Masters Preview

This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity–writing a Masters preview in November. However, here we are. The final golf major in 2020 is taking place without patrons, and will proceed, even though there have been 411, 652 cases of coronavirus in the state of Georgia and 8,730 deaths.

At this time, U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau of Modesto, CA is the favorite at 8-1. Next on the list is FedEx Cup champion, and world number one Dustin Johnson of Columbia, SC at 9-1.

A total of 21 countries will be represented at the Masters this season. The country represented the most besides the United States, (which has 42 entrants) is Great Britain with 12 entrants. However, these golfers do not compete for Great Britain, but for England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

There are two notable golfers who are having to miss the Masters because they have coronavirus. They are 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia of Spain, and Joaquin Niemann of Chile. Garcia reportedly was not feeling well after traveling back from the Houston Open last week. Texas has all of a sudden been a coronavirus hotspot with 1,042,439 total cases (the most of any state), and 19, 453 deaths.

In 2020, there are only three majors, as the British Open did not take place in July as scheduled due to the pandemic. Collin Morikawa of Los Angeles, CA won the PGA Championship in August, and DeChambeau won the U.S. Open in September in New York. Johnson meanwhile has the most wins with three as he won the Travelers Championship in Hartford, the Northern Trust in Boston, and the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

One player we should all keep an eye on is Spain’s Jon Rahm. A two-time winner in 2020, Rahm won the Memorial Tournament in July, and the BMW Championship in August. Spain has a rich history of success at the Masters. Seve Ballesteros won in 1980 and 1983, Jose Maria Olazabal won in 1994 and 1999, and Garcia won in 2017.