Pamela Maldonado breaks down her top picks for the first major of the 2022 PGA TOUR season, The Masters, from Augusta National Golf Club.

Video Transcript

PAMELA MALDONADO: It's Masters week. I'm Pam Maldonado with my two favorite players to win the PGA's first major of the year, the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The course is over 7,500 yards, a par 72. But because it was a really wet March, and because it's a really wet week, the course could actually end up playing longer, closer to the 7,800 range. Early forecasts do call for over 25 mile per hour wind gusts for at least a few hours daily. So this tournament will not be about who's going to play with the best golf, but rather who will survive the conditions.

The stats that I'm looking at, driving distance, long iron play around the green, and perhaps the most important of all, experience here at Augusta National. Jon Rahm, the current world number two, is the 11 to 1 favorite to win this tournament. But I'm looking just slightly further down the board starting first with Brooks Koepka at 20 to 1. If you look at the last six years, Koepka has led in wins at majors with four, rounds lead scoring, average strokes gained total, rounds shot in the 60s, and birdie or better.

At the Dell match play, BK did defeat Jon Rahm, which could be a bit of a booster. And he just barely lost to Dustin Johnson because of a couple missed putts. BK did also missed the cut last year, but that was because he was unhealthy with the knee injury. But before that, three top 11 finishes, including a T2 in 2019 losing to Tiger Woods. Koepka is healthy and Koepka is ready. Player two I'd like to win the Masters is Justin Thomas a 12 to 1. I can give you every single data point as to why Thomas fits the mold to win this event. But golf is just as much about experience as it is about skill set.

One thing that Thomas has going for him over the last few months, he has had one of the most experienced caddies by his side in Jim Bones MacKay who caddied for Phil Mickelson for 25 years before becoming an on course reporter. Now MacKay was with Mickelson when he won the 2004 Masters, the 2006 masters? And the 2010 Masters. MacKay definitely has the knowledge of the course. And now he's paired with one of the best golfers on tour who is in prime position to do well with the T5 at Sentry Tournament of Champions, a solo sixth place finish at the Genesis, and a T3 at the Valspar.

Now since I do like both Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas for an outright win, you could also consider both for either a top 10 or a top five finish. You can find odds for both of these players and more at the Yahoo Sportsbook. Bet $10 and win $200 in free bets by signing up at betmgm.com/yahoovip. New customers only. Must be 21 or older. And terms do apply.