Carlos Ortiz became the first Mexican born player to win on Tour since 1978 after his victory at the Houston Open. Ortiz fought off charges from big names like Hideki Matsuyama, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka to finish at 13-under-par and win the tournament by two strokes. It was extra special for Ortiz, who grew up playing golf in North Texas so he had plenty of friends and family in attendance. The event was the first domestic PGA Tour event to allow spectators.

It’s officially Masters week! We’ve waited an extra six months for the most anticipated golf event of the season but it’s finally here. After 19 months, Tiger Woods returns to Augusta National to defend the green jacket. A field of 94 golfers will be teeing it up for a chance to win the prestigious title, including 26 first-time players.

There are plenty of storylines to watch as we head into the week. Two-time FedEx cup winner Rory McIlroy will be going for the career Grand Slam. Dustin Johnson, the reigning FedEx cup champion, will seventh straight top-10 finish dating back to his T2 at the PGA Championship in August.

Four-time Major winner, Brooks Koepka returned from injury last week at the Houston Open to place T5. Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, and Tony Finau are still searching for their first career Major. Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler will be making their Augusta debuts.

Here are the past five winners of the Masters:

• 2019 Tiger Woods (-13)
• 2018 Patrick Reed (-15)
• 2017 Sergio Garcia (-9)
• 2016 Danny Willett (-5)
• 2015 Jordan Spieth (-18)

Double your money if Bryson DeChambeau makes the cut at The Masters

Course Preview

The 84th edition of the Masters Tournament will be played at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Due to the pandemic, it was moved from its usual April time slot to November. The course plays at 7,475 yards long, and will likely play longer due to the cooler, soggy conditions. Always one of the most stunning and well-manicured tracks on the circuit, Augusta features some of the fastest Bentgrass greens on Tour.

It’s hard to predict how the course will play this late in the season. With rain in the forecast, we can expect soft fairway conditions and perhaps slower rolls on the greens. There are plenty of birdie holes available on the scorecard, especially with four Par 5s. However, bogey avoidance will be key with many challenging holes. The famous Par 3 twelfth hole where the wind seems to blow in every direction ruined Koepka’s, Finau’s, and Molinari’s chances of the green jacket last year.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Off-the-tee
• Par 5 Scoring
• Opportunities Gained
• Bogey Avoidance
• Performance on Bentgrass Greens

Recommended Plays

Dustin Johnson ($10,000)
When you combine his course history and strong recent form, Johnson makes the most sense high on the board. His last four finishes at Augusta? T2, T10, T4, and T6. He has two wins (Tour Championship, Northern Trust) and three runner-ups in his last six outings. D.J. returned from his absence to the coronavirus last week in Houston and finished the week with rounds of 66, 66, and 65.

Brooks Koepka ($9,700)
Koepka’s performance in Majors speaks for themselves. Since 2017, he has four Major wins, as well as two runner-ups and a T4 to his name. He has improved every single year at the Masters and nearly won it last year, ultimately losing to Tiger Woods by a stroke. Any concerns over injury issues were cleared up last week at the Houston Open, where Koepka fired two final rounds 0f 65 to place T5. His driver was dialed in and it’s a great sign for Augusta, a course that favors bombers.

Bubba Watson ($9,000)
All signs point to a great week for Bubba. The seasoned veteran is not only playing great golf, he is a former winner of the tournament (2012) and has had great success at Augusta since. T12 last year, T5 the year before, Watson still has the ideal skill set to score well at this course. He ranks fourth this year in strokes gained: tee-to-green, eighth in strokes gained: off-the-tee, and ninth in strokes gained: approach. Watson is coming off of a T4 at the Zozo and a T7 at the CJ Cup.

Jason Day ($8,400)
In seven straight Masters appearances, Day hasn’t finished worse than T28. He has high finishes of T2, third, and T5 at Augusta. The Aussie is a nice bet to make the cut for your lineup. Day has proved that his recent form is enough to trust him this week. He had a solid T7 finish at a difficult test of golf at the Houston Open last week. His short game and putting are beginning to heat up like the old Jason Day.

Matt Fitzpatrick ($7,600)
Fitzpatrick is priced favorably this week to help you get 6/6 through. The talented Englishman has made four consecutive cuts. His last four outings at Augusta have produced results of T21, T38, T32, and T7. Fitzpatrick plays difficult courses very well. In the last couple of months, he has finishes of third at the Memorial tournament, T6 at the WGC-St. Jude, and T6 at the BMW Championship. Fitzpatrick ranked second in strokes gained: putting, last season.

Cameron Smith ($7,300)
It’s been an extremely solid start to the 2020/21 season for the Aussie. In four appearances, Smith has three top-25s and is coming off of a T4 at a stacked Zozo Championship field. Over the past 36 rounds, he ranks 12th in the field in opportunities gained, 1oth in Par 5 scoring, and 22nd in strokes gained: approach. Smith finished T5 at Augusta in 2018.

Jason Kokrak ($7,000)
Kokrak will be making his Masters debut after his big breakthrough win at the CJ Cup in October. His strong off the tee game and hot flat stick make him a compelling play this week. On the season, Kokrak ranks 27th in strokes gained: off-the-tee, third in strokes gained: putting, and sixth in birdie average. With the course playing longer than average this year, his distance off the tee will come in handy.

Si Woo-Kim ($6,800)
Another cheap option that has a strong chance to make the cut is South Korean, Si-Woo-Kim. The 25-year-0ld has T21 and T24 at the Masters in his last two times out. His recent form has been very solid as well, with a T8 at the Shriners and a T17 at the CJ Cup in October. Over the past 36 rounds in the field, Kim ranks second in strokes gained: around-the-green, and seventh in strokes gained: tee-to-green.

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Nic Turner is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nic, check out his archive and follow him @sportzbandit.