Masters Dark Horses: 10 Under the Radar Picks for Augusta

Rod Pampling

OWGR: 143rd

Odds: 500/1

Longtime fans of the PGA Tour will surely remember this Aussie. Pampling picked up a pair of victories between 2004 and 2006, rising to a career best of 22nd in the Official World Golf Ranking. Now, with another decade and a third win under his belt, the 47-year-old could be an intriguing pick for a longshot Masters victory.

Pampling is currently enjoying his best season in years, mostly thanks to his wire-to-wire win at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in November. There, he lit up the course for a 60 in the opening round and closed with a 65 to cruise to victory, ranking first in strokes gained: tee-to-green along the way. Perhaps more importantly, his Masters track record is eye-catching — he’s never missed a cut in three appearances, tying for fifth in 2005 and for 16th the following year. With a bit of good luck on the greens, he could use that experience to shock us all this year.

It took nearly 80 years for an Aussie to win a Masters, but with Adam Scott’s victory in 2013, perhaps the floodgates have opened. It would be a big surprise to see Pampling slip on a green jacket, but stranger things have happened, and veterans can often hold their own at Augusta.