Superstars like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson will dominate headlines in the build-up to The Masters. The first major of 2018 begins on April 4 and several leading lights have hit form at precisely the right time of year. But it is worth noting that seven of the last eight major winners had never claimed one before, including Sergio Garcia at Augusta last year and Danny Willett the year before that. There are several talented and driven players that are yet to join the elite club of major winners, and there are some intriguing outsiders that are in with a great chance of success at Augusta:
Rickie Fowler
Fowler is arguably the best all-rounder in the game and it is crazy to think that he has never won a major. The popular American has secured five top-five major finishes and been a runner-up twice, but he is yet to claim the sport’s ultimate glory. He was T5 at Augusta in 2014, T12 in 2015 and well in contention after day three last year, only to fall away on the final day. He knows the course well and his game is suited to Augusta, and he should be approaching the peak of his powers now, aged 29. He is not in great form and he has dropped from being one of the favourites to 20/1, so that represents strong value.
Mark Leishman
Leishman is a huge outsider to win The Masters but he is an intriguing option to seize glory at Augusta next month. The Australian won the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year and put up a strong defence of his title this week, finishing T7 among a strong leaderboard containing Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and a rejuvenated Tiger Woods. He has enjoyed runner-up finishes at Torrey Pines, secured T5s at Riviera and Muirfield Village. He has the power to make a splash at Augusta and he has a strong record here, having finished fourth in 2013. He was T43 last year, but his 149-yard eagle conversion was one of the highlights of the tournament and he will be an exciting player to follow this year.
Paul Casey
The 40-year-old Englishman has never been seriously in contention for a major on the final day of proceedings, but late bloomers have thrived at Augusta before. Ben Hogan and Phil Mickelson picked up maiden wins here deep into their careers, while Mark O’Meara became a first-time winner at 41 and Jack Nicklaus claimed the famous green jacket aged 46. Casey is maturing like a fine wine and he has developed into arguably the most consistent player in the game. He has already tasted success this year, beating Woods to the Valspar Championship, and he has an excellent Masters record, finishing T6 in 2015, T4 in 2016 and sixth last year, so he should garner a lot of attention in the SportingIndex.com lines.
Daniel Berger
Berger is only 24 and he has bags of potential and a decent record at Augusta, so he looks like an interesting sleeper pick at 100/1 for The Masters. He finished T10 in 2016 and T27 last year, so he should go into the tournament with plenty of confidence. At his age, he should be getting better every year. His short game is strong, and he can handle windy conditions, so if he manages to strike the ball cleanly off the tee he will be in with a good shout. He looks as though he is on the cusp of greatness, and one of these days he will burst into the elite, and there would be no better stage than Augusta on which to truly announce himself.
Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama will once again be carrying the weight of a nation on his shoulders as Japan has never had a major winner and expectations are high for this prodigious 26-year-old. He already has five PGA tour wins under his belt and moved up to second in the world rankings after a runner-up finish at the US Open last year. Matsuyama has now slipped down to sixth, but his failure to previously win a major leaves him 14th in the betting for The Masters. He has the talent to make a mockery of 35/1 odds and his game is well suited to the course. He has already secured a fifth placed finish at the tournament back in 2015, while he finished T7 in 2016 and T11 last year. Matsuyama is a supremely consistent player and, like Fowler, he just seems too good to never win a major, so he will be a leading contender next month.
