The first golf Major of 2024 takes place at Augusta, Georgia from April 11-14. It’s eight years since a British player won the Masters but could this be the year when one of their many talented players wears the Green Jacket?
It was back in 2016 that Danny Willett won the US Masters. That was a great year for English players at Augusta with Lee Westwood tied for second place.
Since then, there have been two more occasions when a Brit has finished second in the Masters. Justin Rose managed that feat in 2017, losing in a play-off.
Two years ago it was Rory McIlroy who was the runner-up at Augusta. He’s still looking to get his hands on the Masters title.
The UK’s best chance of ending an eight year wait for a US Masters triumph is Rory McIlroy. He’s ranked second in the world and needs to win the Masters to go down in history as a player who has won all four Majors – said British Gambler expert, website about online gambling in the UK.
It was 13 years ago that he won the US Open and won the USPGA the following year. 2014 saw him again win the USPGA and also the British Open. In the ten years that have followed though he’s not won a Major.
His second at Augusta in 2022 does show that he could one day win the Masters, perhaps this year? 2024 has seen him win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and finish second in the Dubai Invitational. He needs to recapture the form that saw him get four consecutive top ten finishes last year. McIlroy sometimes struggles to hit top form in all four rounds of a golf tournament but when it does he’s hard to beat.
Matt Fitzpatrick is ranked 11th in the world and has twice won titles on the PGA tour. His best win by far was when winning the US Open two years ago. He’s had two ten finishes at Augusta with a best of a seventh place finish in 2016. Knowing what it’s like to win a Major and having had some good form at Augusta indicates he could well challenge if hitting form.
Tommy Fleetwood remains one of the most popular players on tour. Two years ago he finished 14th in the Masters. He won the Dubai Invitational this year and was tied for tenth in the Genesis Invitational. There probably wouldn’t be a more popular winner if he was to win the Masters this year.
Tyrrell Hatton finished tied for 18th in the 2021 Masters. The English golfer began this year with a couple of top 15 finishes on the PGA Tour. Again, he’s a player to keep a close eye on if getting himself established on the leaderboard.
Justin Rose has had 11 wins on the PGA Tour and that includes last year’s AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. That was his first win on the tour since 2018. Twice he’s finished second at Augusta so certainly knows his way around the legendary course.
Four of the last six years have seen this tournament won by an American player. The most recent US success was in 2022 when Scottie Scheffler won the Masters by three strokes from Rory McIroy.
Scheffler is the current world number one and recently won the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament. That was his fifth top ten finish in the first three months of the new year. With such a consistent record and being a previous winner at Augusta, Scheffler certainly looks the player to beat in April.
Wyndham Clark won the AT & T Pro-Am this year and was second in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. That took him up to fifth in the world rankings but he has never previously played in the Masters. His inexperience at Augusta might count against him but it was the same in the US Open last year and Clark won that tournament. He’s definitely a player who cannot be ignored at Augusta in April.
Another top American who could win the Masters is Brooks Koepka. Last year saw him finish tied second at Augusta and then win the PGA Championship. He spends his time on the LIV tour now but he’s won five Majors and simply cannot be ruled out.
The Masters remains one of the great golf tournaments. Players from the UK will want to follow in the footsteps of Spaniard Jon Rahm who won last year but they face a mighty battle to beat the top American contenders.
