Masters 2024: Power Rankings, Prize Money, Defending Champion, and More

With Akshay Bhatia’s triumph at the Valero Texas Open, the Masters field was complete. 89 players will tee off at Augusta National on Thursday. A unique cut of the top 50 and ties will move to the third and fourth rounds. A lot has happened since the last Masters and the stakes are even higher this time. 

The defending champion, Jon Rahm, switched to LIV Golf and returns with two of his LIV peers who squared off the top three—Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. On the other hand, not Tiger Woods, but Scottie Scheffler, arguably, leads the PGA Tour contingent. Here are the top five contenders who have a better shot at the title.

Who are the top title contenders at the Masters?

This year, 89 players will tee off at the Masters. Only 13 will be from LIV Golf. The field also includes 20 debutants. Five amateurs are also in the field. As for the veteran past champions, Vijay Singh, Fred Couples, and Jose Maria Olazabal will return to the greens. Tiger Woods, at 48, returns to Augusta National hoping to extend his Major tally. But it’s fair to say, the 15-time Major champion is not a bettor’s favorite. Here are our top five picks.

Scottie Scheffler

For Scheffler, not winning a tournament seems like a tough ask. The eight-time PGA Tour winner finished outside the top 10 only once this year. Scheffler looks to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2005 to lift both THE PLAYERS Championship and Masters trophy in the same season. This will be his fifth Masters and he has never finished outside the top-20. The 27-year-old leads the PGA Tour field in SG: Total (2.812), SG: Approach to Green (1.347), and Greens in Regulation (76.13%). 

Jon Rahm

There is something about the Augusta National that fires up the Spaniard. The reigning Masters champion has five top-tens from his seven appearances at Augusta National Golf Club. This year’s Masters would be an opportunity for the 29-year-old to show that his game hasn’t waned since joining LIV Golf. Rahm has a top-eight in all five of his LIV Golf matches. The 29-year-old is 2nd in reaching greens in regulation (74.81%), and sixth in driving distance (311.9 yards).

Xander Schauffele

Schauffele is the only PGA Tour pro whose game excels on all fronts. The seven-time PGA Tour winner has scored six top-10s from his eight outings this year. Schauffele is 2nd in SG: Off the Tee (0.744),  19th in SG: Approach to Green (0.577), and 11th in Putting Average (1.706). From his six previous appearances at Augusta National, Xander Schauffele has managed three top-10s, with a runner-up finish at the 2019 Masters. 

Rory McIlroy

The Northern Irishman has probably featured in every potential Masters winner’s list for the last decade. It’ll be Rory McIlroy’s 10th attempt at completing a career grand slam. The Ulsterman looked to be in tumultuous form but had come around at the right time. After missing the top 10 for five tournaments, McIlroy netted a T3 at the Valero Texas Open. The four-time Major winner was also 3rd in SG: Total in Texas. His iron game was a cause for headaches, but Rory McIlroy looked more confident after a session with Butch Harmon.

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Brooks Koepka has three top-10s in the Masters from eight appearances, two of which were runner-ups. The five-time Major winner was on the cusp of earning his first Green Jacket last year before slipping up in the final round. Koepka has three top-15s this season on LIV Golf as well. But most importantly, the Jupiter resident seems to fire up at the majors regardless of his form in non-major events.

What else to know before the Masters?

Augusta National has once again made some tweaks to the course. Pink Dogwood, the par-5 second hole, measures 585 yards after the officials added an extra 10 yards. The tee box has been moved further back to the left as well. 

This year, 20 players will make their Masters debut, including Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg, Nick Dunlap, and Akshay Bhatia. Bhatia returns to Augusta National ten years after winning the Drive, Chip, and Putt championship in 2014. The last time a debutant earned bragging rights at Augusta was in 1979, when Fuzzy Zoeller won in a three-way playoff. Historically, Augusta has favored returnees to the course. 

A victory at the Masters will grant a lifetime exemption to the tournaments and a five-year exemption to the other three Majors. In addition, the winner will have a five-year exemption to the PGA Tour and 750 FedEx Cup points as well. Of course, add to that the $3.54 million winner’s paycheck, the Masters trophy, and most importantly, the Green Jacket.

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