The greens of Augusta National will soon be tackled by golf’s elite, and expert Rob Hobkinson has thrown some dark horses and dominant contenders into the hat for the Masters crown.
With the green jacket on the mind of every golfer descending on Georgia, much of the buildup has surrounded the two market leaders: an in-form Rory McIlroy and two-time champion – and current title holder – Scottie Scheffler.
Both roll into the Masters on the back of some stellar preparation – the Northern Irishman’s arguably better – but banging the drum of either the world No.1 or No. 2 earns little merit. Hobkinson, who has worked with stars on the PGA Tour, does feel that the leading duo have a more than solid chance, but he also selected two outsiders and European Ryder Cup heroes who he feels should go well.
“We know how unpredictable the sport is but when you think of someone like Ludvig Aberg, he came second last year at the Masters, and he is just super solid,” Hobkinson told Betway when asked for his dark horse Masters selections.
“He hasn’t shown a huge amount of form this year, but he’s coming back into having a knee injury which is now resolved but it’s probably taking a bit of time just to get the knives sharpened.
“Viktor Hovland has had loads of written about his trials and tribulations in trying to get the golf ball around the golf course and having a nightmare, and then suddenly he wins,” added Hobkinson. “How he’s going about things, he could be an interesting one.
“His form was poor, and then he went and won the tournament and was interviewed saying that that’s not what he was expecting. Now, if you’ve got the mental strength to win when playing so badly, then that is a superpower when playing in The Masters.”
However, when it comes to those who many expect to be in with a shout of claiming the green jacket for themselves at the tournament’s end, Hobkinson does admit that Scheffler, the 2022 and 2024 champion, has truly mastered the Masters.
McIlroy, too, received some kind words from the strength and conditioning expert, but while his heart yearns for the man who has claimed every major tournament bar the big one at Augusta, Hobkinson can’t help but feel the impervious American has an edge.
“At the Masters, you’ve still got to be able to control how far the ball goes. It’s not just about hitting it as far as possible. Although the course is now really long. It’s how you control how far it goes, and that’s where Scottie is a master of controlling the distance the ball flies,” he added.
“On the tour, there’s obviously a handful of big hitters now. Rasmus and Nicolai [Hojgaard, clients of Hobkinson] are up there. Rory can obviously absolutely launch it. He always has done.
“We’re talking about the players that can get ball speed consistently over 180, 185 mph. When you’re in that zone, you’re actually in quite a small group of golfers. In my heart, I hope Rory wins at Augusta, but the head says Scottie. Those are the people to beat.
“I saw Rory play with Rasmus in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Watching him control the driver in awful conditions was a real sign that he’s just in the right place right now. He’s picked up some wins, some really good wins. But the control he had on his ball was so impressive, especially in the cross-winds.”
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