04/06/2026
The Masters
Here we go again. After a 2 week hiatus, it’s time to make picks again. This time, it’s not about the tournament, it’s about the Majors. All professional golfers are measured by their Major wins. Do you know how many tournaments Jack or Arnie won? Maybe not off the top of your head, but you do know that they won 18 and 7 Majors respectively.
Rivalries on the PGA Tour always had that one main stat that compared golfers to each other and was used as the measuring stick: Major Wins.
Sarazen - Hagan - Jones
Hogan - Snead
Nicklaus - Palmer - Player
Faldo - Norman - Seve
Tiger - Phil
And now, we have the new rivalry of our era:
McIlroy - Scheffler- Koepka
I’m sure everyone would give the nod the Scheffler right now since he has won 4 Majors this decade to McIlroy and Koepka’s 1 apiece. But let’s look at the numbers as a whole: McIlroy had finished in the Top 5 of all Major Championships he has played 28% of the time. Scheffler has finished in the Top 5 36% of the time. Koepka has finished in the Top 5 30% of the time. To put that in perspective, the 2 greatest Major Champions of all time, Jack and Tiger, finished Top 5 34% of all Majors they played. The cream rises to the top, and this week will be no different.
Here are the Pro’s Picks for The Masters:
Top 5: Brooks Koepka
I know, I know, I can hear the judgement, but let’s be honest. What we’ve seen this year is Vintage Koepka. Slow starts in every tournament, lackluster finishes, and really nothing special. I don’t see Koepka that way. I’m seeing a shark getting reps. How many PGA tour titles does Brooks have? As stated before, I’m sure you had to google that number. I’ll give you a hint: more than half of his PGA Tour victories are Majors, and he only had 5 Majors. He’s got his reps, he knows what he needed to work on, and he’s ready to drive down Magnolia Lane. He shines his brightest in Majors. This week, he returns to being Major Koepka.
Top 10: Ludvig Åberg
Ludvig, can you close a tournament? With those three I listed above in the field, probably not this week. However, he’s too good to not at least have a chance for a great finish. He has already been Maid of Honor in The Masters once in 2024, but that tournament was already decided with 6 holes left to play.
Top 20/Darkhorse: Patrick Reed
I don’t watch or keep up with LIV Golf, but Reed has 2 wins and one playoff loss this year. I checked the leaderboard and recognized zero names except for Sergio Garcia who finished in the Top 5 of one of those tournaments. Maybe, I didn’t look too close. However, it’s not easy to finish 2nd in a golf tournament and it’s even harder to win when you’re expected to win. He’s playing good golf right now, and the last couple of years, he has played exceptionally well at Augusta National. Out of his 5 Masters showings this decade, he had finished outside the Top 8 only twice, and outside the Top 12 only once. With those stats, I can’t count him out.
It’s Masters Week everyone! Who are you picking this week, and where are you watching the Tournament?