Masters 2025 Punch Shot: Who wins and who leaves Augusta National most disappointed?
The Masters Tournament commences Thursday. Who will don the green jacket? Who will leave dejected? Who might surprise along the way?
The GolfChannel.com team is on-site at Augusta National Golf Club and offers up some answers to the pressing questions at the year's first major.
Who wins the 89th Masters?
Ryan Lavner: Collin Morikawa. Everything seems to be coalescing for one of the game's most accurate players. Good form this season; he's tops in strokes gained. And good history to draw upon; three consecutive top-10s at Augusta, including playing his way into the final group a year ago. If he's at his sharpshooting best, it could be his time to bust his winless drought and nab a third leg of the Slam.
Rex Hoggard: Rory McIlroy. This is a head vs. heart conversation and without an undeniable alternative, the Northern Irishman is the statistical favorite by any measure. He's the only player this year on the PGA Tour to win twice — at a signature event and the circuit's flagship stop — and he does the one thing (strokes gained: approach) that Augusta National demands better than anyone else this season.
Brentley Romine: Justin Thomas. It's so easy to go with Scottie or Rory, but Thomas is back to being the superstar he used to be. He ranks top 10 in strokes gained: approach and is a top-40 putter, plus he's posted three top-10s in his last four worldwide starts.
Will a LIV play contend?
Lavner: Yes. Multiple. Jon Rahm has been a top-10 machine and feels great about the year ahead. Bryson DeChambeau is driving the ball as well as he ever has. And then there's other players who are trending in the right direction, such as Joaquin Niemann, who has never played better, or Tyrrell Hatton, who has been a consistent force on any tour. Also wouldn't be surprised if Phil Mickelson makes a run; he tied for second two years ago, and his game is in a much cleaner place at the moment.
Ryan Lavner,
Hoggard: Jon Rahm. Although the Spaniard is just one of arguably a half dozen LIV players who can contend at the Masters, he seems to be in the best form having finished inside the top 10 in all five events on the rival league this season and his record at the year's first major is undeniable with a victory (2023) and five top-10 finishes in eight starts.
Romine: Yes. Jon Rahm's T-9 at LIV Miami on Sunday was his worst finish of the season. He's fired up to redeem himself after last year's less-than-stellar green-jacket defense.
Will 10 to 12 under win again?
Lavner: No. Slightly deeper. Heavy rain Monday has taken some of the fire out of the course, and there isn't anything in the upcoming forecast – upper 60s, bright sunshine, mild breeze – that should frighten the players. These are ideal playing conditions, and the scores should reflect that.
Hoggard: Yes (11 under). There will be plenty of handwringing over the Monday rains that soaked the course and the notion a soft Augusta National will yield to the game's best, but the last four years have seen similar conditions and the winning scores have been 10 under, 10 under, 12 under and 11 under, respectively. These guys are good, as the old marketing material noted, but so is Augusta National.
Romine: No. Lower. The conditions are largely ideal with little wind in the forecast. Sure, there are four new — and firm — greens, but these guys are really good.
Who leaves most disappointed?
Lavner: Ludvig Åberg. In a small sample size he's proven to be a big-game hunter, playing his way into the lead at the Masters in his debut performance. But there are some significant question marks about the state of his game, as he enters the year's first major having missed the cut at The Players and Valero Texas Open. Most crucially this year, he's been untidy with his approach play, and that is – by far – the most critical component at Augusta.
Hoggard: Bryson DeChambeau. His love of the Masters is obvious and Augusta National is exactly the kind of serpentine test that brings out the best in the game's deepest thinker, but the equation has eluded him with just one top-10 finish in eight starts (2024). This doesn't feel like the year he figures it all out, but he won't stop trying.
Romine: Ludvig Åberg. After last year's runner-up, so many people are riding the young Swede to make a run again this week. But I just don't see it. He's barely inside the top 100 in both strokes gained: approach and strokes gained: putting. He's got the talent to certainly prove me way wrong, but I'm just saying I'm concerned.
What longshot could be in the mix?
Lavner: Russell Henley. Surprised the world No. 7's odds are this low (55-1), given his form entering the Masters. Though he's relatively short off the tee, he makes up for it with his dialed approach play and red-hot putter. He's the no-brainer choice here. Sepp Straka (75-1) and Patrick Reed (90-1) also warrant consideration given their recent play and course fit.
Hoggard: Russell Henley. The five-time Tour winner doesn't perfectly fit the mold of Masters champion but he is statistically an easy pick. Augusta National has the greatest GIR (greens in regulation) bias on Tour and Henley is third this season in GIR and sixth in proximity to the hole. If he can putt like he did last month when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational he has the makings of a textbook longshot.
Romine: Sepp Straka at 75-1 is great value. The Austrian ranks in the top five in both strokes gained: approach and proximity, and he's poised to build on not only a dazzling start to his year but also his T-16 from last year's Masters. If you want someone a little deeper, look at J.J. Spaun at 130-1. Spaun debuted at Augusta National three years ago and posted a T-23. He's enjoying arguably the best golf of his career right now, and he's second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approach.
Bryson DeChambeau addresses the media on the evolution of his approach at Augusta National, his focus of playing the golf course over the competition, tinkering his driver heads, and coming up from Northern California.
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CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
What's it like to be an amateur golfer at one of the sport's greatest events?
Ask any golf fan about their sporting dream and you can almost guarantee that it's teeing off on the first hole of Augusta National at the Masters. As he finalizes his preparations for this week's US Open, that's the dream self-described 'golf fanatic' Justin Hastings realized back in April when he made his major championship debut at just 21 years of age. A monumental day in any golfer's career, Hastings' maiden Masters appearance was made all the more special by the fact that he did so as an amateur, just one of five invited to compete at this year's tournament. Having claimed the spoils at the Latin America Amateur Championship earlier this year, the San Diego State student secured himself a spot to compete at the world's most famous course. Hastings' victory at the Pilar Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina in January also earned him a spot at this year's US Open at Oakmont Country Club, where he will be bidding to again emerge top of the amateur leaderboard as he did at Augusta. The sport's biggest names all descend upon the hallowed grounds of Augusta National every April, each with the goal of etching their name into the record books and claiming the game's most coveted prize: the green jacket. Hastings says he 'learned so much' from competing at the Masters and enters the US Open with more belief in his game than ever before. But how does an amateur deal with the intense media spotlight, having to play alongside legends of the sport and also navigate one of the toughest courses on earth all at the same time? 'The key might sound simple,' an assured Hastings recently told CNN Sports. 'You just need to focus on your own game, control what you can control and the score will look after itself.' Despite the confident sounding answer, the collegiate athlete also admitted that it took time for him to follow his own advice. Arriving at Augusta at the start of Masters week, that first turn down the picturesque Magnolia Lane brought up a host of evocative childhood memories for the 21-year-old. Playing golf since the age of eight, the obsession with the Masters runs deep for Hastings, who revealed that he was so enamored by the event from an early age that he used to fake being sick on the morning of the opening round in an attempt to get the day off school. 'The Masters was always the tournament for me. It's just on a different level,' Hastings said. 'I really felt that way even more as a kid. So, every time Masters Thursday rolled around, I happened to be sick so I could stay at home in front of the television. 'My parents finally caught on after two or three years and it then just became a thing in my household that Masters Thursday was going to be a family holiday.' It was this love of the Masters which resulted in a bout of nerves Hastings had never previously felt on a golf course as he teed off for his opening practice round on the Tuesday. 'All that kept going through my mind was to not hit anyone,' Hastings said. 'The jitters were certainly there that first day, but I guess that just goes to show how special the entire event and the pageantry which surrounds it is.' Those practice round nerves, however, were a key part to the amateur's strong display during the real thing. Shooting a respectable 76 in the first round, Hastings produced an impressive 72 on the Friday before ultimately just missing out on the cut by two strokes. 'Having felt those nerves earlier in the week, I knew what to expect by the time Thursday rolled around and it gave me a reference point for how to deal with and manage them,' he said. Averaging 2.3 million viewers for the first round alone and attracting crowds of over 10,000 people in person each day, the Masters dwarfed the Caymanian's previous tournament outings by some distance in terms of fanfare. 'It was unlike anything I've ever dealt with before. It was quite surreal at stages to be honest,' Hastings said. 'At the same time though, it was great motivation. I want to be playing in front of these big crowds every week, that's part of the dream and you have to embrace it.' One could be forgiven for thinking that amateurs competing at the Masters might be an afterthought for tournament organizers who are trying to cater to the needs of golf's household names. But this couldn't be further from the truth, according to Hastings, who said he was made to 'feel like royalty' by everyone at Augusta. 'They've got such a deep respect for you. Maybe not in the same way they think of a big name competing for the green jacket, but they appreciate how far you've come as an amateur to be able to qualify for a professional tournament of such stature,' he said. 'I really felt like I was put up on a pedestal for the time I was at Augusta. From the dinner they put on Tuesday night for the amateur qualifiers to the access they gave us to the former champions, I can't thank them enough.' Rubbing shoulders with greats of the game, Hastings added that his expectations were surpassed and then some: 'It was a once in a lifetime experience and one I'll never forget. I even got the chance to play nine holes with (2018 Masters winner) Patrick Reed. 'We talked a lot and his advice to me was to just play my own game. He had the same situation where he had played tour events as an amateur. 'He told me not to try to copy what I saw the professionals doing, that my game was what got me here so to stick to what I know best.' Paired off with another former champion in Dustin Johnson and veteran Canadian Nick Taylor for the first and second rounds, Hastings got further opportunity to seek some sage wisdom. Perhaps his favorite moment of the week at Augusta though was the chance to lodge at the Crow's Nest, one of the golf club's most revered amenities. 'It was a real 'pinch me' moment. If only the walls could talk in that place. The history and prestige around it is incredible,' Hastings said. 'I find it very cool that now I'm able to add my name to the list and be alongside some of golf's greats who have also stayed there.' Amid this major mayhem, the rigors of everyday student life have managed to keep Hastings' feet planted firmly on the ground. Leading up to the Masters, the San Diego State student was tasked with completing his end-of-degree final exams. 'Some days, it can be mentally tough to keep going, but at this level, it's what you have to do,' said Hastings. 'Getting up at 6 a.m. to make it to the gym before class and then spending hours after study practicing until the sun goes down – you do those things because you love the grind and the sport.' Having graduated college and with the Masters experience behind him, Hastings' attention now turns this weekend's US Open at Pennsylvania's Oakmont Country Club, for which he has also qualified. The third of golf's four major championships, the tournament represents a chance for the amateur to apply his Masters learnings and compete on the biggest of stages once more. 'I learned so much at the Masters, but the biggest takeaway for me was that it reinforced my self-belief and that I have the quality to go there and hang with these big names,' Hastings said. 'I definitely felt the pressure of trying to make the cut on the back nine of the Friday and feel like I performed well to give myself a shot. 'So I'm heading into the US Open trying to take all that confidence and remember that my game is already solid enough to have gotten me to this point. I need to have the conviction that I'm going to succeed.' In a similar vein to Augusta, Oakmont is famed as being one of the hardest courses, producing few low scores. But this is a challenge that the 21-year-old is relishing: 'My social media algorithm is filled with videos of people saying how tough the rough is to deal with and how the winning score will be over par. 'That just gets me excited to go out there and prove that I can hang with the best in the world on such a difficult course.' Ahead of the US Open, Hastings actually traveled with his caddy to Oakmont to play two practice rounds and familiarize himself with the intricacies of the course. He hopes that the added effort – along with his Augusta experiences – can propel him past the cut line on this occasion, but at the same time Hastings isn't gunning for any exact spot on the leaderboard. 'I try not to set position goals and just focus on what I can control,' he said. 'If you focus too much on other players and chasing down their scores, that's when you lose your own focus on the basics of your game.' 'I'm going there full of confidence and not ruling anything out,' Hastings added. 'I'm excited to show what I can do and to see where I end up.'
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
What's it like to be an amateur golfer at one of the sport's greatest events?
Ask any golf fan about their sporting dream and you can almost guarantee that it's teeing off on the first hole of Augusta National at the Masters. As he finalizes his preparations for this week's US Open, that's the dream self-described 'golf fanatic' Justin Hastings realized back in April when he made his major championship debut at just 21 years of age. A monumental day in any golfer's career, Hastings' maiden Masters appearance was made all the more special by the fact that he did so as an amateur, just one of five invited to compete at this year's tournament. Having claimed the spoils at the Latin America Amateur Championship earlier this year, the San Diego State student secured himself a spot to compete at the world's most famous course. Hastings' victory at the Pilar Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina in January also earned him a spot at this year's US Open at Oakmont Country Club, where he will be bidding to again emerge top of the amateur leaderboard as he did at Augusta. The sport's biggest names all descend upon the hallowed grounds of Augusta National every April, each with the goal of etching their name into the record books and claiming the game's most coveted prize: the green jacket. Hastings says he 'learned so much' from competing at the Masters and enters the US Open with more belief in his game than ever before. But how does an amateur deal with the intense media spotlight, having to play alongside legends of the sport and also navigate one of the toughest courses on earth all at the same time? 'The key might sound simple,' an assured Hastings recently told CNN Sports. 'You just need to focus on your own game, control what you can control and the score will look after itself.' Despite the confident sounding answer, the collegiate athlete also admitted that it took time for him to follow his own advice. Arriving at Augusta at the start of Masters week, that first turn down the picturesque Magnolia Lane brought up a host of evocative childhood memories for the 21-year-old. Playing golf since the age of eight, the obsession with the Masters runs deep for Hastings, who revealed that he was so enamored by the event from an early age that he used to fake being sick on the morning of the opening round in an attempt to get the day off school. 'The Masters was always the tournament for me. It's just on a different level,' Hastings said. 'I really felt that way even more as a kid. So, every time Masters Thursday rolled around, I happened to be sick so I could stay at home in front of the television. 'My parents finally caught on after two or three years and it then just became a thing in my household that Masters Thursday was going to be a family holiday.' It was this love of the Masters which resulted in a bout of nerves Hastings had never previously felt on a golf course as he teed off for his opening practice round on the Tuesday. 'All that kept going through my mind was to not hit anyone,' Hastings said. 'The jitters were certainly there that first day, but I guess that just goes to show how special the entire event and the pageantry which surrounds it is.' Those practice round nerves, however, were a key part to the amateur's strong display during the real thing. Shooting a respectable 76 in the first round, Hastings produced an impressive 72 on the Friday before ultimately just missing out on the cut by two strokes. 'Having felt those nerves earlier in the week, I knew what to expect by the time Thursday rolled around and it gave me a reference point for how to deal with and manage them,' he said. Averaging 2.3 million viewers for the first round alone and attracting crowds of over 10,000 people in person each day, the Masters dwarfed the Caymanian's previous tournament outings by some distance in terms of fanfare. 'It was unlike anything I've ever dealt with before. It was quite surreal at stages to be honest,' Hastings said. 'At the same time though, it was great motivation. I want to be playing in front of these big crowds every week, that's part of the dream and you have to embrace it.' One could be forgiven for thinking that amateurs competing at the Masters might be an afterthought for tournament organizers who are trying to cater to the needs of golf's household names. But this couldn't be further from the truth, according to Hastings, who said he was made to 'feel like royalty' by everyone at Augusta. 'They've got such a deep respect for you. Maybe not in the same way they think of a big name competing for the green jacket, but they appreciate how far you've come as an amateur to be able to qualify for a professional tournament of such stature,' he said. 'I really felt like I was put up on a pedestal for the time I was at Augusta. From the dinner they put on Tuesday night for the amateur qualifiers to the access they gave us to the former champions, I can't thank them enough.' Rubbing shoulders with greats of the game, Hastings added that his expectations were surpassed and then some: 'It was a once in a lifetime experience and one I'll never forget. I even got the chance to play nine holes with (2018 Masters winner) Patrick Reed. 'We talked a lot and his advice to me was to just play my own game. He had the same situation where he had played tour events as an amateur. 'He told me not to try to copy what I saw the professionals doing, that my game was what got me here so to stick to what I know best.' Paired off with another former champion in Dustin Johnson and veteran Canadian Nick Taylor for the first and second rounds, Hastings got further opportunity to seek some sage wisdom. Perhaps his favorite moment of the week at Augusta though was the chance to lodge at the Crow's Nest, one of the golf club's most revered amenities. 'It was a real 'pinch me' moment. If only the walls could talk in that place. The history and prestige around it is incredible,' Hastings said. 'I find it very cool that now I'm able to add my name to the list and be alongside some of golf's greats who have also stayed there.' Amid this major mayhem, the rigors of everyday student life have managed to keep Hastings' feet planted firmly on the ground. Leading up to the Masters, the San Diego State student was tasked with completing his end-of-degree final exams. 'Some days, it can be mentally tough to keep going, but at this level, it's what you have to do,' said Hastings. 'Getting up at 6 a.m. to make it to the gym before class and then spending hours after study practicing until the sun goes down – you do those things because you love the grind and the sport.' Having graduated college and with the Masters experience behind him, Hastings' attention now turns this weekend's US Open at Pennsylvania's Oakmont Country Club, for which he has also qualified. The third of golf's four major championships, the tournament represents a chance for the amateur to apply his Masters learnings and compete on the biggest of stages once more. 'I learned so much at the Masters, but the biggest takeaway for me was that it reinforced my self-belief and that I have the quality to go there and hang with these big names,' Hastings said. 'I definitely felt the pressure of trying to make the cut on the back nine of the Friday and feel like I performed well to give myself a shot. 'So I'm heading into the US Open trying to take all that confidence and remember that my game is already solid enough to have gotten me to this point. I need to have the conviction that I'm going to succeed.' In a similar vein to Augusta, Oakmont is famed as being one of the hardest courses, producing few low scores. But this is a challenge that the 21-year-old is relishing: 'My social media algorithm is filled with videos of people saying how tough the rough is to deal with and how the winning score will be over par. 'That just gets me excited to go out there and prove that I can hang with the best in the world on such a difficult course.' Ahead of the US Open, Hastings actually traveled with his caddy to Oakmont to play two practice rounds and familiarize himself with the intricacies of the course. He hopes that the added effort – along with his Augusta experiences – can propel him past the cut line on this occasion, but at the same time Hastings isn't gunning for any exact spot on the leaderboard. 'I try not to set position goals and just focus on what I can control,' he said. 'If you focus too much on other players and chasing down their scores, that's when you lose your own focus on the basics of your game.' 'I'm going there full of confidence and not ruling anything out,' Hastings added. 'I'm excited to show what I can do and to see where I end up.'
New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
Jon Rahm says his 21 straight top-10 LIV Golf finishes aren't telling the whole story
OAKMONT, Pa. — Jon Rahm has 21 consecutive top-10 finishes in his LIV Golf events and was asked about that streak. 'I would happily trade a bunch of them for more wins, that's for sure, but I keep putting myself in good position,' he said. 'Listen, I'm a realist in this case. I've been playing really good golf, yes, but I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't easier to have top 10s with a smaller [48-player] field. 'Had I been playing full-field events, would I have top 10 every single week? No. Jon Rahm hits out of the bunker on the fourth hole of his U.S. Open practice round on June 11, 2025. Getty Images 'But I've been playing good enough to say that I would most likely have been inside the top 30 every single time and maybe even top 25, which for 21 straight tournaments I'd say that's pretty good. I still would have had a lot of top 10s, that's for sure. 'As much as I want to give it credit personally for having that many top 10s, I wouldn't always give it as the full amount just knowing that it's a smaller field.' John Bodenhamer, the USGA's chief championships officer, on Wednesday hinted that it's possible Phil Mickelson, who's playing in his 34th U.S. Open but is in the final year of his five-year exemption into the event, would be in consideration for a special invitation next year should be not otherwise qualify. The 2026 U.S. Open will be played at Shinnecock Hills, where Mickelson finished runner-up in 2004. Mickelson actually received a special exemption in 2021, but went on to win the PGA Championship to earn his way in as well as a five-year exemption. This week is the final year of that exemption. 'We would review things for Shinnecock ahead of next year and look at all of those possibilities and evaluate it from there,' Bodenhamer said when asked about another special invite. 'We hope he earns his way in, and I think he'd tell you the same thing. That's what he did last time. We gave him one and then he went out and won the PGA Championship. So, [we] wouldn't put it past him.'' Rory McIlroy was asked how 'big a factor' it was in his subpar PGA Championship performance last month having to play with his backup driver after he was forced to take his No. 1 out of play when it was deemed nonconforming by the USGA. 'It wasn't a big deal for Scottie [Scheffler], so it shouldn't have been a big deal for me,' he said. Rory McIlroy hits a tee shot on the first hole of his U.S. Open practice round on June 11, 2025. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Scheffler, the world No. 1 player who went on to win the PGA, also had his driver taken out of play because it was found to be nonconforming.
