Ranking the five golfers with best chance to win Masters

Masters week is finally here, and we can't wait to grab the coziest spot on the couch and let the sounds of Jim Nantz's soothing voice and birds chirping guide us through the best four days in golf. 

So, who's going to walk away from Augusta National Golf Club with a green jacket? Let's rank the five golfers with the best chance to win: 

1. Scottie Scheffler

Why he will win: This one is obvious: Scheffler is the best golfer on the planet, and there isn't really a close second. The world's No. 1-ranked golfer has two wins and a runner-up finish in his past three starts. He leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach, strokes gained from tee to green, greens in regulation, birdie average, bogey avoidance and scoring average this season. Oh, and he won the Masters by three strokes in 2022.

Need we say more? There's a reason Scheffler is the overwhelming favorite, per ESPN Bet.

Why he won't: Um, we're not sure. Scheffler's wife is due at the end of the month, and he said he would leave Augusta if she went into labor during the tournament. Maybe that's the field's best chance to beat him.

Also, Scheffler ranks 97th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained from putting, but he's gained strokes on the green in three straight starts since switching to a TaylorMade Spider mallet. Putting no longer seems like a flaw for him.

2. Jon Rahm

Why he will win: The reigning Masters champion has played superbly at Augusta National, with five top-10 finishes in his past six starts. Rahm, who has never finished worse than T27 at the Masters, is exceptional from tee to green and has the soft hands necessary to get around Augusta National. The Spaniard would be a worthy back-to-back champion. 

Why he won't: As is the case with all the LIV Golf competitors, we don't really know how well Rahm is playing. He has finished tied for eighth or better in all five LIV events this season, but he choked away a win in Mayakoba and hasn't been great with the putter. Also, no one has repeated at the Masters since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002.

3. Brooks Koepka

Why he will win: This is where it gets tough. Rory McIlroy is the second name on the odds board behind Scheffler, but it's impossible to trust him over Rahm or Koepka, who has won five major championships since the Northern Irishman's last major triumph. Koepka won the PGA Championship last year and nearly won the Masters before Rahm ran him down in 2023.

If you throw out the 2022 season, when he was battling major injuries, Koepka has five wins and nine additional top-seven finishes in his past 20 major starts. The dude is a stone-cold killer in these events, and it would be disrespectful to put him any lower on this list.  

Why he won't: Koepka is a great ball striker and putter at major championships, but he can struggle with his chipping. A tidy short game is crucial at Augusta because of the challenging greens with massive slopes. Koepka could take himself out of contention with a poor chipping week.

4. Xander Schauffele

Why he will win: You could argue Schauffele has the best all-round game of any golfer in the world. Scheffler consistently loses strokes on the green, but his historically elite ball striking usually makes up for it. Schauffele doesn't have a weakness like that. His Data Golf page is a sea of green, as he's gained strokes in all four major categories eight times in his past 12 starts. That's incredible. 

Schauffele has six top-10 finishes in eight starts this season, and he's notched two career top-three finishes at Augusta. This could finally be his time to get the major monkey off his back. 

Why he won't: The same reason he still hasn't won a major championship in his career. Schauffele has come so close to glory so many times, but he always seems to have a devastating mental error or a poor swing in crunch time that dooms him. He has the talent to win the Masters, but can he handle the pressure down the stretch?

5. Rory McIlroy

Why he will win: McIlroy deserves to be on this list. He's a generational talent and still a top-three or top-four player in the world. Despite his many failures at Augusta, McIlroy is a perfect fit for this golf course because of how he can move his driver both ways with power and hit precise approach shots. The 34-year-old is the best driver of the ball in this field, and he has seven top-10 finishes in his past 10 starts at Augusta.  

Why he won't: McIlroy should have a green jacket by now, but the mental side of the game continues to hold him back. He has gone 10 years with three legs of the career Grand Slam in his back pocket, but the pressure of nabbing the fourth leg at the Masters grows each year.