bogey in the final round and still lift the trophy – a feat achieved when he managed to fire his way back into contention on a jammed leaderboard….at one point, five players were tied for the lead at -10.

But none of the quintet could really go beyond that mark, and Spaun – who rallied and played the back nine in -2 – ended up winning by two shots from a pair of Matts, Jones and Kuchar.

The Texas Open champion will be making his debut at Augusta this week just days after clinching his maiden PGA TOUR title….does it get any better than that for a professional golfer?

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Not a bad week at the Valero with four of the main seven picks finishing in the T8 or better position (Woodland, Hadwin, Merritt, and Bradley).   

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So far we have a total of  seven winners picked this season, so let’s take some of that success into this week’s big Masters DFS pools!

Masters Tournament Field

As ever with The Masters, it’s easier to list which of golf’s biggest stars won’t be teeing it up at Augusta National.

We know that Phil Mickelson won’t be in the field – while no official reason has been given, his comments about the PGA TOUR and the rumored Saudi Arabian breakaway tour have probably had something to do with it.

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Matsuyama has been struggling with back and neck injuries – he faces a race against time to be fit for his title defense, while Abraham Ancer withdrew from the Texas Open with no official reason given. Perhaps he is one to avoid until more information comes to light.

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Harris English will also sit The Masters out as he recovers from hip surgery, but otherwise you’ve got the best players in the world, some of the best amateurs (Keita Nakajima, Stewart Hagestad and co) and former Augusta champions such as Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples and Vijay Singh.

And then, of course, there’s Tiger Woods. He isn’t expected to make an announcement on his participation in the tournament until Wednesday, although we know he’s in Georgia and has already had a couple of practice rounds at Augusta. Could he make his comeback after more than a year on the sidelines?

This Week’s Course Preview

There are a couple of course alterations to let you know about, but otherwise Augusta remains timeless and undisturbed in its splendor.

The eleventh (Par 4) and fifteenth (Par 5) have been lengthened by 15 and 20 yards respectively, while the tee box on the eleventh has been shifted to the left to make the sightline off the peg that little bit more difficult.

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By now, you know all about the drive down Magnolia Lane, the beautiful flowers and the trees out on the course – this is botanical and sporting excellent combined. Bobby Jones and Alister McKenzie were responsible for the original blueprints, and their concept has been faithfully restored by the likes of Tom Fazio ever since the 1933 opening.

And it gets no easier. With those course modifications, the Par 72 track now plays at in excess of 7,500 yards – remember, the grass grows either laterally towards the trees or back towards the tee boxes….so it actually plays even longer than that.

While not as overly bedevilled by water hazards and bunkers as other layouts, another defense of Augusta is the stark elevation changes – these are not only tough on the legs of the players and their caddies, but they also require plenty of intelligence both in club selection and strategy….that’s why debutants at this stretch often struggle.

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There’s the famous tree-lines and doglegs – it’s often been considered an advantage to shape your ball from right-to-left here, and while the rough has largely been replaced by pine straw, there is still something of a premium in finding the fairway off the tee.

The Bentgrass greens run super-pure and pretty fast too, and their complex undulations and tight run-offs place a great emphasis on hitting accurate approaches….or being able to extricate yourself out of trouble from around them, at least.

After almost a century, Augusta National remains as beguiling and as befuddling as ever, and no matter whether you hit it 280 yards or 340, you’ve got your work cut out compiling a winning score here.

Here’s a quick hole-by-hole overview of Augusta National:

Hole 1: Tea Olive (Par 4, 445 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.26

This is the classic Augusta dogleg, sweeping from left to right, with thick tree coverage protecting both sides of the fairway. Get a good tee shot away and the players are left with a mid-range iron into a green that slopes dramatically from back to front, with a break of some 8ft possible should you land in one of the tougher parts. With natural nerves at play on the first hole of a major, this is a pant-shredding way to start.

Hole 2: Pink Dogwood (Par 5, 575 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.70

There aren’t many ‘gimmie’ birdie opportunities at Augusta, but this is one of them and the pressure is on to take advantage of the first longer hole on the course. This is the classic second shot hole, a roughly 250-yard approach into a green that slides quickly from left to right.

Hole 3: Flowering Peach (Par 4, 350 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.09

The easiest of the Par 4s, the key defense of the shortest ‘standard’ hole on the course is the small L-shaped green, which is protected by bunkers and shaved run-off areas that will shove errant approaches miles away from the pin.

Hole 4: Flowering Crab Apple (Par 3, 240 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 3.27

A hole where Augusta really bares its teeth, the players are greeted with a 220-yard carry over bunkers protecting the front and flanks of the green, and depending on pin placement shorter hitters might even have to take a rescue club into it. Devilish.

Hole 5: Magnolia (Par 4, 495 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.44

An uphill, doglegging Par 4 with two deep bunkers sat practically on the fairway, the fifth is all about getting a good drive away. The tiered green is another nuisance to overcome, and in 2021 the birdie-to-bogey ratio was around 1:15.  

Hole 6: Juniper (Par 3, 180 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 3.15

You might think that a 180-yard Par 3 is food-and-drink to these players, but that’s before you seen the green complex which features three separate tiers. If the pin is placed back right than they will also have to overcome the dramatic slope which feeds to the front left.

Hole 7: Pampas (Par 4, 450 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.24

The tough stretch continues with what is the narrowest fairway on the golf course, with a sight-line of thick Georgian pines providing the classic ‘tunnel’ look and feel. Even with a good drive, this is a contoured green protected almost 360° by five bunkers.

Hole 8: Yellow Jasmine (Par 5, 570 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.70

Get a good tee shot away and you might be in business on the eighth, although the elevated green does not mean that GIR is a given. Shorter hitters may lay up, while the longer bombers can be caught out by the bunker on the right-hand side of the fairway.

Hole 9: Carolina Cherry (Par 4, 460 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.30

The front nine concludes with a hole where a long and accurate tee shot is essential; anything other than a good hit down the right side can lead to approaches being blocked out by the trees. Two big bunkers protect the front of the green, as does a run-off area which will reject any balls that land upon it.

Hole 10: Camellia (Par 4, 495 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.31

The scene of Bubba’s famous hooked approach on his way to the 2012 triumph, thick trees line the fairways and the green slopes conclusively from right to left. Big drives have the advantage of being bounded down the fairway if they catch the slope.

Hole 11: White Dogwood (Par 4, 520 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.50

And so Amen Corner begins with arguably the toughest hole on the course – and one that has been further lengthened ahead of the 2022 edition. It’s a hole where players almost give up on birdie by laying up to a safe section of fairway directly to the right of the green, rather than attacking the small surface which is protected by a large pond. As if that wasn’t problematic enough, this is one of the tightest landing areas off the tee on the course.

Hole 12: Golden Bell (Par 3, 155 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 3.17

This may be the shortest hole on the course, but the players aren’t let off lightly by a tiny green that is protected by bunkers front and back and Rae’s Creek running ominously along the front as well. A notorious cross wind only adds to the drama.

Hole 13: Azalea (Par 5, 510 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.71

Amen Corner is swiftly followed by the easiest hole on the course. The green is protected by a thin water hazard and a series of bunkers, but if the players can get a good tee shot away they will be confident of setting up an eagle putt; birdie, of which there were 128 here in 2018, is far more likely.

Hole 14: Chinese Fir (Par 4, 440 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.22

This is perhaps the easiest tee shot on the course with no sand to worry about, but the approach is a different matter altogether, with a heavily-tiered green the key defense based upon pin placement.

Hole 15: Firethorn (Par 5, 530 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.78

One of the easiest holes on the layout, Augusta officials will look to rectify that somewhat by adding 15 yards to it. That will make the decision of either taking on the green in two, or laying up, more difficult to make. Take on the green in two or lay up? Longer hitters are able to find the dancefloor in two if they are accurate off the tee, but they must avoid the pond prowling at the front of the green. Shorter hitters will lay up, but a red number could still be on the cards here nonetheless.

Hole 16: Redbud (Par 3, 170 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 3.08

The green slopes dramatically from right to left here, with upper and lower shelves affecting the level of difficulty based on pin position. If the flag is on the lower shelf at the back of the green, the players are faced with a tough approach.

Hole 17: Nandina (Par 4, 440 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.40

Sadly, the famous Eisenhower tree did not survive a storm and had to be removed a few years back, which makes driving a whole lot easier. A left-to-right tee shot gives a good angle to attack a small green that is often said to be one of the quickest on the course.

Hole 18: Holly (Par 4, 465 yards)

Stroke Average in 2021: 4.28

With the Green Jacket in your midst, the leader will have to hit a nerve-less drive to a fairway flanked by sand left and trees right. The tiered green is protected by two deep bunkers, and with the pressure on all sorts of danger can be found on eighteen.

Weather Forecast for Augusta, GA

They say that the weather can be the making of a Masters champion, and the early forecast for Augusta suggests that could be the case in 2022 too.

It is, by all accounts, retched. There’s rain and storms predicted for Tuesday through Thursday, and so we’ll have to see how much precipitation falls – and how soft the course plays. Obviously, the greens at Augusta can handle rainfall, but remember how it relented to low scoring in the November timeslot of the rescheduled 2020 edition?

The other thing to note is that it’s damn cold – as low as 60˚F could be in the offing on Saturday – while the winds are up (21 mph on Friday, and double-figures across the weekend.

The 2022 Masters could become a war of attrition on a softer Augusta than we are used to….and that has to impact upon the players we are drafting.

AUGUSTA WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the Masters Tournament

Hideki Matsuyama enjoyed the greatest day of his golfing life on the Sunday at Augusta 12 months ago.

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He became the first Japanese male to win a major title, and he did so by clinging on for dear life as his final round threatened to unravel. Matsuyama made bogeys at 12, 15, 16 and 18 to leave the door ajar to his rivals, but Will Zalatoris just left himself too much to do down the home stretch and finished one shy of the winner’s -10 mark.

A 65 from Matsuyama – the joint-lowest of the week – on Saturday set up his run to the green jacket, and moving day was the catalyst for others to fall away in their challenge….rounds of 72 from Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose, and 73s from Cameron Smith and Tony Finau, all but ending their hopes.

In the end, Spieth and Xander Schauffele shared third place behind Matsuyama and Zalatoris, with Jon Rahm and Marc Leishman in T5.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Masters Tournament this Week

If you’ve been waiting for The Masters in order to pile in with your daily fantasy line-ups, you can enjoy the best bang for your buck from these two DK contests:

• PGA $4m Fantasy Millionaire: Of course you’re going to have an entry into the big one, right? For $15, you’ll get your shot at the $1 million top prize, and there’s a whole heap of other pay-outs to try and land – you’ll bank $1k just for finishing in the top 115. This is your slightly more expensive lottery ticket, and one that offers far more enjoyment watching the golf on TV as opposed to the lottery draw.
• PGA $100k Albatross: When there’s a stacked field, there is some worth to tackling a single-entry contest – it stops whales from covering for variance by drafting stacks of different players. If you’re entering the Milly Maker, you can still add a value play in this $12 game that pays a top prize of $10k.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the Masters Tournament  

Normally when we run through our notes for Augusta, we’re looking at a golf course that plays eye-wateringly firm and fast.

But in 2022, with the weather forecast as it is, we have to assume that the layout will play softer and more receptive, with a greater percentage of fairways found and GIR held.

Of course, the strong winds will act as a barrier to that ideology, but even so this could be a different kind of Masters to normal – especially with those chilly temperatures.

So, we’re looking for guys that are comfortable playing in adverse weather, and if the Bentgrass greens do run a touch slower then there could be ample opportunities for approach play wizards to create more scoring chances than they might normally at Augusta.

Some of the other rules still apply – typically younger guys thrive in The Masters, those that have played Augusta a few times before and those with length off the tee have an edge too….there’s not much fun for shorter hitters having to find 250+ yard approaches into these green complexes.

If you want to dig a little deeper, there are some PGA TOUR courses that have something of a correlation with Augusta – Innisbrook (Valspar Championship), Riviera (Genesis Invitational) and Bay Hill (Arnold Palmer Invitational) all share tree-heavy, doglegging landscapes as well as firm greens and elevation changes (in the case of Innisbrook) too.

Bentgrass seems to be the most unique of the grasses typically found on US soil – players with a decent record on the surface should be cherished, and those willing to grind out scores and be patient in less-than-perfect conditions will surely have their day in the sun (?) at Augusta come Sunday.

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Masters Tournament  

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2021-2022)

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