2024 Masters Q&A: Who are the favorites, what are Tiger Woods' chances, other big questions?

What do I need to know about Augusta National Golf Club? 

Augusta National is a 7,485-yard par 72 with four par 5s and four par 3s. Aside from its sheer beauty and storied history, Augusta National is arguably the most demanding second-shot golf course in the world. 

What exactly does that mean? Well, at Augusta, you need pinpoint accuracy with your iron shots to score well. The greens are lightning-fast and have massive ridges all over the place, so landing your golf ball in the precise location for the easiest putt is essential. If you miss your landing spot by a few feet, your ball can trickle off the green and into the water or a deep greenside bunker.  

There isn't a flat lie on the golf course outside of the tee boxes, and severe dog legs to both sides challenge players to move the ball both ways. Because of the huge slopes on the putting surfaces, it's also important to have a great short game. Players who struggle with their chipping at Augusta don't stand a chance.

Driving accuracy isn't as crucial here because most of the fairways are generously wide, but it is a huge advantage if you can bomb your drives and reach the par 5s in two. 

Who are the favorites to win The Masters?

The Masters odds board normally features a handful of names priced similarly at the top, but that isn't the case this year. Scottie Scheffler is the heavy favorite to win The Masters at +400 odds (FanDuel), while the next-closest player is Rory McIlroy at +1000. Reigning champion Jon Rahm (+1100), Xander Schauffele (+1400) and Brooks Koepka (+2000) round out the top five players on the odds board. 

It's wild to see a +400 outright price at a major championship, but it's warranted with Scheffler. The World No. 1 won The Arnold Palmer Invitational, won The Players Championship and finished T2 at the Valspar Championship in his last three starts. He's the best ball striker on planet Earth, has a brilliant short game and has gained on the green in three straight starts since switching to a TaylorMade Spider putter. Oh, and he won The Masters by three shots in 2022. 

Scheffler is clearly the man to beat this week.

What are Tiger Woods' chances to win?

In short, none.

Woods has made only six starts since May 2022, and he withdrew from three of them. His best finish in that span was a T45 at The Genesis Invitational. The forecast in Augusta, Ga. is calling for thunderstorms on Thursday and high winds on Friday, which isn't great news for Woods and his surgically repaired leg and back. 

Tiger is 200/1 to win The Masters for a good reason. He won't be donning the green jacket this year. 

Are LIV Golf players allowed to play in The Masters?

Yes, LIV Golf players can still play in The Masters. There are dozens of ways to qualify for The Masters every year, so players from outside of the PGA Tour can still compete at Augusta National. There are 13 LIV Golf players in the Masters field this year. Here they are along with their odds to win, per FanDuel:

Jon Rahm +1100

Brooks Koepka +2000

Joaquin Niemann +2800

Bryson DeChambeau +4000

Dustin Johnson +4000

Cameron Smith +4500

Tyrrell Hatton +6000

Patrick Reed +7500

Sergio Garcia +12000

Adrian Meronk +20000

Phil Mickelson +27000

Bubba Watson +40000

Charl Schwartzel +50000

How much money does the winner of The Masters get?

The full Masters purse and payouts won't be revealed until this weekend, but it will likely be similar to last year when the purse was $18M and the winner's prize was $3.24M.