The Masters 2022 will tee off Thursday, April 7 from Augusta National Golf Club. The tournament will run until Sunday 10th April. This will be the 86th edition of the Masters Tournament.
Since 1934, the club has played host to the annual Masters Tournament, one of the four men’s major championships in professional golf, and the only major played each year at the same course.
This year’s updates
It’s a tradition at Augusta National; that every year there are some sort of modifications, whether it’s on the green or in the clubhouse.
Last year, due to covid, the only changes were to the 19th hole. Food menu and beer changes. Which I’m sure members appreciated!
Augusta National is going to look different for the 2022 Masters. Not significantly however, there have been some intriguing modifications to 3 of the iconic holes ahead of the start of this year’s tournament, which will definitely be a talking point at The Masters.
No. 11: “Masters tees moved back 15 yards and to the golfer’s left. several trees removed on the right side.”
No. 15: “Masters tees moved back 20 yards.”
No. 18: “Thirteen yards added to the back of the Masters tees without necessitating a change in length to the hole.”
It will be difficult to understand the full significance of these changes until the day the players step onto the course and try them out. Course strategy will change, decisions will be different than they would have been.
I’m sure eager fans are excited to see what these changes will bring for the best players. These changes seem small but true Augusta National fans know that every change makes an impact.
Who will score the green jacket this year?
Players can qualify for the Masters this year in many ways. They’ll need to win a PGA Tour event by April 5th or be inside the world’s top 50 the week before The Masters.
Previous winners of the Green Jacket get a lifetime invite back to Augusta National, while the winners of the other three men’s majors get a five-year exemption and there’s a three-year exemption for those who win The Players.
Those who finished inside the top-12 during last year’s Masters get to return the following year, as do those who finish in a share of fourth or better at the PGA Championship, US Open and The Open.
Understanding the course and knowing how to play the holes and where to place shots are essential for success at Augusta. So is familiarity with the greens, which is why players with less experience on the course usually don’t fare as well.
Surprisingly no pre-tournament betting favorite has won the Masters this decade.
There also hasn’t been a repeat champion at the Masters since Tiger Woods who won back-to-back tournaments in 2001 and 2002. Only three golfers since 2000 have won the event twice in three years or less: Tiger Woods 2001 & 2002, Bubba Watson 2012 and 2014, and Phil Mickelson 2004 and 2006.
Be sure to do your research before this exciting tournament starts! Check for players that performed well at the The Players Championship, The Honda Classic, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and Valero Texas Open. Course familiarity is also a key component for picking winners for the US Masters.
This year’s top picks
Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki Matsuyama won the 2021 masters at Augusta. He’s the first-ever Japanese professional golfer to win a men’s major golf championship, finishing 10 under par.
He’s currently ranked at world number 11 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
With two wins since his Augusta National victory last year, Matuyama will have plenty of eye’s on him during the 2022 Masters. He’ll look to become the first golfer since Tiger Woods (2001-02) to win the Masters in back-to-back years, which will make for an unmissable watch!
Will history be made in April? I can’t wait to find out!
Will Zalatoris
Zalatoris secured a runner-up finish at the Masters in 2021, his first full season on the PGA Tour. He finished with a score of nine under par, just one shot back of winner Hideki Matsuyama. This was a tremendous achievement for someone with such little experience at the masters tournaments.
No. 29 in the OWGR, Zalatoris racked up four top-10 finishes in 2021, in addition to his runner-up at Augusta National. He has begun the 2022 calendar with a T-6 at The American Express and a playoff loss to Luke List at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Despite being a rookie in the game, Josh Gregory, Zalatoris’ short game coach and former Augusta State golf coach has some pretty exciting things to say about this up and coming golf pro; “The wins will come. His ascent to becoming one of the world’s best golfers isn’t far behind”.
Is this going to be his year? This makes it even more exciting when trying to decide a favorite for the tournament in April.
Jon Rahm
Rahm remains the betting favorite for this year’s masters tournament. This is no shock as Rahm is the Official World Golf Ranking number 1. Rahm already has one major championship under his belt: the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and has finished T8 or better in every 2021 major.
Over the last four years at The Masters, Rahm has finished T5, T7, T9, and fourth and he’ll be entering this year’s Masters in the best form of his career.
Rahm’s longtime coach, Dave Phillips has said that Rahms iron game is getting really good and they’re working very hard on his distance control, which is super important when competing at Augusta. With these improvements is Rahm going to bag his first win at Augusta this year?
Collin Morikawa
Marikawa is ranked at number 2 on the Official World Golf Ranking table, which is very impressive. He’s had an incredible 2020/21 season, with two amazing victories, the PGA championship at Harding Park in California and The Open Championship at Royal St. Georges in Kent.
He’s consistently been the best iron player in the world and has ridden that to immediate success on Tour. Marikawa & Tiger Woods are the only two professional golfers to win a major and a WGC before turning 25 years old! A very impressive achievement.
Will this year be his first Masters victory? We will have to wait and see!
Rory McIlroy
Rory was ranked world number 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for 106 weeks.
McIlroy is a four time major champion and can complete the career grand slam with a victory at Augusta National. This will be an amazing achievement if he can pull it off this year.
His best results are six top ten finishes in his last eight tries at Augusta. He is a very consistent player, at the end of 2021 he won THE CJ CUP at SUMMIT by one stroke over Collin Morikawa in his season debut, earning his 20th PGA TOUR title in his 205th career start at the age of 32.
With a strong career in 2021, will Rory keep up the pace and win the Augusta National this year?
Jordan Spieth
Despite being the next best bet this year at Augusta, Jordan hasn’t been very consistent when it comes to being successful at the Masters. He hasn’t secured a win there since 2015 and this was his only win. He’s finished within the Top 3 four other times, including a T3 finish last year.
Spieth has a lot to prove in this tournament. With his tidied-up iron play and his brilliant putting, he is going to have a good chance around the golf course in April.
We are excited to see what he can bring to the tournament. He is a formidable player who has a lot more to offer.
Dustin Johnson
Dustin is another firm favorite to win the US Masters tournament this year. He last won in 2020 with a record breaking score of 268, 20 under par! He is more than capable of doing this again.
Dustin is currently world number 9 on the Official World Golf Ranking. He has taken the spot as number 1 golfer in the world for a total of 139 weeks over various years. The 3rd longest in top spot. The 1st is Tiger Woods with 683 weeks and Greg Norman with 331 weeks.
There is no doubt Dustin has a great chance of winning the Masters this year, however there are many other amazing contenders,
I’m so excited for this tournament and to see how it unfolds. Check out the outrights at Maverick Games.
Fun fact
Each hole on the course is named after a plant or shrub that adorns it. For example, No.3 is called “Flowering Crab Apple.”