Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are favorites to win the Masters... but who are the dark horses that can usurp them to win the Green Jacket? Mail Sport breaks down the outsiders

Scottie Scheffler is the overwhelming favorite to win the Masters this week. 

That comes as no surprise considering how dominant he's been on the PGA Tour this season. Having struggled with his putting last season, things seem to have clicked for the world No 1, who has returned and is firing hot. 

In the last two months, Scheffler has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and picked up his second successive victory at the Players Championship - no mean feat considering the caliber of opposition he has been up against. 

Admittedly, it is hard to look past the American as he aims to repeat his feats of 2022 and add another Green Jacket to his wardrobe. But he comes up against a field that is jam-packed with huge talent, including three other big favorites, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.

The Northern Irishman is out to end his long wait to claim a coveted Green Jacket in what will be his 16th appearance at the Masters as a professional and his 10th attempt to win the career grand slam. He came agonizingly close to completing that feat in 2022, finishing second in the field only to be bested by Scheffler. 

Scottie Sheffler is the overwhelming favorite to win the Masters at Augusta this week

Rory McIlroy comes in as his immediate challenger as he bids to win his first Green Jacket

Jon Rahm, meanwhile, returns to Augusta National in a bid to defend his Masters title

Defending champion Rahm returns to Augusta for the first time since winning in 2023 and joining LIV Golf. Rahm, who has three top-10 finishes in four appearances on the breakaway circuit this season, was taken the distance by fellow LIV player, Koepka, last April. 

The American, meanwhile, is on the hunt to also win the career grand slam and only needs to win at Augusta and at the Open Championship to join an illustrious group of names to complete the feat.  

One of the most fascinating things about the Masters is that over the years, we can never truly predict who will win, with the tournament throwing up a few surprise winners in the past.

Some of those names have included Mike Weir, whose sensational display in 2003 saw him become the first left-handed player to win the Green Jacket.

Danny Willett's triumph in 2016 is another of the most notable victories, with the Englishman rising through the field to claim victory - despite never winning a regular season event on the PGA Tour. 

Everyone loves an underdog, right? So as we prepare to watch the world's greatest players battle it out on Augusta National's hallowed turf, Mail Sport has taken a deep dive into ten outsiders who could be in with a chance of winning the coveted Green Jacket.

Brooks Koepka is another favourite to win, having finished T2 behind Rahm in 2023

Xander Schauffele 

The Olympic champion will have one eye on retaining his gold medal at Paris 2024 later this year. But first comes the Masters, and if Schauffele can continue playing how he has been this season he stands a very, very good chance of picking up his first major title. 

Outside of Scheffler, Koepka, McIlroy and Rahm, the 30-year-old is perhaps the next big favorite to win this week and there's a reason why. 

He has five top-10 finishes on the tour this season, and while he hasn't claimed victory yet, he's come very close - most notably finishing second, one shot back from Scheffler at the Players Championship. He comes into the week off the back of a T5 finish at the Valspar Championship and a T4 at the Genesis Invitational in February. 

But for the stats experts among us, it's his numbers so far this season that are the most intriguing. He's second on the PGA Tour for strokes gained in total and 12th for greens in regulation (GIR). 

Why is this pertinent? Well, previous Masters champions of years gone by have generally had a high GIR percentage - typically of just under 70 per cent. Schauffele is one of the best ball strikers on the tour and he can utilise his approach play to help him navigate Augusta's winding fairways. 

Perhaps the only thing that has let him down recently is his putting, but if he can get his flat stick firing this week he is definitely one player who can challenge for the Green Jacket. 

Xander Schauffele has been in excellent form this season and could be set to end his long wait for a major title

Ludvig Aberg 

It was just over 10 months ago that Ludvig Aberg was wrapping up his collegiate career at Texas Tech University. Since then, the 24-year-old Swede has taken the golfing world by storm and is primed to make his first professional start at the Masters. 

His rise to the top has been nothing short of monumental. Aberg's performances in the Ryder Cup showed that he has a cool head on young shoulders. And with the club in hand, he is accurate, astute and is also one of the best wedge players on tour. 

This season he has quietly been going about his craft, finishing as a runner-up to Wyndham Clark at the weather-affected AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - one shot off the lead. Had the tournament not been cut short early due to rain delays, he could have been in the mix to claim victory in California. He has since followed that up with a T8 finish at the Players. 

While he will be one of the less experienced players in the field this week, he has already shown he's a man for the big occasion, recently admitting that he welcomes the pressures that come with professional golf. 

'I'm always going to have very high expectations of myself, that's not going to change,' he said to the Golf Channel after the Players. 

'But I think being OK with having a lot coming at you at the same time and being OK with being a little bit overwhelmed at times has been key for me.'

After a meteoric rise to the top of the sport Ludvig Aberg is set to make his first Masters appearance

Wyndham Clark 

Since claiming his first major at the US Open last year, Clark has only gone from strength to strength and is one player who should be on everyone's radar at the Masters. 

Like Aberg, this will also be his first appearance at the Masters, but he comes into the week after a brilliant start to 2024, winning at Pebble Beach by carding a course record of 60, before going on to place T2 at the Arnold Palmer and the Players. 

Clark could have forced Scheffler to a play-off at Bay Hill, but his final putt to tie the leader agonizingly lipped out on the 18th green. 

It was perhaps not indicative of his putting this season, which has been pretty consistent, with the 30-year-old currently 12th in the standings for shots gained on the green. Around the course, his game is also solid, with Clark third on the PGA Tour for shots gained in overall. 

Wyndham Clark agonisingly missed out to Scheffler at the Arnold Palmer Invitational 

Tiger Woods 

It would be remiss for Woods to not feature in this group of players. 

The 15-time major champion has only played 24 holes of golf on the PGA Tour this season at the Genesis Invitational, where he withdrew with illness.

But even after that, his brilliance, experience and most important of all resilience means he too stands a chance of winning at Augusta once again.

He has already showed that back in 2019, where he pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history to win the Masters after undergoing surgery on his back in 2017.  

The 48-year-old has never missed a cut at the Masters in 25 professional appearances and tied Fred Couples and Gary Player last year for the most consecutive tournament cuts made at 23. 

Tiger Woods has never missed a cut at the illustrious tournament in 25 pro appearances

Joaquin Niemann 

Niemann received a special invite to the Masters this year after he clinched victory at the Australian Open in December last year. 

It'll be the fifth time he tees it up at Augusta National, having finished T16 at the tournament in 2023 - his best performance at a major. 

The Chilean has also been in outstanding form on the LIV Golf circuit this season and is one player to definitely watch this week, having won twice in four appearances on the breakaway tour this season. 

Joaquin Niemann has won twice in four starts on the LIV Golf circuit so far this season

Shane Lowry 

One player I have really enjoyed watching so far this season is Lowry. He has come agonizingly close to claiming his first title since the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2019, but he continues to knock on the door. 

After a T4 finish at the Cozignant Classic, the Irishman would better his achievements with a T3 place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, taking a share of the lead after 54 holes, only to drop back on the final day and four shots shy of winner Scheffler. 

Lowry finished T16 at the Masters last season but this year, he comes into the tournament with an impressive set of stats. Right now he's seventh on the PGA Tour for strokes gained in total and third for strokes gained in approach from tee-to-green.

'I should have played better last year [at the Masters] but it is what it is,' Lowry said earlier this season, claiming that he perhaps played too much heading into the tournament in Georgia.

But after his performance at the Players, Lowry said he feels in good form heading into major season. 

'I'm feeling good,' he told Sky Sports. 'I'll have a couple of weeks off to get ready for the Masters and I'm excited for what's to come.'

Shane Lowry currently ranks seventh on the PGA Tour for strokes gained in total and third for strokes gained in approach

Hideki Matsuyama 

Another player who's been playing some excellent golf this season is 2021 champion, Matsuyama. 

In February, he ended a two-year wait for victory on the PGA Tour after triumphing at The Genesis Invitational where he staged a sensational comeback, having been six shots back in the field on the final day to seal a three-shot win. 

He followed that up with a T12 finish at the Arnold Palmer, before finishing T6 at the Players. 

As a past champion, he too knows what it takes to win at Augusta. His rhythmic swing and precision accuracy make him one player to watch this week. 

Hideki Matsuyama claimed his first PGA Tour in nearly two years at The Genesis Invitational

Dustin Johnson

Currently third in LIV Golf's season standings, 2020 Masters champion, Johnson, is one who would love to upset the odds and claim a second Green Jacket this week. 

He's enjoyed a decent season so far on the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit, too, winning in Las Vegas earlier in the year to go third in the rankings. 

But last year, Johnson endured mixed performances in the majors, notably placing T48 at the Masters and finishing T10 at the US Open, before being cut at the Open. 

This time around, the 39-year-old seems optimistic about his game, admitting he's been 'working a little harder' to get in the groove for major season. 

'I didn't play near as well as I'd like to,' Johnson said to Playing Through.

'But this year, obviously getting off to a little bit better start [will help]. I feel like the game’s in really good form. To be honest, I am putting in a little more work. I just wasn’t pleased with my results. Putting in the effort, I think, is the biggest thing. I just wasn’t happy with the way I played. So I’m working a little bit harder this year.'

Dustin Johnson sits third in LIV Golf's standings after winning in Las Vegas earlier this season

Brian Harman 

The Champion Golfer has continued to march onwards from his standout 2023 season and finished as a runner-up at the Players Championship in March. 

Despite being cut at the Valspar Championship, the American has two top-five finishes in 2024 and showcased his pinpoint approach play at the Valero Texas Open last weekend, something that will no doubt be beneficial to him at Augusta. 

Having now won three times on the PGA Tour, the 37-year-old certainly knows how to win over four days and how to do it on the big stage too. 

Brian Harman will be out to win his second major after winning the 2023 Open Championship 

Jordan Spieth 

Arguably one of the most resilient golfers on the field, watching Spieth play is a rollercoaster of emotions. 

On Thursday at the Valero Texas Open, he'd post an opening round of one-over par, in which he'd card five bogeys and one double bogey before hitting a sensational hole-in-one on the 16th. 

While he may not hold the best GIR stats on the tour, his ability to scramble and save for par from some tough positions around the course is why he has a strong chance of repeating his feats of 2015 to win the Green Jacket this season.

Jordan Spieth hit a hole-in-one during his first round at the Valero Texas Open last week 

After getting off to a good start to 2024, results have dropped off in recent months. 

Yet, his resilience paired with his experience puts him in a good position to challenge at the top of the leaderboard come the weekend.