The PGA Tour heats up with its first major of the season this week, the 2021 Masters Tournament. Read on to see my prediction for who will win the tournament, as well as my top 10, dark horse, and player to fade predictions.
Winner: Jon Rahm- Rahm has played as well as you can of late without a win, with 7 top 10’s, including 3 top 5’s, in his last 9 starts. Augusta National has been kind to Rahm in his career so far, as Rahm has shot par or better in each of his last 11 rounds here and has earned 3 consecutive top 10 finishes as a result. I believe this is the week where it will all fall into place and Jon Rahm will slip into the Green Jacket on Sunday for his first major win.
Top 10: Dustin Johnson- Although John has finished T-54 and T-48 in his last 2 tournament starts, it’s tough to pick against him, as he finished in the top 12 in each of his previous 11 worldwide starts and had 4 wins and 3 runner ups during that stretch. Johnson not only looks to defend his title this week, but has finished in the top 10 in each of his last 5 starts at Augusta National. Johnson is a lock for a top 10 this week, but don’t be surprised if you see him in the mix for the win on Sunday.
Dark horse: Ian Poulter- The words Ian Poulter and major traditionally don’t mesh together well, yet Poulter has played well at Augusta National throughout the years, making the cut in 14 of 15 starts and earning 9 top 25 finishes along the way. Poulter may not be in the hunt for the win in Sunday, but another top 25 finish is certainly within his grasp.
Player to fade: Henrik Stenson- Stenson has been in quite the slump recently, missing the cut in each of his last 6 starts worldwide. Stenson has also struggled at Augusta National over the years, earning just 1 top 10 finish in 15 starts and missing the cut in 2 of his last 4 trips down Magnolia Lane. Augusta isn’t a course where you can come into the week struggling and expect to contend. All of this adds up to a missed cut for Stenson.