As we move into autumn, the countdown has already begun for the 2025 US Masters, with talk already rife about the runners and riders. So, which golfers are among the bookies’ favourites, who could be a dark horse this year and can anyone stop the reigning champion Scottie Scheffler?
The main challengers
The 2025 US Masters will take place on 7-13 April at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The early betting has already begun, with a flurry of flutters already made on Scottie Scheffler. Unsurprisingly, Scheffler, who triumphed last year with a four-shot victory and who has held the number one ranking for more than 100 weeks, is the favourite at this stage.
With operators offering different types of free bets for the competition already, we can expect to see plenty of stakes on the other frontrunners over the coming months. After all, while Scheffler is 5-1 with most bookmakers for the win and evens for a top-five finish, he is only one of a host of contenders for the Masters Trophy.
First among his challengers are Ludvig Åberg and Jon Rahm. The Swedish Åberg has had a stellar two years since turning professional, soaring as high as fourth in the world rankings, helping Europe to win the Ryder Cup and finishing runner-up to Scheffler in this year’s US Masters event. Rahm won the 2023 trophy, and the Spaniard will surely be looking to reclaim his crown despite his surprising fall to 14th in the rankings.
Plenty of pretenders
Other challengers include Xander Schauffele, who is currently second in the rankings, though admittedly some distance behind Scheffler, and has claimed both the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. US golfers Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark and Bryson DeChambeau may also fancy their chances on home soil, with Americans having dominated the trophy since its inception. Aside from Europe and the US, as number seven in the world, Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama is also among the favourites after claiming top spot in 2021.
The bookies are refusing to rule out Rory McIlroy either. The Irishman may have had a well-publicised failure at the US Open, but he remains one of the best golfers in the world and will surely be looking to finally snag that major after a 10-year drought. Of course, some punters might fancy a dark horse with long odds who could sneak a win, much as the Brit Danny Willett did in 2016, when he went from odds of 50-1 to become the first European champion in 17 years.
Still ahead of the field
Let’s not forget Scottie Scheffler himself, of course. In addition to his two Masters championships, Scheffler has a total of 17 professional tour wins and has been on top of the rankings since March 2022. He remains fallible, however, and is yet to win any of the other majors in his career so far. Despite this, he is still the one most likely to claim the famous trophy this time around too.
All of that can change in the next few months, of course. In golf, perhaps more than any other sport, form, temperament and mentality are just as vital as ability and physical fitness, and as we all know, they can swing from one extreme to the other in a blink of an eye. One thing is for certain, however: as we get closer to the action and excitement builds, it will be fascinating to see who else emerges as a contender for the crown.
