The first golf major of the year will take place next month. The best golfers in the world will descend on Augusta National Golf Club to take part in the Masters. Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champion, but he will find it hard to win his second consecutive Masters title. There hasn’t been a repeat winner at Augusta since Tiger Woods won back-to-back Masters in 2001 and 2002.
The 2022 Masters Tournament will take place at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia from April 7-10. Traditional television viewers will be able to watch the Masters from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN on Thursday and Friday, while the weekend rounds will be aired on CBS from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET on Sunday. A lot of the coverage will be on ESPN+ too.
Jon Rahm is the Player to Beat at the 2022 Masters
The No. 1 ranked golfer in the world has yet to win an event this year. Jon Rahm has been the top pick in every tournament he has entered this season, but he has been unable to break through with a win to this point. Rahm finished runner-up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January and earned a T3 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open at the end of January too, yet his best finish since that point was a T10 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. It’s not hard to talk yourself into Rahm winning the Masters though, as his last four finishes have been T4, T9, T7, and T5.
Does Hideki Matsuyama Have Any Chance of Repeating?
We saw Hideki Matsuyama break through and win his first major at Augusta National last April. Matsuyama had back-to-back T7 finishes in 2015 and 2016, but his best result since that point prior to last year’s victory was a T11.
The first Japanese golfer to win a major on the PGA Tour has been boom or bust this season. Matsuyama won the Sony Open and ZOZO Championship, and he finished T8 at both the Fortinet Championship and Waste Management Phoenix Open. However, he also has finishes of T30 or worse in four tournaments.
Matsuyama doesn’t have a ton of power, but he hits a lot of greens. His mid-game is elite, and that will always give him a chance on this course.
Who are the Other Golfers to Watch at Augusta National?
Collin Morikawa is the best young talent in golf. The 25-year-old won the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 British Open, but he has not fared well at the Masters in his two prior appearances here. Morikawa finished T44 in 2020 and T18 last year.
There is some hype surrounding Rory McIlroy again following his recent performances. McIlroy won The CJ Cup, and he finished T10 at The Genesis Invitational. McIlroy got off to a strong start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he has never won the Masters. He has won the other three majors, yet his best finish here was a T4 in 2015.
Brooks Koepka has been lights out at majors over the course of his career. He has won the US Open twice and the PGA Championship twice, and he has a total of 16 T10 finishes since 2014. Koepka may have missed the cut at last year’s Masters, but he finished T2 in 2019 and T7 in 2020 and must be respected.