What does it take to win the US Masters?

Does previous performance matter in the US Masters?

Prior success at Augusta seems to make a big difference. Since 1990, just over a third of Masters winners had been awarded the green jacket previously. Furthermore, the same proportion had finished in the top five before.

This appears to count against Collin Morikawa and Bryson Dechambeau, who are both among the 2022 Masters favourites but have never yet finished inside the top 10.

Five of the six shortest-priced contenders have all finished in the top five here before, including previous winners Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson.

Does last season’s ranking matter at the US Masters?

In the 14 seasons since the FedEx Cup began, only three winners of the US Masters had finished in the top 10 in the previous season’s FedEx Cup standings.

This is potentially encouraging for Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa, who are among the favourites this year but finished well outside the top 10 in the 2021 FedEx Cup rankings.

Does experience matter at the US Masters?

Experience appears to matter more than youth at the US Masters. Two-thirds of the winners since 1990 were already in their thirties when the tournament began.

In a relatively youthful field this could spell further success for 37-year-old Dustin Johnson or Rory McIlroy, who will turn 33 a month after the 2022 US Masters.

Brooks Koepka will be almost 32 when the competition begins and like McIlroy has come tantalisingly close to earning the green jacket before.

What type of players perform best at the US Masters?

Golf requires a combination of skills such as accurate driving, efficient approach play and precise putting, but which is the most valuable at Augusta?

When we examine the performances of the last 10 US Masters winners on the previous PGA Tour, we find that approach play is what sets them apart.

Seven of the last 10 players to triumph at Augusta ranked inside the top 100 for Greens in Regulation percentage, which is defined as the share of greens reached with at least two strokes under par remaining.

This compares to just four who ranked that highly for their putting average and only two who did so for driving accuracy.

Jon Rahm, the favourite in the Masters odds, ranked second for Greens in Regulation on the 2020-21 tour, with Collin Morikawa not far behind him in fifth, so the data appears to be supporting their short price.

Jordan Spieth, who ranked 139th for this metric, may struggle to replicate his 2015 Masters win though.

Augusta course guide

View the latest golf odds