Golf tipster Ben Coley's best bets for the Masters at Augusta National
The Masters begins on Thursday and our golf expert Ben Coley has selections. Find out who they are and why in our at-a-glance guide to his tips.
Best bet: Jon Rahm
Defending champion JON RAHM is the biggest danger to Scottie Scheffler. He's been playing well in 54-hole events and is likely to improve for an extra round and a return to Augusta, where he boasts one of the very best records in the entire field.
It's true that this is a hard tournament to win back-to-back, but many elite players have gone very close to doing just that. Rahm, who was also runner-up in the last major to be played and won by four shots here last year, has a big chance if he can handle the occasion.
Best each-way bet: Jordan Spieth
JORDAN SPIETH has played in 10 renewals of the Masters, and placed in six of them. That includes a win in 2015, either side of which he was runner-up, and it includes two top-fives in the last three years.
After 10th place in Texas last week, he looks to be in good form once more and nobody among the favourites is more comfortable at Augusta.
Best of the rest: Joaquin Niemann
The number one player on the LIV Golf circuit in 2024 is JOAQUIN NIEMANN, whose last Masters appearances resulted in a top-20 finish. Always considered a potential major champion, the Chilean should be looking to improve upon that and contend for his first major.
Niemann has three wins in his last eight starts and has the right profile for Augusta: length off the tee, good approaches, and a sharp short-game. There's every chance he confirms himself a member of the elite with a top-eight finish.
Best of the GB & Ireland challenge: Shane Lowry
Only three men have top-25 finishes to their names in each of the last four editions of the Masters. Two have won it, and the other is Ireland's SHANE LOWRY, who was third in 2022.
Lowry has already won a major and remained a persistent threat in the biggest events since then. He's in great form, too, with a pair of top-fives from his last four starts, so looks set to be in the mix again.
Other each-way fancies: Tony Finau and Si Woo Kim
TONY FINAU is yet to play badly at Augusta and was runner-up on his latest start in Houston.
Putting aside there aren't many whose games look sharper, so we're left hoping the putts drop which would give him a chance to contend as he did when in the mix with Tiger Woods in 2019.
The same weakness sometimes holds SI WOO KIM back but he's another who consistently performs at this course.
Like Finau, from tee-to-green he looks as good as ever, and he's actually putted well here in each of the past three renewals. It all adds up to an each-way chance at nice odds.
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The Masters: More Sporting Life content
- Masters statistics and in-play betting guide
- Player-by-player guide to the entire field
- Augusta National: Hole-by-hole course guide
- The Masters: Five must-see moments
- Tiger Woods: Magic Masters moments
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