The players are through one round of play, as Sungjae Im is the leader at five-under-par. Cameron Smith continues his great this season with a four-under-par, 68 in the first round. There are four players tied at three-under-par, including former Masters champion Danny Willett.
The top half of the leaderboard is packed with big names, but anyone can still be in this tournament. Dustin Johnson, Scottie Scheffler, and many other big players are towards the top of the leaderboard.
The biggest surprise of the tournament has been the emergence of Tiger Woods. This is his first tournament since the 2020 Masters, and he fired a first-round, 71, one-under-par. Wood is currently sitting tied for 10th and four shots back of the lead, well within striking distance. Let’s take a look at our Masters Betting update, players to keep an eye on and what should we expect for the weekend.
Golf Betting Preview for The Masters Weekend Action
Top of the leaderboard
As mentioned, Sungjae Im is the leader through Round One at Augusta National. In his five-under, 67, Im made one eagle, five birdies, and two bogeys. He has two career PGA Tour wins, including one in each of the last two years.
Cameron Smith is looking for his first career major win and to become the second Australian to win a green jacket. The first was by Adam Scott in 2013. Smith has been playing great golf this season with two wins already, including a win at The Players Championship.
Two former Masters Champions are inside the top four as well, with Danny Willett and Dustin Johnson both at three-under-par. Willett won The Masters in 2016, largely in part to the collapse of Jordan Spieth on the back-nine. Dustin Johnson won the rarest of green jackets in part of the tournament being held in November for the first time in the history of The Masters.
Middle of the pack
Many of these players that are in the middle of the pack are also right in the mix of it all. Looking at the leaderboard, there are a lot of players at one-under or even par through round one. Round two will be a big deciding factor as to whether they are sticking around for the weekend or not.
Players like Tiger Woods, Will Zalatoris, and Viktor Hovland are players all in the middle of the pack group. If Woods goes out and shoots a five-over or worse round tomorrow, that could put him on the cut line or close to the cut line. Zalatoris is coming off a second-place finish last season at The Masters tournament.
On the cut line
It was a rough day for players like Matthew Wolff, Justin Thomas, and Bryson DeChambeau, all shooting over-par rounds. Wolff is tied for second to last at nine-over-par through round one. Thomas continues to struggle at Augusta, and DeChambeau is fighting through injuries this week, looking for his second major championship win.
Even players like Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, and Xander Schauffle are reeling a bit heading into round two, as they carded rounds of 74 today. At two-over-par, this group of players cannot afford to give up any more shots on Friday at Augusta.
Players to watch this weekend
Cameron Smith has to be at the top of this list. Even though Scottie Scheffler is the #1 player in the world and has three wins in his last five starts, Smith is one of the best players on tour this season. Do not be surprised to see Smith in contention come Sunday afternoon.
Scottie Scheffler is another player to watch for this weekend, assuming he makes the cut. Scheffler is the hottest player on tour currently, coming off a big win at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play tournament. He has his work cut out for him in the next few rounds.
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