SBD’s 2021 Masters Expert Picks
- The 85th Masters is taking place from April 11th-14th, 2021
- With the return of the patrons to Augusta National we’re destined for a great addition of the Tournament
- SBD’s editorial staff gives you some best bets for outright winner and their favorite prop below
The Masters is back in its traditional spot in the calendar during the second weekend of April, and the world’s best have descended upon Augusta National.
Among the favorites in the Masters odds are the expected names of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, as well as a recently resurgent Jordan Spieth.
Along with our picks to win the tournament, each of SBD’s editorial staff have picked out their favorite prop for the week for you to keep an eye on.
2021 Masters Expert Picks
| Prop | Matt McEwan | Mitch Robson | Ryan Metivier | Ryan Sura | Pete Apostolopoulos | Sascha Paruk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outright Winner | Jon Rahm (+1200) | Justin Thomas (+1100) | Jon Rahm (+1200) | Bryson DeChambeau (+1000) | Justin Thomas (+1100) | Bryson DeChambeau (+1000) |
| Best Bet | Dustin Johnson Top Former Champion (+180) | Tyrrell Hatton to Miss the Cut (+200) | Cameron Smith Top Australian Player (+175) | Matthew Fitzpatrick to Beat Tyrrell Hatton (-137) | Hideki Matsuyama Top Asian Player (+175) | Abraham Ancer Top Mexican Player (-175) |
All odds as of April 7th at DraftKings
Matt McEwan
Jon Rahm has finished T7, T9, and 4th in his last three Masters tournaments, posting -10, -10, and -11 scores. The Spaniard is also playing very well as of late, with seven top ten finishes in his last nine starts.
Rahm does not have a major victory under his belt, but I think this is where the levee breaks.
The other bet I’m placing is Dustin Johnson to be the top past champion. Since 2015, DJ has been so steady at Augusta, logging five straight top ten finishes, three of which were top five finishes.
Mitch Robson
With his snafu over being caught on a hot mic using a gay slur, and the passing of his grandfather firmly in the rear-view, this seems like the week Thomas finally captures his first Green Jacket.
He’s improved his standing each time he’s played in the event at Augusta National, and currently sits inside the top 30 in GIR on Tour, as well as 1st in birdies per round – two stats crucial to contention at the Masters.
One of the players i’m happily fading this week is fiery Brit, Tyrrell Hatton. Although Hatton has been known to catch fire and win any given week, the last four cuts he’s missed came at the Players Championship, 2020 Masters, US Open and the PGA Championship.
Woke up with a message from God that Tyrrell Hatton is going to win the Masters. pic.twitter.com/fOP6SO8MC0
— Nick Bisplinghoff (@NickBizzle17) April 3, 2021
With such a strong trend backing up the decision, pick Hatton to miss the cut at +200 seems like a smart play, given his lack of success at the biggest events.
Sascha Paruk
I wouldn’t bother with DeChambeau in a top-five or top-ten prop. If he’s not in near-perfect form, another T-34 is just as likely as a top-five finish. But picking a champion is about plausible upside, and – with the possible exception of DJ at his best – no one’s upside at Augusta is higher than Bryson’s.
He’s going to attack all four par 5s every chance he gets and will have multiple looks at birdie if he’s in form.
We are all Vijay Singh watching Bryson DeChambeau on the practice range. pic.twitter.com/PXkM3ks4NO
— Justus Cleveland (@JustusCleveland) April 5, 2021
Top Mexican is a head-to-head duel between Ancer and Carlos Ortiz. The latter won the Vivint Houston Open last November, but has missed the cut in two of his last four and will be playing Augusta for the first time. Ancer finished T13 here in November, and that was with a +4 aberration in the final round. He’s the better golfer and has more relevant experience. This is a good price.
Pete Apostolopoulos
JT finished 4th in 2020, and has made the cut in every start at Augusta National. This is a tournament where big names tend to flourish, and I feel JT is poised for his 2nd major win. Thomas has improved in every Masters from 2016-2020 (T39, T22, T17, T12, 4) and I see that trend continuing this weekend.
Matsuyama enters the tournament with loads of success and experience at the Masters, and is in competition with just 3 other Asian players in the tournament. He’s finished in the top 20 5 of his last 6 starts at Augusta, and 2 of those finishes were in the top 10. I like the value with Hideki’s past success and a small field for this prop.
Ryan Sura
Bryson DeChambeau has been at the top of his game for a good part of the 2021 PGA Tour season. He leads the Tour in Driving Distance, Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and Scoring Average.
He says he has a more calculated approach this year after almost missing the cut five months ago at Augusta. If he can roll the rock well, Bryson will be fighting for his first green jacket come Sunday.
Brian Crowell is joined by Matthew Fitzpatrick to discuss his preparation for the week and his excitement to have some patrons present. pic.twitter.com/8GhMKAqLne
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) April 5, 2021
Matthew Fitzpatrick’s best finish at the Masters was back in 2016 where he finished tied-seventh. He has been in excellent form, recently posting four Top 15’s in his last five starts.
Fitzpatrick takes on Tyrrell Hatton this week, who has struggled at bigger events in North America. Hatton missed the cut at the Masters in November posting, scores of 73 and 74. Conditions will be tougher this week, which leads me to believe Fitzpatrick will be to finish ahead of his fellow Englishman with ease.
Ryan Metivier
Rahm was tied in seventh here just five months ago and has now finished in the top-10 in each of his past three Masters with a tied-ninth finish in 2019 and fourth-place finish in 2018. In the six events he’s participated in since in 2021, he’s finished ninth or better in four, highlighted by a fifth place finish at the Genesis Invitational.
Only Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau had more top-10 finishes than Rahm in 2020 and Rahm’s seven top-10s in the 2021 season are two more than anyone else on tour.
In the 2021 season he also ranks third and second in strokes gained off-the-tee and strokes gained tee-to-green respectively.
I’m going for the sentimental favorite and one of the top contenders and will back Rahm for the outright win.
Mitch graduated from Ryerson University's Sport Media program in June of 2018, and has been with SBD since 2019. He's worked in broadcast and digital for the Score, Sportsnet, TSN & CBC and has done play-by-play work for basketball at all levels including NCAA, Pan Am Games & U Sports.
