Augusta National Golf Club was a different experience in November, and the 2021 Masters will feature firm fairways and a select number of customers when the event starts on Thursday, April 8. and the warm Dustin Johnson grabbed his chance, crossing for a five-stroke win with a record of 20 below. He will try to join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo as the only players to win the Masters Tournament in consecutive years.
William Hill Sportsbook lists the defending champion as the 8-1 favorite in his last 2021 Masters chances. Others from the 2021 Masters field at the top of the PGA odds table include current US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (9-1), Justin Thomas (11-1), Jon Rahm (11-1), Rory McIlroy (14-1 ) and Jordan Spieth (14-1). Before blocking any 2021 Masters picks or PGA Tour predictions, you need to see who Sal Johnson is supporting.
A media legend and a golf connoisseur, Johnson has a strong feeling about what it takes to win at Augusta National. He dominated Dustin Johnson before the 2020 Masters, and even he had Woods as a shocking choice the year before.
Prior to the November event, he ranked Johnson as the top choice in his best bets. “When it starts rolling like that, it’s almost impossible to beat it,” the golf guru told SportsLine. “He is a man with a purpose, which is to win another title.” Johnson simply ran away with the event, leading wire-to-wire and winning five shots for his second major championship.
Even more impressive, Sal Johnson was on top of Woods before his emotional comeback win in 2019. He included Woods in his best bets, despite the big winner 15 times having surgery on his back. Johnson noted that Woods’ tee-to-green game looked almost as sharp as it was at its peak. “And this will be the reason for your victory.” The result? Woods shot down 13 to win his fifth green jacket.
The golf expert knows these players and how they fit into the courses. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month, he chose DeChambeau as his first choice to win before taking his second win of the year.
He also knows when emerging players are ready for a breakthrough. He ranked Sungjae Im as one of the top contenders before his first Tour victory at the Honda Classic last season and praised Tyrell Hatton for his first tour victory the following week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Anyone who has followed Johnson’s advice has profited greatly.
Johnson, the first producer of “Inside the PGA Tour” and a longtime ABC Sports coach who worked with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman, who was also the founder of the world’s largest golf statistics database, released your highly confident choices of the 2021 Masters, and they will surprise you. You can only see them here.
Top 2021 Masters Expert Choices
Johnson is disappearing DeChambeau, although the 27-year-old leads the tour in driving distance (320.8 yards) and average scoring (69,432), being one of Las Vegas’ favorites. He is also the current US Open champion, but DeChambeau’s best submission in Augusta is a 21st tie (as an amateur). He is more than just strength, as he ranks 28th in the overall average of putts (1,583) and putts per round (28.5), but his accuracy is a big problem in a course like this. He is ranked 81st in greens in the regulation (67.4%) and will need a week of supernatural golf to fight.
Jordan Spieth has been making a big comeback, and Johnson is keeping an eye on him all the time. The 2015 Masters champion finished in the top 15, including three of the top five, in five of his last six games. He is 43 below average during that period. His season numbers have not improved since he missed the cut in four of the seven races before his current race, but his direction has been stable and he usually plays well in Augusta. He is 45th in total strokes won and 65th in putter strokes won.
Scottie Scheffler finishes second in the WGC-Dell Match Play, and Johnson likes where his game is now. The 24-year-old finished in the top 25 in half of his 14 events this season and he shot in the 1960s in six of his eight rounds before losing his 74-71 cut in the Players Championship. He recovered by advancing to the final at Match Play, where he lost to Billy Horschel. He drew on Nov. 19 in Augusta and is among the top 25 in driving accuracy (66.99 percent), green in regulation (70.33) and strokes won around the pitch. You can only see who to choose here.
How to make 2021 Masters predictions
For Masters 2021, Johnson is announcing an epic long shot north of 40-1. This golfer has always been a shot maker, and players like that are rewarded in the Masters. It could be a big surprise this week, and anyone who supports that underdog can profit a lot. He’s just sharing all of his 2021 Masters bets here.
Who wins Masters 2021? Where does Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed end? And what big chance is a mandatory bet? Check the odds below and then visit SportsLine to see Sal Johnson’s complete leaderboard, choices and analysis for the 2021 Masters, all of the insider who are stuck in their choices at Augusta National.
2021 Masters odds
Dustin Johnson 8-1
Bryson DeChambeau 9-1
Jon Rahm 11-1
Justin Thomas 11-1
Rory McIlroy 14-1
Jordan Spieth 14-1
Xander Schauffele 20-1
Brooks Koepka 20-1
Patrick Cantlay 22-1
Patrick Reed 25-1
Collin Morikawa 25-1
Tony Finau 28-1
Lee Westwood 28-1
Tyrrell Hatton 30-1
Viktor Hovland 30-1
Daniel Berger 33-1
Hideki Matsuyama 35-1
Scottie Scheffler 35-1
Webb Simpson 40-1
Paul Casey 40-1
Cameron Smith 40-1
Sung-Jae Im 40-1
Jason Day 45-1
Bubba Watson 45-1
Tommy Fleetwood 50-1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 50-1
Joaquin Niemann 50-1
Sergio Garcia 50-1
Adam Scott 60-1
Justin Rose 66-1
Harris English 66-1
Matthew Wolff 66-1
Will Zalatoris 66-1
Louis Oosthuizen 66-1
Francesco Molinari 80-1
Billy Horschel 80-1
Max Homa 80-1
Jason Kokrak 80-1
Shane Lowry 80-1
Abraham Ancer 80-1
Phil Mickelson 90-1
Victor Perez 90-1
Marc Leishman 100-1
Russell Henley 100-1
Rickie Fowler 100-1
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 100-1
Corey Conners 100-1
Ian Poulter 100-1
Si-Woo Kim 100-1
Matt Kuchar 100-1
Gary Woodland 100-1
Brian Harman 100-1