Two weeks after having surgery to repair a dislocated knee cap and ligament damage, Brooks Koepka intends to play in the 2021 Masters. The four-time major winner says he is "progressing nicely" while trying to recover in time to compete for his first green jacket, and he's aided by the fact that the Masters 2021 has no deadline for a golfer committing to play. The first 2021 Masters tee times from Augusta National Golf Club are on Thursday morning.
Augusta National Golf Club will host a loaded field, led by defending champion Dustin Johnson. His 2021 Masters odds of 9-1 at William Hill Sportsbook make him the favorite, but not far behind are Bryson DeChambeau (11-1), Justin Thomas (10-1) and Jon Rahm (12-1). Koepka is going off at 25-1. Before locking in any 2021 Masters picks, be sure to see the 2021 Masters predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine's prediction model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been on fire since the return of the PGA Tour in June. In fact, it's up almost $10,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.
Last month at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McClure nailed Daniel Berger's win at +1400 in his best bets. McClure was also all over Viktor Hovland's (+2500) victory in the Mayakoba Golf Classic in December. That was one of many huge calls he's made in the past few months.
After nailing Sergio Garcia (+5500) finishing on top of the leaderboard at the Sanderson Farms Championship, McClure finished up over $6,200 yet again on his best bets in that tournament. The model had him in the top five from the start and McClure's best bets included Garcia winning outright. He also finished profitable at the U.S. Open, nailing two of his best bets, including a +1100 top-five bet on Matthew Wolff.
This same model has also nailed a whopping six majors entering the weekend, including Patrick Reed's win at Augusta in 2018. Anyone who has followed its golf picks has seen massive returns.
Now that the 2021 Masters field is taking shape, SportsLine simulated the event 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.
One huge shocker the model is calling for at the Masters 2021: Bryson DeChambeau, the defending U.S. Open champion and one of the top favorites, barely cracks the top 10. DeChambeau has been one of the hottest players on tour this season, finishing on top of the leaderboard at the U.S. Open and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The eight-time PGA Tour champion continues to crush the ball off the tee, averaging over 320 yards per drive this season, which ranks first on tour. DeChambeau's length off the tee also has him ranked in the top 10 in birdie average, scoring average and strokes gained tee-to-green.
However, DeChambeau is hitting fewer than 60 percent of fairways off the tee, which can cause plenty of trouble at Augusta National. That was evident in DeChambeau's last start at the Masters, when he finished 34th. DeChambeau, who's never finished better than 29th at Augusta National, is not a strong pick to win it all and there are far better values in the Masters 2021 field.
Another surprise: Collin Morikawa, a 30-1 long shot, makes a strong run at the title. He has a much better chance to win it all than his odds imply, so he's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.
With his WGC win, Morikawa became the seventh golfer since World War II to win four PGA Tour events, including a major championship, before turning 25. He has plenty of time to add to that total since the UC Berkeley alum just turned 24 in February.
Morikawa also has two other top-10 finishes on tour this season, and his proficiency in converting birdies is the biggest reason why. He averages 4.69 birdies per round, which ranks fourth on tour. That skill will be much needed at an Augusta National course that will play much tougher than last year.
The model is targeting four other golfers with odds higher than 20-1 to make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these underdogs could hit it big. You can only see them here.
So who will win the 2021 Masters Tournament? And which long shots stun the golfing world? Check out the odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected 2021 Masters leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed six golf majors and is up nearly $10,000 since the restart.
Dustin Johnson 9-1 Jordan Spieth 10-1 Justin Thomas 10-1 Bryson DeChambeau 11-1 Jon Rahm 12-1 Rory McIlroy 14-1 Xander Schauffele 22-1 Patrick Cantlay 22-1 Brooks Koepka 25-1 Patrick Reed 28-1 Collin Morikawa 30-1 Lee Westwood 30-1 Tony Finau 33-1 Daniel Berger 33-1 Viktor Hovland 33-1 Webb Simpson 35-1 Hideki Matsuyama 35-1 Cameron Smith 35-1 Sung-Jae Im 35-1 Scottie Scheffler 35-1 Tyrrell Hatton 35-1 Paul Casey 40-1 Tommy Fleetwood 45-1 Matthew Fitzpatrick 45-1 Jason Day 45-1 Sergio Garcia 45-1 Joaquin Niemann 50-1 Bubba Watson 50-1 Adam Scott 66-1 Will Zalatoris 66-1 Louis Oosthuizen 66-1 Justin Rose 70-1 Abraham Ancer 70-1 Harris English 80-1 Corey Conners 80-1 Billy Horschel 80-1 Max Homa 80-1 Jason Kokrak 80-1 Matt Kuchar 80-1 Matt Wallace 80-1 Francesco Molinari 90-1 Matthew Wolff 90-1 Victor Perez 90-1 Shane Lowry 90-1 Brian Harman 90-1 Marc Leishman 100-1 Phil Mickelson 100-1 Christiaan Bezuidenhout 100-1 Si-Woo Kim 100-1 Ryan Palmer 100-1 Matt Jones 125-1 Cameron Champ 125-1 Dylan Frittelli 125-1 Ian Poulter 125-1 Kevin Kisner 125-1 Danny Willett 125-1 Carlos Ortiz 125-1 Robert Macintyre 125-1 Gary Woodland 125-1 Zach Johnson 150-1 Sebastian Munoz 150-1 Kevin Na 150-1 Bernd Wiesberger 200-1 Brendon Todd 200-1 Lanto Griffin 200-1 Mackenzie Hughes 200-1 Charl Schwartzel 250-1 C.T. Pan 250-1 Martin Laird 250-1 Michael Thompson 250-1 Henrik Stenson 250-1 Brian Gay 300-1 Hudson Swafford 400-1 Jimmy Walker 400-1 Stewart Cink 400-1 Bernhard Langer 500-1 Robert Streb 500-1 Jim Herman 500-1 Ty Strafaci 750-1 Fred Couples 750-1 Joe Long 1000-1 Charles Osborne 1000-1 Mike Weir 1000-1 Vijay Singh 1000-1 Jose Maria Olazabal 1500-1 Sandy Lyle 2500-1 Larry Mize 2500-1 Ian Woosnam 4000-1
