Golf’s first major of 2024 is here, as the PGA Tour and a select amount of LIV Golfers will be playing in the Masters.

The Masters is the most exclusive of golf’s major events and, for that reason, is the most prestigious. Only the best get to don the green jacket, and most of the world’s top 50 golfers will be among those vying for it.

Jon Rahm is looking to accomplish something rarely done throughout history. He is looking to capture a second consecutive green jacket, and the Spaniard is among the favorites to do so. The LIV Golf star will face a challenge from the PGA Tour’s best, Scottie Scheffler, and other top golfers like Wyndham Clark, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy.

The Masters is set to be highly competitive, so picking a winner won’t be easy. Longer hitters typically fare well at Augusta National Golf Club, but winning the coveted green jacket takes a well-rounded game.

How exactly do the players in the 2024 Masters stack up against one another? Sporting News ranked the 30 top golfers participating in the tournament and broke down their chances of winning.

MORE: Who will win the Masters? Breaking down the best bets, tournament favorites

Here’s a look at the list, from Scheffler and Rahm to Tiger Woods.

Ranking the top 30 players in the Masters field 2024

The Masters is always played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. The course is one of the PGA Tour’s longest at 7,555 yards and is a par-72 layout. Augusta National contains four par-5 holes and three par-4 holes that are at least 495 yards long.

Augusta’s course length will allow the game’s bigger hitters to find a lot of success at the course. Those who produce the most strokes gained off the tee (SG:OTT) will have an advantage while driving distance will be a bit more important than driving accuracy because of Augusta’s wider-than-average fairways.

Having a strong approach game will be important at Augusta, per usual. Putting at Augusta is fairly easy provided that you can get the ball within 10 feet of the hole, per Mark Broadie of Golf.com. That said, Augusta is known for having the highest three-putt rate of any PGA Tour course, so it will be important for golfers to minimize the distance of putts they have to make during the event.

The best way to do that? Snuggle the ball up to the hole on the approach shot. That will make stats such as strokes gained on approach (SG:APP) and average proximity to the hole among the most important stats to evaluate during the tournament. It will also put a premium on hitting greens in regulation (GIR), as players who hit the green at a high rate will avoid scrambling for tough chip shots;

Finally, it will be important to evaluate which players are the best at avoiding three-putts given that they happen at a higher rate than average at Augusta National. Paying attention to which players have the best putting stats from inside 10 feet will also give bettors an advantage in this matchup.

Below is a breakdown of Sporting News’ top 30 golfers for the Masters in 2024. All odds to win the event are courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.

1. Scottie Scheffler

Scheffler hasn’t quite reached the Tiger Woods stratosphere of dominance, but his new putter continues to improve his short game. As a result, Scheffler could soon rival the former No. 1 golfer’s reign atop the world.

Scheffler is the best tee-to-green player in golf right now, as he leads the PGA Tour in SG:APP and ranks top five in SG:OTT. That gives him the length and accuracy combination needed to conquer the Masters’ 7,555-yard course.

Meanwhile, Scheffler’s hot putter has raised his SG:Putting to an average mark of 93rd on tour while allowing him to win two of his last three events. He finished tied for second in the other event during that range, so his recent form easily makes him the top golfer to back at a course that suits his strength.

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2. Jon Rahm

Rahm may no longer be on the PGA Tour, but he’s still one of the world’s most dominant golfers. He hasn’t won an LIV Golf event yet, but he has finished eighth or better in each of his first five events on that circuit.

Rahm is one of golf’s longest drivers, which allows him to shorten the course at the Masters. If he can set up shorter-than-average approach shots compared to the field, he will set himself up with easier putts as he looks to tame this course again.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Rahm win the Masters for a second consecutive season. His game is well-tailored to the Augusta National course, as evidenced by his five, top-10 finishes in his six Masters appearances. He has the best chance to outduel Scheffler during the World No. 1’s hot streak and set up an iconic PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf final pairing Sunday.

3. Xander Schauffele

No, Schauffele hasn’t won a major yet, but it will happen eventually. He has 11 top-10 finishes across the four majors and has worked his way into the top five of the Official World Golf Rankings, showcasing his high-end skills.

Schauffele’s game is a well-rounded one that should thrive at Augusta. This year, he ranks top-10 in SG:OTT and top-20 in SG:APP; meanwhile, his three-putt avoidance is the best on the PGA Tour. That gives him a high floor, as he is accurate and shouldn’t make too many mistakes with the short stick once he’s on the green.

Add in that Schauffele hasn’t missed a cut in 2024 and has six top-10 finishes in eight events and he looks like a solid bet to contend at the Masters. That makes him a nice value pick compared to the other top golfers like Rahm and Scheffler.

4. Wyndham Clark

Clark has enjoyed a rapid star turn over the last couple of seasons, rising to No. 4 overall in the OWGR and establishing himself as a well-rounded star. He earned his third PGA Tour victory at the rain-shortened Pebble Beach Pro-Am thanks to the course-record 60 he shot on the tournament’s final day.

That round is indicative of what Clark can do when he’s on. He has the driving distance, accuracy and putting prowess needed to go low. Impressively, he ranks top-15 in SG:OTT, SG:APP and strokes gained putting (SG:Putting) entering the Masters, all of which indicate potential success at the tournament.

The one issue with Clark? He reportedly dealt with a back injury at the Houston Open, his last event before The Masters. He played all four rounds of the tournament, but his status will be worth monitoring this week in case his back spasms return.

5. Brooks Koepka

Few things happen consistently in the world, but one of them is that Koepka will be in contention at golf’s majors if he’s healthy. Last season, he won the PGA Championship after finishing second place at the Masters. He could be poised to make a run at a green jacket again in 2024.

Koepka hasn’t had his best season with LIV Golf — he has just one top-10 finish in four events and no wins — but since 2017, he has 14 top-10 finishes at golf’s majors, including four wins and four runner-up finishes. He simply plays his best golf on its biggest stages.

Some may have qualms about trusting Koepka given that he faded in the final round at last year’s Masters, which was his first four-round tournament of the season. LIV Golf plays just three rounds. That could prove a legitimate concern, but Koepka can still shoot well enough on the tournament’s first three days to earn his first career green jacket.

6. Rory McIlroy

McIlroy continues to search for the elusive Masters title needed to complete his career Grand Slam. The problem is that his game isn’t tailored to make his pursuit of a green jacket easy.

McIlroy is known for his strength off the tee, and that will be a massive asset at Augusta National. The issue is that his approach game has been well below average this season, and he has also struggled to gain strokes around the green (SG:ARG), which has compounded his accuracy issues.

McIlroy could certainly dial in his approach game or around the green scoring enough to win the Masters, but his bouts of inaccuracy have caused him to miss the cut two of his last three seasons. That makes his odds to win the tournament a little bit shorter than they should be considering he enters it with just one top-20 finish under his belt in 2024.

MORE: Tracking the field for the 2024 Masters

7. Ludvig Aberg

Trusting a 24-year-old making his Masters debut may seem risky, but Aberg isn’t your typical first-year golfer. The Swede has been threatening since breaking onto the PGA Tour fresh out of college last summer. He already has a win at the RSM Classic and finished eighth at this year’s Players Championship.

Aberg is a great ball striker (top 40 in both SG:OTT and SG:APP) and an above-average putter, which makes him the perfect course fit to contend at the Masters. Perhaps his off-the-tee accuracy could concern some, but Augusta’s wide fairways and somewhat forgiving rough should negate that potential weakness.

8. Dustin Johnson

Don’t let his 327th ranking in the OWGR fool you: Dustin Johnson is still a threat to win the Masters.

From 2015 to 2020, Johnson finished top 10 in each of his five Masters appearances. He won the event in 2020 after tying for second the previous season as he proved that he was one of the world’s best golfers.

Over the last three seasons, Johnson hasn’t enjoyed as much success at Augusta National. That said, he still has four wins in that span — one on the DP World Tour and three on the LIV Golf circuit, so the 39-year-old certainly isn’t past his prime. If he can hit balls as long and as straight as he customarily has during his career, he could join Rahm and Koepka in LIV Golf’s quest to take home another major.

9. Sahith Theegala

If you’re looking for a sleeper to back at this year’s Masters, Theegala seems like a great golfer to trust. The 26-year-old is in good form in 2024, having made eight of nine cuts and logging four top-10 finishes to start the season. He earned his first PGA Tour win at the Fortinet Championship back in September.

Theegala ranks top 20 in both SG:OTT and GIR percentage this season, a combination that gives him the tee-to-green game needed to tame Augusta. More importantly, he ranks 11th in SG:Putting and has made 89.1 percent of his putts inside of 10 feet, which should allow him a chance to convert the scoring opportunities needed to contend at Augusta.

Theegala posted a ninth-place finish at his Masters debut in 2023, so we’ve seen that he can compete in the event. His odds should be a bit shorter than 50-1 considering how well the course suits his game.

10. Viktor Hovland

Hovland has already racked up six PGA Tours wins and won the Tour Championship last summer, so there’s no question that he can win a major. It’s just a matter of whether he will win the Masters in 2024.

Hovland hasn’t been overly sharp to start the 2024 PGA Tour season. He made the cut at each of his five events, but his best finish was a tie for 19th at The Genesis Invitational. Most recently, he posted a T-62nd at the Players Championship, so his form is leaving a bit to be desired.

Still, Hovland has never finished worse than 32nd at the Masters and earned a career-best tie for seventh at last year’s event. And if his approach game is on, he can be unstoppable and dominate even the toughest courses on the PGA Tour.

The problem? Hovland ranks 105th in SG:APP, 84th in GIR percentage and a terrible 183rd in SG:ARG. Translation: His accuracy on approach has been shaky and when he finds himself unable to hit the green in regulation, he has been one of the tour’s worst at recovering this season.

Hovland undeniably has a high ceiling, but it’s hard to trust him as anything more than a boom-or-bust wild card with the way he has played in 2024.

11. Cameron Smith

There’s no need to worry about Smith’s withdrawal from LIV Golf Miami, the event preceding the Masters. He was taken out after Round 1 because of food poisoning, but that shouldn’t impact him during the major tournament.

Smith remains a top-tier putter and finished second at LIV Golf Hong Kong in March before his recent withdrawal. He has posted 69 or fewer strokes in eight of his 13 rounds this season, so his tee-to-green accuracy and around-the-green prowess should make him a weapon at Augusta.

Smith also has three, top-five finishes at the Masters, so he can be trusted as one of the highest-quality LIV Golfers in the Masters field.

12. Hideki Matsuyama

Scheffler and Rahm will draw a lot of attention as the previous Masters winners who could capture another green jacket, but don’t sleep on Matsuyama. He won the event in 2021 and has an excellent history at the course, finishing top-20 in eight of his last nine appearances at Augusta National.

Matsuyama enters the Masters in good form as well. Since winning the Genesis Invitational with a spectacular final-round 62, the 32-year-old has finished no worse than 12th at any event.

What has keyed Matsuyama’s hot streak? He ranks 22nd in GIR percentage but is an elite scrambler, leading the PGA Tour in SG:ARG. That allows him much more leeway for middling approach shots than other golfers, especially on tough courses.

Matsuyama can certainly win the Masters and at the very least, he looks like a safe top-20 bet. Taking him to finish top five or top-10 could also prove to be a lucrative investment.

13. Joaquin Niemann

Niemann was starting to make a name for himself on the PGA Tour before he defected to LIV Golf. He won the Genesis Invitational in February 2022 over Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young and seemed primed to be one of the PGA Tour’s young stars.

The 25-year-old from Chile has continued his rise on the LIV circuit and earned wins at Mayakoba and Jeddah in two of the first five events of the year. He also won the Australian Open in December, so he is in great form.

Niemann has four Masters appearances under his belt and has improved his finishes each season. He tied for 16th at the event in 2023, so given his current form, he should be in contention for the green jacket in 2024.

14. Jordan Spieth

One only needs to look at Spieth’s history at the Masters to get excited about his chances of winning another green jacket. He has six top-four finishes in 10 appearances at the event. That includes his 2015 win, the first of his three major titles on the PGA Tour.

Spieth has an electric game on and off the green when he’s at his best, and that has carried him to consistent success at Augusta. The numbers indicate he may enjoy similar success in those areas in 2024, as he ranks 12th in SG:Putting and sported a top-20 rank in SG:ARG before a rough showing at the Texas Open dropped him to 53rd.

Don’t be too afraid to trust Spieth. He isn’t always consistent, but like McIlroy, backing him in the right spots can pay off. This has historically been one of them for the 30-year-old Texan.

15. Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay is one of the best golfers in the world, but he is off to an uneven start in 2024. He has three, top-12 finishes in his seven events to date but also has three in which he has finished 52nd or worse despite making the cut. He notably ranks well below average in SG:APP (149th) this season, and that could particularly hurt him at the Masters.

Still, Cantlay is a good putter so if he can dial in his iron game, he can put himself in the mix at the Masters. He has three top-20 finishes at the event in the last five years, so his positive course history should raise his floor as a solid but risky top-20 play.

16. Cameron Young

Young has played in all four majors in each of the last two seasons. He has a great track record of contending at each event, as he has four, top-10 finishes at them. That includes a seventh-place finish at the Masters last season.

Young ranks top 20 in both SG:OTT and SG:APP thanks to his combination of accuracy and power. His putting isn’t quite as strong, but he has shown the ability to get hot with the short stick throughout his career. If he can pour in 10-foot putts throughout the week, then the 2022 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year could see himself win his first tour event on one of its biggest stages.

17. Tony Finau

It’s hard to find many players with a better approach game than Finau. He ranks seventh on the PGA Tour in SG:APP and ranks sixth with GIR percentage of 71.65. That will allow him to cozy the ball up to the hole and set up some easy putts from inside of 10 feet, a critical advantage to earn at the Masters.

The issue with Finau’s chances of winning the Masters? He ranks 163rd out of 186 qualified players in SG:Putting. That will make it hard for him to convert on his opportunities unless he has an unusually great week on the greens.

Finau has seen that happen before, as he has three top-10 finishes at the Masters. It’s just hard to trust him as a top-15 play over some of the other, steadier putters in the field.

18. Bryson DeChambeau

DeChambeau is among the LIV Golf stars in great form entering the Masters. He has four top-10 finishes at LIV events, and while he hasn’t won any, he has been consistently good. He has scored in the 60s in nine of his last 12 rounds, and his power off the tee always makes him a threat to go low.

That said, DeChambeau has a checkered history at Augusta. He has never finished better than 29th during his professional career and missed the cut at the last two Masters Tournaments. He shouldn’t fall victim to a third consecutive missed cut, but his history gives him a lower floor than some of his other LIV Golf counterparts.

19. Matt Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick has had an uneven 2024 season so far, but it’s for a good reason. In February, he found that he accidentally had a four-gram weight attached to his driver from last season, per the PGA Tour’s website. He had issues with the club throughout the previous calendar year, and that was the culprit.

Since removing the weight, Fitzpatrick has evened out a bit. He is coming off a solid, two-start stretch that saw him finish fifth at the Players Championship and tied for 10th at the Texas Open. It seems that his driving game is evening out at the right time and should give him a solid chance of winning thanks to his approach and putting prowess.

20. Sam Burns

Burns has cooled slightly since a hot start that saw him finish in the top 10 at four of his first five events, but the 27-year-old is one of the better-rounded golfers on the PGA Tour. He boasts above-average marks in SG:OTT and SG:APP while his SG:Putting ranks 22nd on tour.

Burns will need to continue putting well to contend at Augusta National, though some may be concerned by his merely average numbers from inside of 10 feet (88.02 percent, 96th on the PGA Tour). Still, he has the short-stick skills needed to avoid three putts, so if he can get the ball on the green, he will have a chance to rack up some birdies.

21. Justin Thomas

Thomas is a difficult player to evaluate on this course. On the one hand, he ranks 39th in driving distance and 39th in SG:APP, which could make him one of the tournament’s top tee-to-green players. On the other, he ranks 139th in driving accuracy and 105th in GIR percentage, so he is prone to costly mistakes because of his lack of accuracy.

Even if he is accurate, Thomas ranks just 174th in SG:Putting. That’s one of the worst marks on the PGA Tour and could be the difference between him being a contender or just a top-20 candidate.

Thomas has 15 PGA Tour wins in his career and two top 10s at the Masters, so never say never. Still, this doesn’t feel like the right tournament to back him — especially with somewhat short odds to win it.

22. Collin Morikawa

Morikawa is a two-time major winner who has finished fifth and tied for 10th at the Masters the last two seasons. He could be on the verge of a breakthrough, but it’s hard to trust him amid his recent play. He has finished tied for 45th or worse in his last three tournaments, including a missed cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Morikawa could bounce back, and his natural fade shot has played well at Augusta before. But considering that his driving distance ranks just 154th on the tour and he isn’t putting well (164th in SG:Putting), he’s more of a top-20 candidate with high upside.

23. Max Homa

Homa is one of the world’s best golfers, but his game isn’t a great fit for the Masters course. Case and point, he has never finished better than 43rd in four appearances at Augusta National; that includes his being cut in his first two.

Homa has four top-20 finishes on the season and is coming off a tie for 25th at the Valero Texas Open, so his form is solid. Perhaps his short game can prop him up enough to challenge for a green jacket — he ranks 55th or better in SG:APP, SG:ARG and SG:Putting — but he will need to get more out of his driver to make that happen.

24. Shane Lowry

Lowry is one of the steadiest golfers in the game and is one of the best iron players in the world. He ranks third in SG:APP among PGA Tour players, and that skill should translate to success at Augusta.

Lowry has made the cut at his last four Masters appearances. He has finished no worse than tied for 25th and performed well at the event in 2022, finishing tied for third. Add in that he has two top-five finishes in his last two events and he should make a run at another top-25 placement in 2024.

25. Will Zalatoris

Zalatoris missed most of the 2023 PGA Tour season while dealing with a back injury. He returned to play at the Sony Open and has since regained some of the form that once made him an up-and-comer on the PGA Tour.

Zalatoris posted back-to-back top-five finishes at the Genesis and Arnold Palmer Invitationals respectively in February and March. That made him look like a potential threat to take down his first major, but he missed the cut at the Players Championship before finishing tied for 74th at the Texas Open.

Zalatoris has finished in the top 10 at six of his nine major appearances from which he didn’t withdraw. He usually saves his best for these big moments, so many will be looking to back him here. However, given his injury history and up-and-down play this season, it’s hard to recommend trusting him.

26. Brian Harman

Harman has played in the Masters five times in his career. He has made the cut just twice and missed the cut at both the 2022 and 2023 versions of the event. That’s enough to downgrade the World No. 8 golfer in a stacked field.

That said, Harman ranks 16th in SG:Putting and is an above-average scrambler. Even if his off-the-tee game is merely average, he can play efficiently on the course. It’s just a question of whether his 158th-ranked driving distance will prevent him from going low enough on the course’s longest holes to contend.

27. Si Woo Kim

Kim is a quality sleeper at the Masters this season. The 28-year-old from South Korea has an excellent tee-to-green game, ranking fourth on tour in strokes gained tee-to-green (SG:T2G) while maintaining a top-20 mark in SG:ARG. His combination of accuracy and scrambling prowess gives him a unique edge on the field, as he won’t make many mistakes but will be able to save himself when he does.

Kim doesn’t have a lot of power off the tee. He also doesn’t putt particularly well, ranking 142nd in SG:Putting. Still, despite these deficiencies, he has made all nine cuts this season and has four top-20 finishes. At 100-1 odds, he’s worth a flier.

28. Tyrrell Hatton

Hatton just had his best finish since joining LIV Golf at Miami. He tied for fourth in the tournament after shooting eight under during it. Now, he will look to claim his first major title, and his recent form should help him.

Still, Hatton hasn’t done particularly well at Augusta over the years. His best finish was a tie for 18th in 2021, so while he may be in contention for the green jacket, he may not quite get over the top.

29. Stephan Jaeger

Jaeger is another solid sleeper coming off a win at the Houston Open. The German has a well-rounded game, ranking no worse than 70th across the four major strokes gained categories while having the eighth-best driving distance on the PGA Tour.

Jaeger has only appeared in four major championships to date, and never the Masters, but the 34-year-old should have the poise needed to perform well at Augusta.

30. Matthieu Pavon

OK, let’s get weird. We could put a more proven commodity like Corey Conners, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood or Russell Henley here, but why not consider a long shot like Pavon?

The 31-year-old Frenchman won his first PGA Tour event at the Farmer’s Insurance Open in February. He followed that up by nearly winning another tournament — he finished third at the rain-shortened Pebble Beach Pro-Am — before tapering off for a few weeks and missing the cut at the Players Championship.

Pavon’s recent form and the fact that he hasn’t played at Augusta certainly gives him a low floor. But among the long shots to win the event, there are few with a higher ceiling than him; so, if you’re looking for a mega sleeper, Pavon should be your guy.

Honorable mention: Tiger Woods

Let’s be honest: Tiger Woods almost certainly isn’t going to win the Masters. The bigger question about Tiger is whether he will make it to the weekend. And after that, it’s about whether he will finish the tournament.

Woods has played just three PGA Tour events over the last calendar year. He withdrew from two of them. He was hampered by an illness at the 2024 Genesis Invitational, but his troublesome leg caused him to back out of the 2023 Masters after he fell out of contention.

Maybe Woods will put together one more magical run to remind us why he is among the greatest golfers to ever live. And he deserves credit for continuing to compete after the February 2021 car accident that resulted in major injuries to his leg.

But at this point, Woods is not among the top 30 golfers in the field; and barring a miraculous late-career comeback, he may never be again.

Full Masters field 2024

Below is the full Masters field for 2024 listed alphabetically by first name.

Name

Adam Hadwin

Adam Schenk

Adam Scott

Adrian Meronk

Akshay Bhatia

Austin Eckroat

Brian Harman

Brooks Koepka

Bryson DeChambeau

Bubba Watson

Byeong Hun An

Cameron Davis

Cameron Smith

Cameron Young

Camilo Villegas

Charl Schwartzel

Chris Kirk

Christo Lamprecht

Collin Morikawa

Corey Conners

Danny Willett

Denny McCarthy

Dustin Johnson

Emiliano Grillo

Eric Cole

Erik Van Rooyen

Fred Couples

Gary Woodland

Grayson Murray

Harris English

Hideki Matsuyama

J.T. Poston

Jake Knapp

Jason Day

Jasper Stubbs

Joaquin Niemann

Jon Rahm

Jordan Spieth

Jose Maria Olazabal

Justin Rose

Justin Thomas

Keegan Bradley

Kurt Kitayama

Lee Hodges

Lucas Glover

Ludvig Aberg

Luke List

Matt Fitzpatrick

Matthieu Pavon

Max Homa

Mike Weir

Min Woo Lee

Neal Shipley

Nick Dunlap

Nick Taylor

Nicolai Hojgaard

Patrick Cantlay

Patrick Reed

Peter Malnati

Phil Mickelson

Rickie Fowler

Rory McIlroy

Russell Henley

Ryan Fox

Ryo Hisatsune

Sahith Theegala

Sam Burns

Santiago De la Fuente

Scottie Scheffler

Sepp Straka

Sergio Garcia

Shane Lowry

Si Woo Kim

Stephan Jaeger

Stewart Hagestad

Sungjae Im

Taylor Moore

Thorbjorn Olesen

Tiger Woods

Tom Kim

Tommy Fleetwood

Tony Finau

Tyrrell Hatton

Vijay Singh

Viktor Hovland

Will Zalatoris

Wyndham Clark

Xander Schauffele

Zach Johnson