Winners, big losers and breakout stars: Our experts’ predictions for the 2024 Masters

The Masters begins on Thursday and there will be stiff competition to claim the Green Jacket with Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm all in fine form. Here are our predictions for the first major of the season.

Who will win the Masters?

James Corrigan: Scottie Scheffler

The obvious selection and at 4-1 in the betting the value has gone, but the strength of his candidacy is unavoidable. Can become the first favourite in 18 years to prevail.

Oliver Brown: Rory McIlroy

It might seem a romantic flight of fancy, but Augusta is McIlroy’s to conquer this week if he can buck his trend of starting slowly, after five straight opening rounds of 72 or worse. Seeking a second opinion on his swing from Butch Harmon is a shrewd move: he still needs to dial in his short iron play, and once he does, anything is possible.

Tom Cary: Brooks Koepka

Scheffler is the clear favourite. But in the interests of variety, I will go with Koepka. Stone-cold killer in majors, has finished T-2, T-7, T-2 in his last three (non-injury-affected) Masters. And will still be hurting from last year.

Daniel Zeqiri: Shane Lowry

All roads lead to Scheffler but let us be bold. Lowry ranks third on the PGA Tour this season for strokes gained on approach shots as well as for par-four birdie or better percentage – two key Masters indicators. Firm conditions at Augusta and a stiff breeze should mean more missed greens across the field, which plays into the Irishman’s short-game strengths. Finished tied-third at the Masters two years ago when just nine players finished under par. The harder the better for Lowry.

Who are the dark horses?

James Corrigan: Russell Henley

Ridiculous that he has been 100-1 in the build-up. Is the world No 17, finished fourth last year, fourth last week and fourth in last month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. Might finish fourth, but that is profitable.

Oliver Brown: Cameron Young

The New Yorker has proven major championship pedigree, having followed his tie for third at the 2022 US PGA by running Cameron Smith so close at that year’s Open. He is one of a breed of long-hitters whom Augusta increasingly favours, with Dustin Johnson and Rahm both giving dominant recent displays. Few rival him for purity of ball-striking.

Tom Cary: Denny McCarthy

Just played brilliantly in Texas. Finished nine clear of McIlroy and regarded as one of the best putters on the Tour.

Daniel Zeqiri: Joaquin Niemann

There was a great deal of scepticism about LIV players’ Masters chances last year, but the performances of Koepka and Patrick Reed suggest people were too bearish. With that in mind, 25-year-old Chilean Joaquin Niemann could contend having won two LIV events this year. His Masters form prior to missing last year’s tournament was progressive, and he demolished the field when winning at Riviera two years ago, a venue that correlates strongly with Augusta.

The breakout star will be . . .

James Corrigan: Sahith Theegala

Everyone should know his name already, but with television ratings plummeting due to the ongoing LIV civil war, the extraordinary talents of the world No 15 have not reached the audience they should. He is Seve Ballesteros reincarnate. Spends very little time on the fairways.

Oliver Brown: Tom Kim

At 21, Kim is the youngest player since Tiger Woods to win three PGA Tour titles. He was inspired to play golf by Woods’s famous chip-in at Augusta’s 16th, before he had even turned three. Not short on self-belief, the South Korean claims that this course suits his eye.

Tom Cary: Christo Lamprecht

There are 20 first-timers in this year’s tournament. But only one is 6ft 8in tall. Lamprecht will stand out from that point of view at least.

Daniel Zeqiri: Akshay Bhatia

The 22-year-old from Los Angeles is the man of the moment after winning the Valero Texas Open last week. Bhatia has also recorded top-20 finishes at Torrey Pines and Copperhead this year, so that victory was not necessarily a flash in the plan. Nevertheless, getting to grips with Augusta National on his first visit, his first major championship start, will be a challenge.

Big names to miss the cut

James Corrigan: Phil Mickelson

With only 89 in the field and the top 50 plus ties going forward to the weekend, it is a tough cut to miss. I picked Mickelson for this last year and he finished tied second. By putting the hex on him, I am boosting his chances.

Oliver Brown: Justin Rose

Twice a runner-up, Rose looks painfully short of form ahead of his 19th Masters, with not a single top-10 finish since last July and missed cuts at Bay Hill and Sawgrass in the past month. He will never lose his love affair with Augusta but will struggle to fire his challenge through sentiment alone.

Tom Cary: Tiger Woods

Who knows how Woods will go? Making 23 consecutive cuts at the Masters tells its own tale. And if anyone can arrive at Augusta with zero prep and perform it is him. But you have to wonder whether this is the year that extraordinary run ends.

Daniel Zeqiri: Tiger Woods

The five-time Masters winner looks a long way off achieving his target of playing one tournament per month having not played competitively since Riviera in February. Woods is more comfortable at Augusta than anywhere else but recreating the old magic gets harder with every passing year.

It will be a disappointing Masters for . . .

James Corrigan: Rory McIlroy

That is the narrative. If he does not win, then he must be disappointed. It is a ludicrous situation, but that is where he is with the Masters. I fancy him to finish in the top five, but only after a storming final round. And then he will try to take the positives. What else can he do?

Oliver Brown: Bryson DeChambeau

You wonder if DeChambeau will ever live down his infamous description, made during his gym-bunny days in 2020, of Augusta as a “par-67”. Since then the course has punished him brutally for that lack of humility. His best score in his past six Masters rounds is 74: a grim omen given the quality of this field.

Tom Cary: Fans of speedy golf

Anna Davis, 18, was penalised for slow play during the second round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last week, eventually missing the cut. But Masters officials have a track record of indulging the professionals, with near five-hour rounds becoming a big talking point last year.

Daniel Zeqiri: Viktor Hovland

Hovland was in the form of his life last year and looked like a major champion in waiting. That remains the case, but the Norwegian is working through some technical changes under a new coach and is yet to register a top-10 finish this year. You do not want to be searching for your game as you drive down Magnolia Lane.

And finally, our experts would love to see . . .

James Corrigan

McIlroy to beat Patrick Cantlay down the stretch on Sunday and for all the patrons to wave their green hats.

Oliver Brown

Woods contending at the weekend: There have been few greater pleasures in sport than watching Woods complete his comeback arc in 2019 with a fifth Green Jacket. His battered body might not be willing to push him to a sixth, but his mind still tells him it can be done. Otherwise he would not be here.

Tom Cary

Who would not want to see McIlroy break his major curse at the major that gnaws away at him more than any other? What a story it would be if the Northern Irishman could complete the career grand slam this week.

Daniel Zeqiri

McIlroy versus Spieth: The pair we expected to dominate the game for years have stacks of Augusta form between them, but have not had a proper head-to-head duel on a Sunday. There would be some added spice after the TPC Sawgrass rules controversy.