Dark Horses to Keep an Eye on at The 2019 Masters

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - NOVEMBER 16: Li Haotong of China plays his second shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 16, 2017 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) /

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SHANGHAI, CHINA – APRIL 24: Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand plays a shot during the day two of the Volvo China Open at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club on April 24, 2015 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) /

Kiradech Aphibarnrat

Ever since he came onto the scene, Kiradech Aphibarnrat has been one of my favorite players. It helps that he has an incredible name (which actually sounds incredibly like it looks). It goes right along with his stellar play.

Aphibarnrat has been to The Masters twice already, playing there in 2016 and 2018. He played quite well in 2016, slightly derailing with a 77 during the third round. If he would’ve shot par that day, as he did the first two rounds, he actually would’ve ended up tied for 2nd for the entire tournament.

With two top 5 finished under his belt already, Aphibarnrat is showing flashes of why he was so deserving of finally receiving full status on the PGA tour for the 2018-2019 season. Not only did he receive full status, but he was the first Thai player to ever do so.

Like in 2016, one bad round really hurt his chances during the week of The Masters. This time, it happened during the first round, as he carded a 79. He was able to bounce back, shooting 70-72-71 over the next three to finish T44.

He is definitely a long shot to make noise at the Masters, ranging anywhere from 150-1 to 200-1. If he can knock out the bad round, there’s no reason he can’t find himself near the top five come the end of the tournament.

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