Best players in Masters field? LIV golfers, Tiger Woods, favorites and more

From Tiger Woods to LIV golfers, the 2024 Masters field is loaded with stars as expected. 

Who are the best golfers in the 89-player Masters field?

It’s easy to say Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer and 2022 Masters champion, who has won twice this season. He’s enjoying a historic stretch, with 87 top 10 finishes in 119 PGA Tour starts since joining the PGA Tour in 2018.  He has won $54,058,464 on Tour in less than four seasons, with eight victories.

Then there’s Jon Rahm, the defending Masters champion who joined LIV Golf in December. He’s still No. 3 in the world, right behind Rory McIlroy, who just needs a Masters championship to complete a career grand slam. 

The past four winners at Augusta National were first-time Masters winners. Xander Schauffele, at No. 5 in the world, is seeking his first major after winning seven PGA Tour events. 

Let’s take a look at the best golfers in the 2024 Masters field, plus world rankings and Masters odds. 

Best golfers in Masters field 2024 

The best golfers in the Masters field don’t always have the best odds. 

Here are 10 of the best golfers to watch at the Masters, regardless of whether or not they’re the best bets. 

Ludvig Aberg

The rookie out of Texas Tech will make his major tournament debut. Can he really win on his first try? Absolutely. Aberg was unflappable while helping Europe win the Ryder Cup last summer. He’s already won on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour and is ranked No. 9 in the world.  

Wyndham Clark 

The 2023 U.S. Open champion is hitting his stride at age 30. He was runner-up to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at both Bay Hill and the Players Championship this season. He’s No. 10 on the PGA Tour in driving distance (309.2), so don’t expect Augusta National’s par 5s to intimidate him. 

Bryson DeChambeau

DeChambeau hasn’t been great at the Masters, but the 2020 U.S. Open champion is bound to make a splash in the majors again soon. He won twice on the LIV circuit last season, which included a 58 at Greenbrier. He finished in the top 10 in three straight tournaments before last week. 

Brooks Koepka

He led most of the way in the 2023 Masters before succumbing to eventual champion Jon Rahm. All golfers put more emphasis on the majors than regular events, and Koepka is the epitome of that. He won back-to-back U.S. Opens in 2017 and 2018, then repeated at the PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019, before claiming another PGA Championship title in 2023.

Shane Lowry

He ranks third on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach (0.928), seventh in strokes gained tee to green (1.323) and has four top-25 finishes at the Masters. He finished third at Bay Hill this year and tied for fourth at the Honda Classic. Lowry might not be an attractive choice, but expect him to be in the mix. 

Rory McIlroy

The No. 2 golfer in the world hasn’t contended as much as he’d like this season. But the four-time major winner leads the PGA Tour in total driving (55) and is fourth in driving distance (312.2). He placed third at last week’s Valero Texas Open, posting a Sunday 66 to finish 11 under. 

Joaquin Niemann

He’s won twice on the LIV circuit this season. That helped him get a special invite to play in the Masters, where he finished tied for 16th last year. He won the Australian Open this season, finished fifth at the Australian PGA Championship and tied for fourth at the DP World Tour event in Dubai. 

Jon Rahm

Rahm is the defending Masters champion and looking for his third major title in addition to his 2021 U.S. Open championship. His jump to LIV in December was the biggest story in golf last year. He has four top 10 finishes in four LIV events played. Perhaps even bigger: Rahm has five top 10s in his last six Masters starts.

Xander Schauffele

Schauffele has seven PGA Tour wins but no majors yet. He has four top 5 finishes this season, including a runner-up spot behind Scheffler at the Players Championship. He ranks No. 2 in strokes gained (1.934) on the PGA Tour behind only Scheffler. 

Scottie Scheffler

Here’s your favorite. The 2022 Masters champion won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship in back-to-back weeks before a runner-up finish at the Houston Open this season. He is first or second on Tour this season in greens in regulation (No. 1, 76.3%), strokes gained (No. 1, 2.81), strokes gained off the tee (No. 2, 0.90) and strokes gained approach to green (No. 1, 1.34). 

LIV golfers in Masters field

Here’s a quick look at the 13 LIV golfers in the 2024 Masters field and how they received their tournament exemptions.

Player | exemption

∎ Bryson DeChambeau | 2020 U.S. Open win

∎ Sergio Garcia | 2017 Masters champion

∎ Tyrrell Hatton | 2023 Tour Championship qualifier, top 50 in Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR)

∎ Dustin Johnson | 2020 Masters champion

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∎ Brooks Koepka | 2019, 2023 PGA Championship wins

∎ Adrian Meronk | top 50 in OWGR in 2023

∎ Phil Mickelson | 2004, 2006, 2010 Masters champion

∎ Joaquin Niemann | Special invitation

∎ Jon Rahm | 2023 Masters champion

∎ Patrick Reed | 2018 Masters champion 

∎ Charl Schwartzel | 2011 Masters champion

More:2024 Masters: Scheffler, McIlroy, Rahm lead power rankings based on odds

∎ Cameron Smith | 2022 Open Championship win

∎ Bubba Watson | 2012, 2014 Masters champion

Is Tiger Woods playing the Masters? 

Yes, Tiger Woods is in the 2024 Masters field. He’ll tee off with Jason Day and Max Homa at 1:24 p.m. ET on Thursday. 

Woods, who owns five Masters championships, still deals with physical ailments that have led to numerous surgeries late in his career. His surgically fused right ankle forced him to withdraw in the third round of the 2023 Masters. 

Woods has won the Masters five times. His 2019 win at Augusta National, following a comeback to golf through personal and physical challenges, will always be one of golf’s best stories. 

World Golf Ranking entering Masters 2024

Here’s a look at the top 50 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking entering the 2024 Masters. 

1. Scottie Scheffler

2. Rory McIlroy

3. Jon Rahm

4. Wyndham Clark

5. Xander Schauffele

6. Viktor Hovland

7. Patrick Cantlay

8. Brian Harman

9. Ludvig Åberg

10. Matt Fitzpatrick

11. Max Homa

12. Hideki Matsuyama

13. Tommy Fleetwood

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14. Cameron Young

15. Sahith Theegala

16. Keegan Bradley

17. Russell Henley

18. Jordan Spieth

19. Tyrrell Hatton

20. Collin Morikawa

21. Jason Day

22. Sam Burns

23. Tom Kim

24. Nick Taylor

25. Matthieu Pavon

26. Tony Finau

27. Chris Kirk

28. Justin Thomas

29. Sepp Straka

30. Denny McCarthy

31. Will Zalatoris

32. Min Woo Lee

33. Brooks Koepka

34. Akshay Bhatia

35. Lucas Glover

36. Shane Lowry

37. Rickie Fowler

38. Nicolai Højgaard

39. Emiliano Grillo

40. Eric Cole

41. Sungjae Im

42. Stephan Jaeger

43. Kurt Kitayama

44. Byeong Hun An

45. Harris English

46. Adam Hadwin

47. J.T. Poston

48. Si Woo Kim

49. Corey Conners

50. Austin Eckroat

Masters odds 2024

All odds are from BetMGM.

∎ Scottie Scheffler (+400) 

∎ Rory McIlroy (+1000) 

∎ Jon Rahm (+1200) 

∎ Xander Schauffele (+1400) 

∎ Brooks Koepka (+2000) 

More:How many pars were made in 2023 Masters? What you need to know for your Masters prop bets

∎ Hideki Matsuyama (+2000) 

∎ Jordan Spieth (+2200) 

∎ Joaquin Niemann (+2800) 

∎ Ludvig Aberg (+2800) 

∎ Wyndham Clark (+2800) 

∎ Bryson DeChambeau (+3300) 

∎ Matt Fitzpatrick (+3300) 

∎ Patrick Cantlay (+3300) 

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∎ Viktor Hovland (+3300) 

∎ Will Zalatoris (+3300) 

∎ Cameron Smith (+4000) 

∎ Dustin Johnson (+4000) 

∎ Justin Thomas (+4000) 

∎ Tony Finau (+4000) 

∎ Cameron Young (+4500) 

∎ Cameron Young (+4500) 

∎ Sahith Theegala (+4500) 

∎ Shane Lowry (+4500) 

∎ Shane Lowry (+4500) 

∎ Tommy Fleetwood (+4500) 

∎ Collin Morikawa (+5000) 

∎ Max Homa (+5500) 

∎ Sam Burns (+5500) 

∎ Jason Day (+6000) 

∎ Russell Henley (+6000) 

∎ Brian Harman (+6600) 

∎ Min Woo Lee (+6600) 

∎ Patrick Reed (+6600) 

∎ Tyrell Hatton (+6600) 

∎ Corey Conners (+6600) 

∎ Si Woo Kim (+8000) 

∎ Adam Scott (+9000) 

∎ Sergio Garcia (+9000) 

∎ Denny McCarthy (+10000) 

∎ Sungjae Im (+10000) 

∎ Akshay Bhatia (+10000) 

∎ Byeong Hun An (+12500) 

∎ Harris English (+12500) 

∎ Justin Rose (+12500) 

∎ Rickie Fowler (+12500) 

∎ Tom Kim (+12500) 

∎ Chris Kirk (+15000) 

∎ Stephan Jaeger (+15000) 

∎ Tiger Woods (+15000) 

∎ Adrian Meronk (+17500) 

∎ Keegan Bradley (+17500) 

∎ Kurt Kitayama (+17500) 

∎ Adam Hadwin (+17500) 

∎ Erik van Rooyen (+20000) 

∎ Nick Taylor (+20000) 

∎ Nick Taylor (+20000) 

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∎ Nicolai Hojgaard (+20000) 

∎ Phil Mickelson (+20000) 

∎ Sepp Straka (+20000) 

∎ Taylor Moore (+20000) 

∎ Thorbjorn Olesen (+20000) 

∎ J.T. Poston (+22500) 

∎ Matthieu Pavon (+22500) 

∎ Adam Schenk (+22500) 

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∎ Austin Eckroat (+22500) 

∎ Bubba Watson (+22500) 

∎ Cameron Davis (+22500) 

∎ Emiliano Grillo (+22500) 

∎ Eric Cole (+22500) 

∎ Gary Woodland (+22500) 

∎ Jake Knapp (+22500) 

∎ Lucas Glover (+22500) 

∎ Nick Dunlap (+22500) 

∎ Luke List (+22500) 

∎ Charl Schwartzel (+40000) 

∎ Lee Hodges (+40000) 

∎ Peter Malnati (+40000) 

∎ Ryo Hisatsune (+40000) 

∎ Danny Willett (+50000) 

∎ Grayson Murray (+50000) 

∎ Camilo Villegas (+75000) 

∎ Christo Lamprecht (+75000) 

∎ Zach Johnson (+80000) 

∎ Jasper Stubbs (+100000) 

∎ Neal Shipley (+100000) 

∎ Santiago De La Fuente (+100000) 

∎ Stewart Hagestad (+100000) 

∎ Fred Couples (+150000) 

∎ Mike Weir (+150000) 

∎ Vijay Singh (+150000) 

∎ Jose Maria Olazabal (+300000)