This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Masters Tournament
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta National Golf Club - Par 72 - 7,555 yards
Field - 95 entrants
Purse - $20M
The Preview
As is tradition, a firm and fast Augusta National Golf Club is primed to commence major championship season as it invites an exclusive collection of green jacket hopefuls to test its slick, sloping bentgrass greens, while the field's bombers find plenty of real estate to blast drivers around the lengthy 7,555-yard layout. Per usual, SG: Approach reigns supreme at this second-shot venue as nine of Augusta's 10 par-4s measure between 440 and 520 yards, while it's the par-5s that promote scoring chances and back-nine drama. Nonetheless, the heightened difficulty level at Augusta allows the grinders to flash their short-game skills as well.
Recent Champions
2024 - Scottie Scheffler
2023 - Jon Rahm
2022 - Scottie Scheffler
2021 - Hideki Matsuyama
2020 - Dustin Johnson
2019 - Tiger Woods
2018 - Patrick Reed
2017 - Sergio Garcia
2016 - Danny Willett
2015 - Jordan Spieth
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Driving Distance
Par-4: 450-500 and Par-5 Efficiency
Scrambling
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Scottie Scheffler - $45
Triumphant in two of his last three trips down Magnolia Lane, the defending champion is coming off a runner-up effort at the Texas Children's Houston Open where he posted the second-best SG: Putting performance of his career, and he's gained at least 6.6 strokes from tee to green in four consecutive starts.
Rory McIlroy - $45
Due to Yahoo's soft pricing, it's extremely easy to build comfortably with a Scheffler-McIlroy stack up top, and that's going to be a very common strategy as folks jam in the heavy tournament favorites for good reason. With multiple big wins already under his belt this season, McIlroy is in great form as he looks to complete the career Grand Slam.
Collin Morikawa - $44
Morikawa will be a popular choice this week as the PGA Tour's current leader in both SG: Tee-to-Green and SG: Approach this season, and he's placed 18th or better in four straight Masters appearances. Despite a $44 salary, Morikawa still fits into the aforementioned Scheffler-McIlroy builds.
Glue Guys
Bryson DeChambeau - $34
DeChambeau finally broke through for his first career Masters top-10 last year when he paced the field in SG: Off-the-Tee by a considerable margin, and the 2024 U.S. Open champ is now coming off a top-5 result at LIV Golf Miami where he led after two rounds.
Corey Conners - $32
Conners, who strung together three consecutive top-10s at Augusta from 2020 to 2022, has gained an average of 7.7 strokes from tee to green per event over his last four starts dating back to a third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Additionally, the Canadian has seen significant improvements with his short game of late.
Joaquin Niemann - $29
Niemann hasn't fared very well at major championships throughout his young career, but at just $29, it's impossible to dismiss the No. 1 player in the LIV Golf standings, who's already won twice this year in Singapore and Adelaide. Niemann has placed 22nd or better in back-to-back Masters outings, particularly excelling off the tee at Augusta National.
Bargain Bin
Jon Rahm - $20
Um, free square? We might see ownership records set on this pricing miscue. He's 14/1 at the longest in the outright betting market.
Jordan Spieth - $20
Not quite as jaw-dropping, but similarly egregious to Rahm's aforementioned salary error. The 2015 Masters champ has placed T12 or better in three of six starts dating back to a T4 at the WM Phoenix Open, and Spieth just gained a collective 7.1 strokes on and around the greens at TPC San Antonio this past week.
Brooks Koepka - $20
Another guy who fell through the cracks in the salary algorithm, Koepka might not reach Rahm/Spieth ownership levels, but the five-time major champion finished runner-up in Singapore last month and he's gained eight strokes putting throughout his last eight rounds at Augusta National, which include a T2 result here in 2023.
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