Maiden majors at The Masters: Another first-time Augusta champion?
Thursday 11 April 2019 02:58, UK
When Patrick Reed ended his search for a major championship with a one-shot victory the Masters last year, he became the fourth consecutive maiden major winner at Augusta, following Jordan Spieth (2015), Danny Willett (2016) and Sergio Garcia (2017).
So will we see another new player reach the major winner's circle for the first time at this week's tournament? We take a look at some of the most likely candidates who could write their name into history.
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Bryson DeChambeau
The American is yet to make a dent in any major championship, but he is up to No 6 in the world and has five PGA Tour wins under his belt.
The 25-year-old's best year in major championships was 2016, when he tied for 21st at Augusta with the lowest amateur score, before finishing tied 15th at the US Open.
He was 38th at the Masters last year, failing to break 70 in any of his four rounds as he ended the week three over - 18 shots behind Reed - so he will have to figure out his way around Augusta if he is to threaten this week.
Jon Rahm
The 24-year-old Spaniard has won twice on the PGA Tour and three times in Europe and enters the Masters ranked world No 8, but he is yet to taste major success.
Last year was a Jekyll and Hyde year for him in the four big ones, with a fourth-place finish at both the Masters and the PGA Championship sandwiching missed cuts at the two Opens.
Rahm was never really in contention at Augusta last year, despite his high finish. He opened the week with a disappointing 75, put it right with a 68 on the Friday, before vaulting up the leaderboard with a superb 65 on Saturday.
That still left him six shots behind Patrick Reed entering the final day and a 69 on Sunday helped him consolidate his place without threatening the leaders.
Rickie Fowler
Fowler has had many close calls and it's surely only a matter of time before he breaks his duck in a major championship.
He finished in the top five in all four majors in 2014, tied for fifth at the US Open and PGA Championship in 2017, and took Patrick Reed all the way at Augusta last year.
Beginning the final day five shots behind Reed, Fowler kept his compatriot honest with a superb 67 thanks to six birdies in his last 11 holes. Reed held his nerve last year, but Fowler, who has five PGA Tour wins to his name, will be confident of ending his drought soon.
Xander Schauffele
Schauffele is another who has flirted with major success but been unable to get over the line.
The world No 10 doesn't have any Masters form, finishing in a tie for 50th last year, but successive top-six finishes at the US Open and a tie for second at last year's Open Championship - as well as victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions - suggest he has the game and mental strength for a major week.
He has four wins on the PGA Tour, including victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.
Paul Casey
Casey is in some fine form after retaining his title at the Valspar Championship last month, rising in the world rankings to 11 having begun the year at 22.
And the Englishman likes it around Augusta. He has finished inside the top 10 five times at the Masters, including three consecutive occasions between 2015 and 2017.
Last year he finished in a tie for 15th, and he remains a model of consistency, but he needs to find a way to sprinkle some magic on that consistency to win his first major title.
Tommy Fleetwood
Alongside his great friend Francesco Molinari, Tommy Fleetwood has become the darling of the European Tour in the last 18 months.
The two of them were the star turn at the Ryder Cup and Fleetwood was the Race to Dubai champion in 2017.
But unlike Molinari, Fleetwood is yet to back up his fine form with a major championship. He finished fourth at the US Open in 2017 and then second - one shot behind Brooks Koepka - at the same tournament the following year thanks largely to a brilliant 63 at Shinnecock Hills.
He has made only two appearances at the Masters, missing the cut in 2017 before finishing in a tie for 17th last year.
Ian Poulter
Poulter might be ranked a relatively lowly 32nd heading to Augusta, but the Englishman is often capable of defying form and statistics to produce some magic.
His best performance in a major championship is his runners-up finish at the 2008 Open Championship, but he has three top-10s at the Masters in the last nine years and has finished inside the top 25 in 10 of his 13 trips to Augusta.
Given his heroics in qualifying for the Masters last year, when he won the Houston Open in a sudden-death playoff to claim his first stroke-play tournament win in America, you would not put it past the 43-year-old to complete that comeback from the depths of his career with a magical week.
Watch the Masters throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf. Live coverage of the opening round begins with Featured Groups on Thursday at 2.15pm via the Sky Sports Red Button.
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