The US Masters is a prestigious tournament that any golfer, American or otherwise, would love to win. However, just because a player wins the tournament, it doesn’t guarantee them to be favourable in the US Masters odds for the following year.
There are plenty of former winners who will be appearing at this year’s tournament and here, we will run through their previous victories and rate their chances of adding to their Masters tally.
Tiger Woods
Arguably the greatest golfer of this generation, Tiger Woods won the US Master last year. His 2019 victory marked the fifth time he has won the tournament. Woods didn’t start off great, finishing outside the top 10 in the first round. However, he clawed his way back over the course of the second and third rounds, climbing up to tied sixth and tied third, respectively.
Heading into the final round, Woods was two shots behind the leader Francesco Molinari, and he needed a good result to stand any chance of winning. He shot 70 in the final round, while Molinari could only muster a 74, meaning Woods was crowned the winner for the fifth time in his career, following wins in 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2005.
Victory at Augusta this year would make Woods a six-time winner and prove that he’s still got it. Don’t count him out, that’s for certain.
Patrick Reed
In 2018, Patrick Reed stormed to success at Augusta, a golf course that is known to stop even the best of golfers from getting into their stride. His overall score of 273 was the best since Phil Mickelson shot 272 when winning the tournament in 2010.
Reed was tied in fourth come the end of the first round, three shots behind the early leader Jordan Spieth. That would not deter him, and a fantastic second round score of 66 put him out as the leader. He extended his lead to three shots by the end of the third round, with Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy hoping for his own Masters success.
He shot 71 in the final round to leave an opening for his challengers, but alas, none of them could catch the American, with Rickie Fowler coming closest, finishing in second, one shot behind Reed. There’s no doubt he could repeat the feat again, but how will he cope with no crowd to cheer him on?
Sergio Garcia
Another recent winner of the US Masters is Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who took home the 2017 US Masters title. Following a surprising first round, Charley Hoffman was the leader, having scored 65. Sergio Garcia was tied with seven other players, six shots behind Hoffman.
A terrible round for Hoffman saw three players catch him, leaving him tied first with Rickie Fowler, Thomas Pieters and Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard would break away from the others in the third round, but a fine round from England’s Justin Rose saw Garcia tied in first once again.
In what was a tight final round, nothing could separate Rose and Garcia, as they finished tied first three shots clear of South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel. A playoff was required to separate the pair. Garcia shot a birdie in the decider, while Rose could only manage a bogey, handing the Spaniard the US Masters championship.
