Ultimately, it’s going be baked, but with very little wind. The drought conditions leading in will certainly make the greens play extremely firm and fast, but the wind should be much calmer this year than prior years. Conditions wise, it looks like we are looking at scoring most similar to 2021 (+0.98) or 2025 (+0.68).

Point being, this golf course drains extremely well; even if we get rain on tournament week, the golf course always gets firm (some years more than others) over the weekend. What really needs to happen for the course to play two strokes over par is wind, and it just doesn’t look like we’ll be getting all that much of that this year. We have an interesting combo this year of perhaps our driest Masters in recent memory, but also our most benign wind forecast.

The first point that I would make about Augusta is that it is extremely “easy” OTT (lots of drivers, not many penalty areas) compared to the other three stat categories. It ranks 31st in OTT difficulty, 3rd in APP difficulty, 2nd in ARG difficulty and 4th in putting difficulty. That means, that from any given distance, players are going to hit it farther away from the pin (APP), hit fewer greens (APP), chip it farther away when they do miss a green (ARG), and make fewer putts (Putt).

Let’s leave the OTT piece for the next section, but the greens in regulation percentage at Augusta always hovers around 55-60%, and ARG matters even more in the harder years, whereas putting matters a little more in the easier years. It’s the toughest golf course in ARG difficulty from the fairway. 10th toughest from the rough and 27th toughest from the bunker, so scrambling from the short grass remains very relevant. It ranks 7th in putting difficulty inside 5 feet, 22nd in putting 5 to 15 feet, and every year, it is consistently the toughest lag putting course on Tour.

For the rest of Andy’s comprehensive Masters article, click here.

We have elevated our Masters content with Spencer Aguair (@TeeOffSports on X) joining us on our Monday Live DFS Show. Here are some of our favorite clips talking about some trends, players, and what statistics matter:

Last week, I ate the Jordan Spieth chalk that didn’t help me at all, as he finished T63 at the Valero Texas Open, totaling $21,364 bucks earned.

We have the first major of the year where you can take the LIV golfers that are in the field this week. With LIV golfers playing, it makes the OAD conversation very interesting. Jon Rahm is one of the most popular outright bets this week and Bryson is playing some of the best golf in the world, coming off a win in LIV South Africa.

I do believe these two will eat majority of the ownership. If i was in the money, I would just take the chalk with Jon Rahm, as I am a little worried about Bryson on a firm and fast Augusta National.

In this OAD segment, I keep the same pick in my RickRunGood OAD pool with 5,000ish entires and our staff OAD here at ISN. I am outside the money by 1,000 places and looking to make a move. If I believe that Bryson and Rahm will eat most of the ownership up top and believe that comes from people in the money, there’s an opportunity to still use a top guy and make a move.

My pick at the Masters for OAD is: Scottie Scheffler

Do I have concerns that Scottie Scheffler hasn’t played since the Players Championship, his approach play has been subpar for his standards, just had his 2nd child (congrats to the Scheffler’s!) so he might not have been out on the course practicing as much? All those reason are valid, however, you play Scottie Scheffler at the Masters.

He has some of the best course history at Augusta National, winning this event back in 2022 and 2024, never finishing outside the top 20 in his career. With Augusta playing firm and fast this year, we are anticipating harder conditions. Scheffler and Ted Scott know how to get around Augusta like the back of their hand. I am taking Scheffler’s course history to prevail here and post a top 5 finish.

Even though Scheffler could be 10% in big pools, I believe I can still make up ground if I believe the entries in front of me are taking Rahm and Bryson. If you want to avoid all three of these guys, I love Xander Schauffele and Cameron Young as pivots. Good luck to you all!

I'm not sure if there's another golf course in the world where I know every hole, where I can sketch it in my mind as you're talking about it. I know every contour, every distance to every trouble area, the minefields you need to navigate. Pebble Beach and St. Andrews come close; Kiawah because I've played it. But Augusta is the rare course where nearly every hole stands out. They're named, of course, which adds to the mystique, but there's hardly a dud across the 18 holes of prime real estate in Augusta, Georgia.

But what hole is the best? Let's rank them.

18. Nandina (No. 17): It's hard to pick the penultimate hole as the worst hole on the course. But it's not interesting. It's straight, not especially long, it's fairly narrow but not especially difficult, slightly uphill. The green is the most interesting part; it's a tough green to hold, but given its placement on the course, as a hole that can separate or tighten the leaderboard, it holds little intrigue.

17. Chinese Fir (No. 14): Fun fact: This is the only hole on the course without a bunker! It could use a bunker. Another straight, fairly narrow par 4 sandwiched in between the back 9's two Par 5s. Perhaps there's a sense of letting your foot off the gas after Amen Corner, but it doesn't stand out the way that other holes do.

16. Pampas (No. 7): The dirty secret of Augusta National? The Par 4s are a little boring. Each has its own intrigue, but compared to the iconic Par 3s and 5s, they tend to blend in. Pampas is not a boring hole, but it doesn't hold massive sway. What it does have are some of the most brutal bunkers on the course guarding the green. To avoid them, you need a long and straight tee shot that sets up a wedge...and enough short iron control to avoid disaster in the sand.

    

    (Hole 5 via GOLF.com)

15. Carolina Cherry (No. 9): The name of the game here is elevation. To hit down to a collection area, avoiding the trees that can ruin your best laid plans, and then up a slope to a borderline tabletop green, tests the patience of caddies who aren't eminently familiar with the track. This is one of those holes where TV doesn't quite do justice to the massive swings in elevation.

14. Magnolia (No. 5): How iconic is this course that this legendary Par 4 could be considered among the least appealing? Magnolia has intrigue as its length asks a lot of the approach shot, and par is an excellent score especially with an iconic green complex. But its location, tucked into a quiet and borderline desolate spot on the property, invites few fans and feels a far trek from the vibrant festivities across the rest of the course.

13. Juniper (No. 6): One of the most difficult green complexes on the course is the primary defense of this otherwise blasé par 3. A multi-tiered green requires impeccable distance control.

12. Yellow Jasmine (No. 8): Noticing a pattern? Holes 5 thru 9 don't quite provide the level of intrigue of the rest of the course. But Yellow Jasmine tests distance, accuracy, and control. Out of position once and you stand no chance of reaching a long and narrow green that requires a proper angle to attack. A fun hole, but the least exciting par 5 by default.

11. Azalea (No. 13): This ranking might ruffle some feathers, but I feel like this is the first hole that is suffering from the advances in golf technology. The tee shot used to be a Herculean effort; now players often hit 3-wood off the tee and land comfortably with a mid-iron into what would otherwise be a challenging second shot. The third-easiest hole on the course, it provides worlds of intrigue the more offline you are with your tee shot. And it might be the most beautiful hole on the course. It's getting harder to separate now.

10. Tea Olive (No. 1): I adore the first hole. I love how the tee box sort of just floats in the middle of a wide expanse of land and is always circled by patrons. I love how players report not being able to feel their hands on that first tee shot; I love how you can see the nerves. The hole itself? It's fine. Hit a reasonable tee shot, avoid the fairway bunkers, aim for the middle of the green, settle your nerves, and two-putt. Any more is asking a lot.

To read the rest of Chris’s rankings, click here.

Heading down south for the best 2 week stretch in golf of year (or at least my favorite):

Every year I am still lucky enough to be able to watch the masters with my dad. As the years continue to go on the 2 week stretch of the masters and the heritage has become more and more important to my life. As simple as it is there's no one I'd rather watch masters Sunday with than my dad and my brother.

Truly a tradition like any other.

A time where we can shut off the rest of the world and enjoy the greatest golf tournament in the world. The memories seem to become clearer and clearer every year around Augusta National.

So few events create moments at such a high frequency where you'll never forget where you were when something happened. Last year we were blessed enough to see one of best master finishes in years. This years masters feels the most wide open in years. The course appears to be the firmest we've had it in years.

Truly starting to feel like the night before Christmas. And luckily for us we get a chase for the second most coveted jacket in golf to follow up the fireworks that are bound to go off at this years masters.

Enjoy these moments as much as you can. Not everyone is so lucky to be able to still watch the masters with their father. I don't take it for granted for a second. Excited to get down to the south and feel these two tournaments come alive in front of my eyes.

I know it’s Masters Week, but I’ve got to talk about the state of my Red Sox and John Henry.

For a lot of people, The Masters is a special bonding moment between fathers and sons. For me and my dad, it was the Boston Red Sox. Even now that he’s passed, the Red Sox are still one of the strongest connections I have to him which is why watching what’s happening to this team is so frustrating.

You’d think an ownership group that helped bring four World Series titles to Boston would be loved and respected. You’d be wrong. The turning point was the Mookie Betts trade. Since then, it’s been a string of questionable decisions, bad roster construction, and leadership that just doesn’t inspire confidence.

Now we’ve got Craig Breslow running things who only got the job because 15 other people turned it done. It’s like the organization is being run by an algorithm. But sports aren’t played on spreadsheets. You can’t build a winning culture through cost cutting, reclamation projects, and safe bets.

This team has been a joke for the better part of seven years, and the fanbase has finally hit its limit“sell the team” chants nine games into the season says everything you need to know.

And now John Henry is involved with the group shaping the future of golf. I just hope he doesn’t do to the game what he’s done to my Red Sox.

Keep John Henry away from the PGA.

I know its Masters week, but our tennis analyst Rishi hit not one… not two… but THREE TENNIS WINNERS last Sunday! Rishi hit Tommy Paul +400 at ATP Houston, Navone +1600 in ATP Bucharest, and Jess Pegula +350 at WTA Charleston.