2021 Masters Betting Picks, Predictions & Preview: Berger, Hatton, Sungjae Im Stand Out at Augusta National

There's no shortage of storylines heading into Masters Week.

Jordan Spieth is riding high off his first win in nearly four years. Then we have Jon Rahm summoning some Danny Willet vibes after the birth of his first child a few days ago. Not to mention Brooks Koepka's knee apparently healing up enough to play this week after some reports suggests he'd be out for months.

Combine all that with the No. 1 player in the world set to defend the title he won just five months ago, and it should set up for a memorable week.

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2021 Masters Preview

Not much new to report about Augusta National. It measures 7,475 yards for a par 72. Firm and fast is the setup rumor, and the powers that be may want the the track to play a bit more difficult after Dustin Johnson set the scoring record back in November. But with rain expected periodically throughout the week, we'll see how that holds up.

Overall, this place tends to benefit the longer hitters, but it is the approach game that usually stands out for the winners. The long irons are particularly important in order to set up easy birdie chances on the par 5s. Another note about Augusta is that scrambling from around the greens has more value than putting this week.

We saw both of these factors on display just a few months back when Johnson overpowered the course, but he had to hold off the notable short-game prowess of Sungjae Im and Cameron Smith.

The Favorites

Dustin Johnson (+800) is the slightest of favorites, with Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth in some order behind him.

Obviously, Spieth will get all the buzz this week, but the time to bet him was two months ago when the number was in the +4000-5000 range. With 80% of the value gone now, it's tough to even suggest looking his way.

Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas at +1100 are two I'd lean to if you're interested in betting players in this range. Rahm was really the only player ranked in the top 20 to survive his group in match play, while Thomas just took down another big event at TPC Sawgrass a few weeks ago. These numbers are still too short for me, but maybe we could see some drift if one of them gets off to a slow start on Thursday. That would make the number much more palatable.

Rory McIlroy at +1600 is the last guy in this top tier. He seems to always play well here, but his game has not come together over the past year.

The Mid-Tier

This is where my card will come from this week. I've targeted five guys in this range who have show some good signs of life these past few weeks.

I'll start out here with Sungjae Im at +4150. Im was hanging around +5000 before the odds updated on Monday morning, but he's come down to the +3500 to +4000 range at most books.

The South Korean has been driving the ball really well over his past few events and the short game is in good shape. He's just been a bit off with the irons, but those have been a strong point for him in the past.

I've been on Im a few times this year, trying to guess when they'd come back, but it hasn't happened yet. But he was second here in November in his first start, so he won't be lacking any confidence heading into the week.

We'll also go to Paul Casey at +4000.

Casey has been on a decent run of form the past few months and has strung together multiple solid Masters results in the past. He'd be my pick to channel his inner Sergio Garcia and grab that major after it appears his window has closed. The irons have been great all year and the short game has been a surprising strength these past few events for Casey.

Like Im, Casey was hanging around +5000 before Monday morning, so be sure to shop around to find the best number on the Englishman.

I'm also going with Daniel Berger, who is at +4000 on PointsBet but I'd expect a slightly larger number somewhere later during the week. Berger's game is right where we'd want it to make a run at Augusta. He's a great iron player and putter and has gained strokes off the tee in every event in 2021.

We'll also go back to Matthew Fitzpatrick at +6000 on PointsBet.

I'm playing Fitz based on his current form. He's had four starts in stroke play events on the PGA TOUR in 2021 and has finished 11th or better in all of them. Fitzpatrick has never tore up Augusta — though he has a top-10 finish to his credit — but this will be his seventh start here so he should have a good feel for the course by now.

I also played Tyrrell Hatton at +5000. This was a play I made a few months back but he's still hanging out in this range at multiple sportsbooks.

Hatton appeared to be trending in the right direction but has stalled out against stronger fields these past couple of months. I wouldn't back him now at this price. But if you do like him, wait it out. He's not going to be a popular play based on that recent form and that number will likely drift.

The Longshots

It's been a decade since a winner went off at triple digits with Charl Schwartzel in 2011, so it's tough to really back many in this range.

I'll mostly focus on prop markets with these players, but guys like Brian Harman, Jason Kokrak and Victor Perez have all caught my attention recently. As the betting market expands later in the week, I'll try to find a way to get something down for a top-20 or matchup.

The Masters Card

• Daniel Berger +4000 (.83 units)
• Tyrrell Hatton +5000 (.66 units)
• Paul Casey +5000 (.66 units)
• Sungjae Im +5000 (.66 units)
• Matthew Fitzpatrick +6600 (.5 units)

Total Stake: 3.31 units