The Masters: A Fantasy Guide for Augusta National
By Derek Helm
Cameron Young ($8,600)
Young missed the cut in his debut at the Masters last year but went on to have success in other Majors coming 3rd at the PGA Championship and 2nd at the Open Championship.
He’s had some bright spots in 2023 but hasn’t been overly impressive. His best finish was a 10th at the Arnold Palmer and his worst finish was 64th at the Waste Management. He’s gained strokes off the tee in every weighted event dating back to the Masters last year.
Viktor Hovland ($8,500)
Hovland has made the cut all three times he’s played the Masters. He’s been ok at Augusta and has finishes of 27th, 21st, and 32nd.
Hovland has been consistent to this point in 2023, especially in his last three tournaments where he’s gained an average of 6.7 strokes from tee to green. He had his best finish of the year at the PLAYERS where he came in 3rd place.
His poor around the green game could be a concern if he’s missing greens in regulation.
Hideki Matsuyama ($8,400)
Matsuyama has been very good at the Masters. He’s made the cut ten out of eleven years. He obviously won in 2021 and has had an average finish of 13th at Augusta National since 2015.
Hideki has been good this year but missed two cuts in a row at the Genesis and Arnold Palmer Invitationals. He then bounced back by coming 5th at the PLAYERS Championship.
He also withdrew from Match Play with a neck injury but it could have been because he knew he couldn’t advance and wanted to move on to next week. He played at the Valero Texas Open and it’s hard to believe he would have been there if there were actual injury concerns.
Sam Burns ($8,300)
Burns missed the cut last year in his Masters debut and only appearance at Augusta.
Burns has had an interesting 2023 to this point, he started off with 32nd, 11th, and 6th place finishes. He then completely lost form with the irons and missed two cuts in a row and came 35th at the PLAYERS.
He bounced back at his happy place, coming 6th at the Valspar, and then won the Match Play event.