Brentley’s 23 mostly bold predictions for the 2023 Masters
The 87th Masters is less than 24 hour from getting started.
And there are no shortage of storylines from Rory McIlroy’s Grand Slam quest, Scottie Scheffler’s defense, Tiger Woods’ health (again) and, of course, LIV Golf’s presence at Augusta National.
But before the first tee ball is struck, let’s have a little fun with 23 (mostly) bold predictions for the 2023 Masters:
1. Out of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, Rahm shoots the lowest score. But none of them wins.
2. Cameron Smith is low LIV player, but his run of three straight Masters top-10s ends.
3. More than half of the 18 LIV guys here this week don’t stick around for the weekend, though Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau are among those who do play well, and Phil Mickelson shocks the world by making the cut.
4. Tom Hoge won’t extinguish the Par 3 Contest curse, but he will finish inside the top 10. He’ll still fly commercial home.
5. Tiger Woods breaks 70 in one of the first two rounds and makes the cut.
6. And then things get tougher for Woods over the weekend as weather delays and Augusta National’s hills wear him down.
7. The tournament will finish by Sunday evening. Some are predicting a total wash-out on Saturday, but I’m optimistic they’ll find a way to avoid extending into Monday.
8. Unless, of course, there’s a playoff, which there won’t be.
9. Sahith Theegala finds himself in the pine trees a couple times before finding himself in one of the final three groups on Sunday.
10. Every player in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking will make the cut, but the last of that bunch outpaces them all…
11. Despite entering the week outside the top 50 in strokes gained approach, No. 10 Justin Thomas, tied for the most birdies or better in the past three Masters combined, limits the double bogeys that have plagued him and contends.
12. Someone in the last group rinses a tee shot into Rae’s Creek at No. 12 on Sunday.
13. The par-5 13th hole, 35 yards longer this year, will play as the easiest par-5 at least one round.
14. Players are asked at least 39 more questions about the 13th hole.
15. Bryson DeChambeau turns the clock back to his amateur days, fires (an even-par) 67 one day and notches his best finish since he was T-21 in 2016.
16. Gordon Sargent is one of three amateurs to make the cut and earns low-amateur honors. He also sparks plenty more rollback takes on Twitter when he hits 8-iron into the par-5 second green.
17. Jason Day is low Aussie as he posts his best Masters finish since his T-5 in 2019.
18. Min Woo Lee is close to securing that honor.
19. Billy Horschel’s putter gets airborne no fewer than three times.
20. Greg Norman remains silent.
21. Gary Player does not during his Thursday morning press conference alongside Jack Nicklaus.
22. The winning score is 9 under, the first time since 2017 that it’s been in single digits.
23. And it’s Tony Finau who records it as the 2023 Masters champion, his first major title.