Tiger Woods isn’t the only former Masters champion shaping up to be a game-time decision at Augusta National, as defending champion Hideki Matsuyama is banged up as well. Battling neck and back injuries, Matsuyama withdrew from his last two tournaments and said he hasn’t been able to take a full swing due to the pain. He’s hoping enough of the discomfort subsides by his 10:45 a.m. ET tee time on Thursday. His group will begin 11 minutes after Woods in the Round 1 Masters tee times. The 2022 Masters groups include Matsuyama, Justin Thomas and James Piot, who won the U.S. Amateur Championship last year.
Even with his status in question, Matsuyama’s 2022 Masters odds have held steady at 40-1 at Caesars Sportsbook. Playing partner Thomas is near the top of Caesars’ odds board at 14-1, which trails only Jon Rahm at 10-1. Other 2022 Masters contenders for the green jacket include Dustin Johnson (16-1), Rory McIlroy (18-1), Collin Morikawa (20-1) and Brooks Koepka (20-1). Before locking in any 2022 Masters picks of your own or entering any PGA DFS tournaments on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, it’s up over $8,000 on its best bets since that point, nailing tournament after tournament.
At the 2021 Open Championship, McClure’s best bets included Collin Morikawa winning outright even though he was listed as a massive 40-1 long shot. In addition, McClure’s model was all over Jon Rahm’s (10-1) first career major championship victory at the 2021 U.S. Open. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the weekend, but the model still projected him as the winner.
This same model has also nailed a whopping seven majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.
Now that the Masters 2022 field is taking shape, SportsLine simulated the event 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected 2022 Masters leaderboard.
Model’s top 2022 Masters predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the 2022 Masters: Rory McIlroy, a 20-time PGA Tour champion and one of the top favorites, stumbles at Augusta and finishes outside the top 10. The 32-year-old finished on top of the leaderboard at the CJ Cup earlier this season, his 20th PGA Tour victory.
McIlroy is a four-time major champion and can complete the career grand slam with a victory at Augusta National. However, he has been unable to grasp the coveted green jacket despite being in the mix on numerous occasions. McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in six of his last eight starts at Augusta, but the pressure of winning the green jacket seems to be weighing on him. He’s finished 21st or worse in two of his last three starts at Augusta, which includes a missed cut in 2021. He’s not a strong pick to win it all, and there are far better values in the Masters Tournament 2022 field.
Another surprise: Collin Morikawa, a 20-1 long shot, makes a strong run at the title. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. The two-time major champion made his Augusta National debut in 2020 when he finished 44th, but he made strides by his second appearance and finished 18th in 2021. Morikawa has developed a reputation as a clutch performer who plays his best under the brightest of lights, as four of his last six major appearances have resulted in top-10 finishes.
After never ranking in the top 125 on tour in strokes gained putting, Morikawa now ranks 31st, which is among the top 15 percent on tour. He’s maintained his extraordinary ball-striking and ranks in the top 10 in strokes gained off-the-tee, driving accuracy percentage and greens in regulation percentage. Morikawa is the No. 3-ranked golfer in the world so, given his long Masters odds, he carries plenty of value as one of the 2022 Masters sleepers, per the model. See who else you should back here.
How to make 2022 Masters picks
The model is also targeting four other golfers with odds of 20-1 or longer who will make surprising runs. Anyone who backs these long shots could hit it big. You can only see them here.
So who will win the 2022 Masters, and which long shots will stun the golfing world? Check out the odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected 2022 Masters leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed seven golf majors and is up over $8,000 since the restart.
2022 Masters odds
Jon Rahm +1000
Justin Thomas +1400
Dustin Johnson +1600
Cameron Smith +1600
Scottie Scheffler +1600
Rory McIlroy +1800
Brooks Koepka +2000
Patrick Cantlay +2000
Jordan Spieth +2000
Viktor Hovland +2000
Collin Morikawa +2000
Xander Schauffele +2200
Will Zalatoris +2800
Bryson DeChambeau +3500
Sam Burns +3500
Shane Lowry +3500
Tiger Woods +4000
Matthew Fitzpatrick +4000
Hideki Matsuyama +4000
Corey Conners +4000
Tyrrell Hatton +4000
Daniel Berger +4000
Louis Oosthuizen +4000
Joaquin Niemann +4500
Paul Casey +5000
Adam Scott +5000
Russell Henley +5000
Sungjae Im +5000
Marc Leishman +5000
Tony Finau +5000
Tommy Fleetwood +5500
Billy Horschel +5500
Si-Woo Kim +6500
Justin Rose +6500
Bubba Watson +6500
Patrick Reed +6500
Abraham Ancer +6500
Sergio Garcia +6500
Gary Woodland +7000
Seamus Power +8000
Max Homa +8000
Jason Kokrak +10000
Webb Simpson +10000
Talor Gooch +10000
Brian Harman +10000
Robert Macintyre +10000
Kevin Kisner +10000
Thomas Pieters +10000
Cameron Young +12500
Matthew Wolff +12500
Tom Hoge +12500
Cameron Champ +12500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +12500
Kevin Na +12500
Francesco Molinari +12500
Luke List +12500
Lee Westwood +12500
Erik van Rooyen +15000
Harold Varner+15000
Sepp Straka +15000
Lucas Herbert +20000
Cam Davis +20000
Mackenzie Hughes +20000
Ryan Palmer +20000
Kyoung-Hoon Lee +20000
Danny Willett +20000
Stewart Cink +20000
J.J. Spaun +20000
Padraig Harrington +25000
Takumi Kanaya +25000
Garrick Higgo +25000
Min Woo Lee +25000
Zach Johnson +25000
Keita Nakajima +30000
Charl Schwartzel +30000
Harry Higgs +30000
Lucas Glover +30000
Guido Migliozzi +40000
Hudson Swafford +40000
Bernhard Langer +75000
Aaron Jarvis +100000
James Piot +100000
Stewart Hagestad +100000
Fred Couples +100000
Vijay Singh +100000
Austin Greaser +100000
Mike Weir +100000
Jose Maria Olazabal +200000
Laird Shepherd +200000
Larry Mize +250000
Sandy Lyle +250000
