Robert TheodorsonSpring is upon us and so is the most exciting time of the year for golf fans across the world.
The 2025 Masters will feature a field of 96 of the world’s greatest golfers, including a dozen from LIV Golf.
Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, looks to defend his title against an onslaught of up-and-coming young golfers who have everything in the world to prove as well as several seasoned veterans looking to further cement their legacy.
Most of the LIV field features former major championship winners including Augusta legend and three-time winner of the coveted green jacket, Phil Mickelson.
Brooks Koepka and Cam Smith will look for their first win at Augusta, adding to their trophy case, while Tyrrell Hatton and Joaquin Niemann vie for the first major championship of their careers.
Table of Contents
- The LIV Field – The LIV Dozen to Compete at The 89th Masters
- LIV Golfer Tiers – The LIV Field Ranked in Tiers
- The PGA Tour Competition – Who’s Hot, Who’s Not?
- PGA Tour Winners in 2025 – Winners of the 2025 Tour
- Tomorrow’s Golf League – Relevant for The Masters?
- Final Predictions – Surprises and Disappointments
- The Top 10 at the End of Sunday
The Field
Bryson DeChambeau
- Last Professional Win: U.S. Open (2024)
- Previous Masters Winner: No
- Major Championships Won: 2
- Last Finish at The Masters: T6; 2-under par
- Vegas Odds: +2000
What a Win Would Mean: ‘The People’s Champion’ as he is known, would further increase his stardom and help bridge the divide between LIV and The PGA Tour, from a fan perspective at least.
Bryson’s popularity would skyrocket to new heights, he would likely be the face of golf for the remainder of 2025.
Sergio Garcia
- Last Professional Win: LIV Hong Kong (2025)
- Previous Masters Winner: Yes
- Major Championships Won: 1
- Last Finish at The Masters: CUT
- Vegas Odds: +9000
What a Win Would Mean: A second green jacket would tie Garcia with fellow Spaniards Jose Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros and cement his legacy as one of the greats.
Winning at 45 years old, Sergio would be the second oldest golfer to win the Masters with Jack Nicklaus’ 1986 win at 46.
Tyrrell Hatton
- Last Professional Win: DP World Tour Dubai Desert Classic (2025)
- Previous Masters Winner: No
- Major Championships Won: 0
- Last Finish at The Masters: T9, Even Par
- Vegas Odds: +4500
What a Win Would Mean: Hatton would be the first English player to win since Danny Willett and further establish himself as one of the best European players in the world.
Dustin Johnson
- Last Professional Win: LIV Vegas (2024)
- Previous Masters Winner: Yes
- Major Championships Won: 2
- Last Finish at The Masters: CUT
- Vegas Odds: +9000
What a Win Would Mean: Prove everyone wrong about his character and commitment to the game.
Johnson, once the world’s number one golfer, would be considered a serious threat to win every weekend once again.
Brooks Koepka
- Last Professional Win: LIV Greenbrier (2024)
- Previous Masters Winner: No
- Major Championships Won: 5
- Last Finish at The Masters: T45, 9-over par
- Vegas Odds: +3300
What a Win Would Mean: A sixth major championship would tie him with elite company in Phil Mickelson, Lee Trevino, and Nick Faldo.
Winning at Augusta would establish Koepka as one of the best to ever play with several good years ahead of him to grab number seven.
Phil Mickelson
- Last Professional Win: PGA Championship (2021)
- Previous Masters Winner: Yes
- Major Championships Won: 6
- Last Finish at The Masters: T43, 8-over par
- Vegas Odds: Over 10K
What a Win Would Mean: Phil would break his own record by being the oldest golfer to ever win a major championship.
Four green jackets would tie him with the legend Arnold Palmer.
Joaquin Niemann
- Last Professional Win: LIV Singapore (2025)
- Previous Masters Winner: No
- Major Championships Won: 0
- Last Finish at The Masters: T22, 4-over par
- Vegas Odds: +2800
What a Win Would Mean: Niemann would be the second South American to ever win The Masters and just the third to ever win a major championship.
At just 26 years old, Niemann would be a favourite at majors for years to come.
Having a positive role model win the green jacket would have significant ramifications for Chilean and South American golf for decades to come.
Jon Rahm
- Last Professional Win: LIV Chicago (2024)
- Previous Masters Winner: Yes
- Major Championships Won: 2
- Last Finish at The Masters: T45, 9-over par
- Vegas Odds: +1400
What a Win Would Mean: Re-establish himself as the best golfer in the world before that mantle was taken by Scottie Scheffler.
His move to LIV was much-maligned by the media and he became a villain overnight to PGA Tour diehards.
A second green jacket likely heals some of those wounds, and once again makes Rahm worth the price of admission wherever he plays.
Patrick Reed
- Last Professional Win: The International Series Hong Kong (2024)
- Previous Masters Winner: Yes
- Major Championships Won: 1
- Last Finish at The Masters: T12, 1-over par
- Vegas Odds: +9000
What a Win Would Mean: People would be ‘big mad’ for a second time. The man who is called the most disliked golfer in the world would put himself back on the map for Ryder Cup consideration and be a force at the other major championships he’s currently missing out on.
Charl Schwartzel
- Last Professional Win: LIV London (2022)
- Previous Masters Winner: Yes
- Major Championships Won: 1
- Last Finish at The Masters: CUT
- Vegas Odds: Over 10K
What a Win Would Mean: A return to relevancy. At 40 years old, Schwartzel still has some good years left in him but hasn’t had real star power since the mid-2010s.
Cam Smith
- Last Professional Win: LIV Bedminster (2023)
- Previous Masters Winner: No
- Major Championships Won: 1
- Last Finish at The Masters: T6, 2-under par
- Vegas Odds: +6000
What a Win Would Mean: Remind everybody just how good he is. Smith looked like he was headed for superstardom after winning at St. Andrews a few years ago.
His LIV career was incredibly successful early on, but recent results have taken him out of sight, out of mind for folks outside Australia.
Bubba Watson
- Last Professional Win: PGA Travelers Championship (2018)
- Previous Masters Winner: Yes
- Major Championships Won: 2
- Last Finish at The Masters: CUT
- Vegas Odds: Over 10K
What a Win Would Mean: Bubba would prove something we already know: there’s just something special about Augusta that can’t be found anywhere else.
The only other golfer to win three green jackets without ever winning another major championship is Jimmy Demaret, a World War 2 era golfer.
LIV Winners in 2025
* – Was not invited to the 89th Masters
- Adrian Meronk * – Jeddah
- Joaquin Niemann – Adelaide
- Sergio Garcia – Hong Kong
- Joaquin Niemann (2) – Singapore
- Marc Leishman * – Miami
Notable Omissions
LIV Riyadh winner Adrian Meronk, who participated in the 2024 Masters was not invited back to the tournament after skipping out of most of the available European play last season where he made a name for himself before joining LIV.
Meronk’s 14-over par in 2024 was the second-worst score of those who failed to make the cut last season.
South African standout Dean Burmester is having another successful campaign in LIV Golf this season and had two Top 20 finishes in the majors last season (T12 PGA Championship & T19 The Open).
Burmester’s lacklustre results on The DP World Tour this season did not endear himself to the committee.
Clearly able to stand up to elite competition, Burmester will need to expand his schedule this season if he seeks an invite for 2026.
LIV Field Ranked Tiers
Tier 4 – It Would be a Miracle
Bubba Watson – I had to dig through the archives to recollect when and what Bubba’s last professional win was. The only member of the LIV field to have not won a golf tournament in the 2020’s, Watson has also been cut from the last two Masters. Watson was technically relegated out of the league at the end of 2024 along with Branden Grace. Both returned due to ‘business interests’ which drew the ire of fans still trying to figure out which rules bend or break.
Charl Schwartzel – Schwartzel is deceptively good when he’s on his game, often flying under the radar partly because he is regularly outshined by Stinger teammate Dean Burmester and Louis Oosthuizen is still a big name despite the lack of individual success. One of LIV’s more steady players, he’s good enough to be in the mix of things but not quite good enough to pull off the win.
Tier 3 – Good Enough to Make the Cut
Dustin Johnson – Before Singapore, DJ’s play had fallen off a cliff since winning LIV Vegas back in very early 2024. Johnson shared the lead with Joaco at the end of that Saturday in Singapore, but the two diverged in different directions – Niemann locked down Championship Sunday while DJ suffered a quick collapse, falling out of the lead and ending up with a T5 finish. The same story occurred this past weekend in Miami. It just seems like DJ is incapable of playing a complete weekend anymore. Of all the LIV field Johnson is by far the most difficult LIV golfer to predict. The man who owns the course record for lowest score at Augusta could either be in competition by Saturday or could open with two straight days of 5-over par or worse.
Tyrrell Hatton – I’m sticking to my preseason prediction that this is the year Hatton wins a major championship. I picked Hatton to win The Open, but his form has taken a serious hit recently. I absolutely expect him to make the cut but feel he’s not hot enough to secure a second consecutive Top 10 finish.
Patrick Reed – Every time I see projections for Patrick Reed at The Masters everyone seems to dismiss him almost immediately. Reed has played Augusta more than almost anyone by virtue of his collegiate career and understands the course better than anyone not named Tiger or Phil. Reed is winless during his tenure with LIV and could only manage a T10 finish in Hong Kong, a course he had won on months before facing much lesser competition on The International Series.
Cam Smith – While his putting is unquestionably great, Cam still struggles off the tee and has been a shadow of his former self on LIV in 2024 and 2025. His top ten finish in Augusta last year is encouraging, but not enough for me to believe he should land in Tier 2.
Tier 2 – Has a Decent Chance
Brooks Koepka – LIV fans will remember that Koepka thought he had the green jacket in the bag back in 2023 before a Sunday collapse and a surging Jon Rahm stole what looked like a guaranteed fifth major championship (The PGA Championship later that season was eventually his 5th). Brooks is without a doubt the most unpredictable great golfer amongst the field because he wins seemingly at random, and like playoff performers in other sports, he has an extra gear he activates during major championships.
Phil Mickelson – With Tiger’s absence this year, Phil will hold the crown as the most successful Masters golfer in the field. Last season I would have placed Phil alongside Bubba Watson in the lowest tier, but after a self-commitment to retool his game Mickelson has been very successful in LIV this season. Don’t forget that he and Brooks Koepka almost won in 2023 before Jon Rahm surged ahead on Championship Sunday. 2025 is the most successful season Mickelson has had since winning The PGA Championship in 2021. His modifications to his own game, paired with his intimate knowledge of Augusta make him a force to be reckoned with.
Sergio Garcia – Since missing the cut last season, Sergio has won two individual titles in LIV and commands one of the better teams in the league. Despite not playing on The DP World Tour in 2025, Sergio has made a commitment to play additional tournaments in order to get back on the Ryder Cup team. It seems that being cut from the 2024 Masters lit a fire under him. With his fourth-place finish in Macau which denied him a spot at this year’s Open, expect Sergio to play a smart, safe game that gives him a chance to get to the weekend.
Tier 1 – Legitimate Contender
Joaquin Niemann – Niemann has had two decent showings at the past two Masters despite being 4-over par in 2024. The committee in charge of invitations has noticed Niemann’s game two years in a row now and has given him a special invitation again, likely because they know he is one of the best golfers in the world. I would easily put Niemann in the top ten of pro golfers in the world right now. If Niemann wins, I won’t be surprised, he just feels like a player who’s going to win at least one major championship before he turns 30.
Jon Rahm – Vegas gives Rahm the best odds of winning amongst the LIV field and I agree wholeheartedly. Rahm has been super successful in every single LIV tournament and has participated in a number of tournaments outside LIV, doing quite well for himself. The Legion XIII captain is also one of those special players, along with Scottie Scheffler, that if you see him on the leaderboard after Saturday, he will assuredly make a strong push on Championship Sunday. Out of the entire field, PGA included, I only like Scottie Scheffler more to win. This prediction may go against the grain. Despite being the world number one, it’s important to remember that The Masters has not featured a back-to-back champion since Tiger in the early 2000’s.
Bryson DeChambeau – After the opening round at August last season DeChambeau looked like he was about to run away with a green jacket. Unfortunately, Thursday was his only under-par round which doomed him to an eventual sixth place at the end of the weekend. Along with Cam Smith, he dominated LIV in 2023 but has been quiet in 2024 – 2025. His win at the U.S. Open last year, paired with three Top 10 finishes on LIV this season will make him a decent betting option for all four majors this year.
The Competition
Top 10 in OWGR
- Scottie Scheffler
- Rory McIlroy
- Xander Schauffele
- Colin Morikawa
- Ludvig Aberg
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Russell Henley
- Justin Thomas
- Viktor Hovland
- Maverick McNeely
Synopsis
Despite not having won in 2025, Scottie’s 2024 was so monstrous that his number one spot will not be at risk until after The Masters.
Rory McIlroy is the only PGA Tour golfer who has won twice this year and looks to be as locked in more than anyone else with multiple Top 10 finishes.
While Xander Schauffele recovers from his offseason injury, Viktor Hovland reminded us that he is still very much alive with a long-awaited win after a disastrous 2024.
Of the Top 10, I consider Scheffler, Aberg, and Morikawa to be the most serious threats.
While LIV golfers are entering DP World Tour, Asian Tour, and The International Series tournaments with more frequency, the tournaments are often worth far less points based on the strength of the field.
Were LIV events worth a decent amount of OWGR points we would absolutely see Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, Bryson DeChambeau, and likely Sergio Garcia squeaking in the Top 10.
PGA Winners in 2025
* – Was not invited to the 89th Masters
- Hideki Matsuyama – The Sentry
- Nick Taylor – Sony Open
- Sepp Straka – AMEX
- Harris English – Farmers Insurance Open
- Rory McIlroy – Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- Thomas Detry – Waste Management
- Ludvig Aberg – The Genesis Invitational
- Brian Campell – Mexico Open
- Joe Highsmith – Cognizant Classic
- Russell Henley – Arnold Palmer Invitational
- Karl Vilips * – Puerto Rico Open
- Rory McIlroy (2) – The Players
- Viktor Hovland – Valspar Championship
- Min Woo Lee – Texas’s Children’s
- Brian Harman – Valero Texas Open
A Year in Review
With only one repeat winner (McIlroy) the PGA Tour landscape looks quite different than 2024.
Perhaps this could be the year to bet on the dark horse like Brian Harman or Wyndam Clark of 2023 instead of the ‘sure thing’ which is Scottie Scheffler, and to a lesser degree for majors, Rory McIlroy.
The surprise of last year was without a doubt Xander Schauffele’s two major championship wins at The PGA Championship, where he beat out Bryson by one stroke, and The Open, beating Billy Horschel and Justin Rose by two strokes. While Xander recovers from an injury that kept him out of most of the season thus far others have stepped up, but nobody has been dominant.
Does Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL) Carry Any Weight?
If TGL had awards, the regular season MVP would have easily gone to Wyndam Clark.
His Bay Golf Club was the best team in the league’s inaugural season before bowing out early in the playoffs. Clark (26) was seven points better for Total Points Won than New York Golf Club’s Cameron Young and Rickie Fowler (19), both finishing the season T2 in that category.
Clark has already won one major championship (2023 U.S. Open) and is in the prime of his career.
The TGL playoffs were dominated by Atlanta Drive, featuring Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel, and Patrick Cantlay.
Cantlay was about as clutch a playoff performer as you can get, and Horschel was a regular-season and playoff stud.
Neither has ever won a major championship, and the last win between the two was Horschel almost exactly one year ago to the day.
All Things Considered and Final Predictions
- Jon Rahm will finish in the Top 5 and Joaquin Niemann will further establish himself with at least a Top 10 finish.
- Are there any surprises this year? Golfers who don’t just make the cut but exceed all expectations?
- Min Woo Lee has left his meme status of “Let Him Cook” behind and has established himself as one of the game’s best young stars. His recent victory against an established field plus holding off a late surge by Scottie Scheffler means Lee has finally arrived for prime time.
- My own “Oh, I should have seen that coming” pick is another Australian in Jason Day. Day is leaps and bounds better this season than in years past. Day has three Top 15 finishes this season on the PGA Tour. I won’t commit to him for the Top 10, but Top 25, why not?
- Sergio Garcia’s current form is too good to ignore. Folks who don’t follow LIV golf probably think Garcia has fallen off a cliff, but the opposite is true. I like Garcia to make the cut and be visible on the leaderboard for at least one day.
- Wyndham Clark has been in excellent form. 2025 is only his second Masters tournament. He failed to make the cut in 2024, but is trending up in a huge way. Clark is in the prime of his career and has already won one major, he is absolutely a contender to win a second in 2025.
- Who are the disappointments?
- Nick Dunlap drew comparisons to a young Phil Mickelson last season but has struggled mightily in 2025. While his future is bright, I would not bet on him making the cut.
- There will be at least one amateur who makes the cut. The media will swarm whoever it is and we’ll all follow him closely before said player inevitably drops out of competitiveness by Saturday afternoon.
- Ludvig Aberg, despite his win this season, when we look at what happens to golfers who come in second place in The Masters the year after being runner-up, the history isn’t pretty. I’m not saying Aberg will drop out of the Top 10 but people who are expecting last year’s performance plus a little more are going to be disappointed.
- Easily the most controversial is the absence of Rory McIlroy. We’re all very aware of his second-place finish behind Scheffler’s first victory and a number of top ten finishes, however something doesn’t feel right about this year. In my preseason predictions, I chose Rory to win this year’s PGA Championship to break his winless major streak, so there is hope on the horizon, just not this weekend.
- I’m going to stop picking on The PGA Tour for disappointments now. I absolutely loved Tyrrell Hatton before the start of the 2025 LIV season. Hatton had just won a DP World Tour event and looked like he might outshine his teammate Jon Rahm this season. He hasn’t gone ice cold since that DP World Tour win, but has cooled off significantly. Hatton was among the worst of the LIV field in Miami, which was a challenging course that should have prepared the best of the best for Augusta.
Enough, who is going to win the green jacket? I remain steadfast in picking Scottie Scheffler to win it all for a second consecutive year, a feat that has not been accomplished since 2001-2002.
Scheffler is the only golfer in the world other than Jon Rahm who instils terror in the field if either is even close to the lead Sunday morning.
The Anticipated Results for the Top 10
- Sepp Straka
- Joaquin Niemann
- Min Woo Lee
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Cameron Young
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Ludvig Aberg
- Colin Morikawa
- Jon Rahm
- Scottie Scheffler
The 2025 Masters starts this Thursday morning on multiple nationally televised channels, streaming services, including Paramount+, and the premier way to watch every shot of the entire tournament: The Masters app!
