Fantasy Golf Predictions – The 2013 Masters

Fantasy Golf Predictions for the 2013 Masters April 11th – 14th, 2013

Augusta National. Photo by pocketwiley

The Course:  Easily the most famous course on the PGA TOUR, Augusta National Golf Club is located in Augusta, Georgia and has played host to the Masters since 1934 (shortly after opening for play in January 1933). Measuring 7,435 yards and playing as a Par 72, this infamous track was founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts on the site of a former indigo plantation, the course was designed by Jones and Alister MacKenzie. Augusta National is the site of the first major event and is one of the four major championships on TOUR.  The Masters is the only major played each year at the same course.

The Weather in Augusta, Georgia (from Weather.com):

• Round 1: Thursday (Apr 11) 81 degrees, 30% chance of rain, isolated T-Storms.
• Round 2: Friday (Apr 12) 76 degrees, 30% chance of rain, isolated T-Storms.
• Round 3: Saturday (Apr 13) 76 degrees, 0% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
• Round 4: Sunday (Apr 14) 79 degrees, 20% chance of rain, partly cloudy.

2012 Results: 2012 was the year that Bubba Watson hit the miraculous “draw shot heard ‘round the world” to escape the woods and land closer to the pin then his competitor Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff hole.  It was Watson’s first major title and his fourth victory on the PGA TOUR.  The win also marked the eighth consecutive first-time major champion, and the 14th different winner in as many majors. This year’s favorite Tiger Woods and currently World Ranked No. 2 Rory McIlroy, both finished at 293 (+5) in a tie for 40th place. Phil Mickelson teed off in the final pairing and was in contention during the final round, but the lefty posted a triple-bogey six on the fourth hole which knocked him back to a four-way tie for third. Bo Van Pelt posted the lowest round of the tournament with a 64 (–8) early on Sunday, which moved him up the leaderboard 35 places to tie for 17th.

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Notes:  All eyes will be on Tiger this week as the newly crowned World No. 1 Ranked Golfer searches for an accomplishment that he has not been able to achieve in a few years, winning a major. Paired with Luke Donald and Scott Piercy in Round 1 on Thursday at 10:45am EST, Tiger is the hottest player on TOUR and is the clear favorite in anyone’s odds and predictions.  Rory McIlroy has reemerged with an impressive showing last week in Texas.  The young Irishman seems to have turned his game around and looks to be in contention this week at Augusta. As with every major the field this week is as strong as it gets, so when it comes time to make your fantasy picks this week, make sure you dig a bit deeper into each player’s major performance, especially at Augusta.

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win:

• Tiger Woods: (Golficity Odds 5/2) Tiger is a four-time winner at Augusta National, but hasn’t won on this track since 2005. As a pro, he’s 16-for-16 cuts made at the Masters with 15 top 25s (10 of which are top-fives).  Tiger already has 3 wins under his belt in 2013 and is the only repeat winner on TOUR this year. Woods recently regained World No. 1 status which should kick him back into the “Tiger of Old” mind frame.  Leading the TOUR in strokes gained-putting and adjusted scoring, and with how hot he’s been of late, it’s hard not to envision Tiger wearing a fifth green jacket this Sunday.  
• Phil Mickelson: (Golficity Odds 10/1) Another multiple Masters winner, Phil currently has three jackets and another seven top-fives here at Augusta.  Mickelson picked up his first 2013 win earlier this year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and posted a T3 at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Currently ranking 14th on TOUR in adjusted scoring, Phil knows this track very well and we wouldn’t be surprised if he was in the mix again over this weekend.
• Justin Rose: (Golficity Odds 14/1): The well-rested European pro comes ready to play this week following his solo second behind Tiger at Bay Hill three weeks ago. Rose has posted an impressive twelve consecutive top 25s worldwide and has survived all seven cuts at the Masters, where he’s logged five top 25s. Overall, Justin has been one of the most consistent players over the last year, and though he seems to keep finishing second, he has a T-11 and T-8 finishes in his last two Masters.
• Rory McIlroy: (Golficity Odds 20/1): Rory has recently reemerged as a threat on TOUR after much criticism early in the year.  His solo second at the Valero Texas Open last week came after he co-led the field in both greens in regulation and par breakers. We’re sure he misses that World No. 1 Ranking but being out of the limelight seems to be in his favor…let’s see if he capitalizes on it this week.  We haven’t picked Rory at all this year, so we’re taking a chance solely on his great comeback performance last week.
• Matt Kuchar: (Golficity Odds 33/1): Kuchar has been playing some great golf this year.  He tied for 22nd last week at the Valero Texas Open where he ranked eighth in proximity to the hole and sixth in scrambling. We see him winning again on TOUR this year after sweeping the field at the Match Play event in the dessert back in February.  Kuchar shared third at last year’s Masters and co-led the field in both greens hit and par-4 scoring average.

Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win:

• Keegan Bradley: (Golficity Odds 45/1) Keegan has strung together an impressive four straight top 10s and ranks sixth on TOUR in adjusted scoring and 11th in the all-around. Last year he led the field in distance off the tee in his Masters debut, finishing T27. So far in 2013 we really like the way we reemerged after a dismal start to the season.  Keegan played exceptionally well in the 2012 Ryder Cup and already has one major under his belt.
• Dustin Johnson: (Golficity Odds 50/1) It seems impossible that he wouldn’t crack a Power Rankings that goes 20 deep, but this is the reality in a field that boasts several players that have enjoyed more consistent seasons thus far on top of success at the Masters. This is DJ’s fourth appearance at Augusta National (he withdrew early last year due to a back injury) and in 12 rounds, he’s broken 70 just once and hasn’t finished better than T30 during his debut in 2009. After opening this year with a victory at Kapalua, he went six straight starts without a top 30, but reversed his fortune with a T12 at the WGC-Cadillac and a T4 in Houston. Johnson currently ranks 33rd on the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation, 32nd in strokes gained putting.

Last Week’s Fantasy Golf Predictions Results (The Valero Texas Open):

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win:

• Charl Schwartzel (Golficity Odds 8/1): T22
• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 10/1):  T22
• Jimmy Walker (Golficity Odds 15/1): T31
• Ian Poulter (Golficity Odds 18/1):  T37
• Billy Horschel (Golficity Odds 22/1): T3

Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win:

• Frederick Jacobson (Golficity Odds 50/1): T15
• Justin Leonard (Golficity Odds 66/1): T37

2013 “Top 5 Picks/Sleepers” Winners: 3 for 11

2013 “Top 5 Picks/Sleepers” Runner Ups: 3 for 11

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(Cover Photo Credit)