The 2025 Masters Preview

Major season has arrived with the 89th edition of the Masters at Augusta National taking centre stage this week, with the action in Georgia running from Thursday to Sunday and live on Sky Sports.

All eyes will be on defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who is aiming to join Jack Nicklaus as only the second player to have won three Masters in a four-year span, as well as Grand Slam-chasing Rory McIlroy, who is hoping to end his long wait for the coveted Green Jacket.

A stellar cast will be looking to write their own storylines, with the likes of Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele all fancied to be in the mix.

Tip 1: Sergio Garcia to win and each-way @ 60/1 with bet365

A former Masters champion to consider this week is 2017 winner Sergio Garcia, who is playing the best golf he has for several years and landed his second LIV title in Hong Kong last month.

Eager to impress European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald for September’s event at Bethpage Black, the 45-year-old Spaniard warmed up for the opening Major of the season with a third-placed finish in Miami, that result adding to his earlier efforts in Riyadh (T6) and Adelaide (T18).

Garcia has been stellar from tee to green, ranking second in driving accuracy and fourth in greens in regulation, while it’s also a bonus to see him tied-first in scrambling as that is often a key area when it comes to playing Augusta.

Tip 2: Nick Taylor to win and each-way @ 225/1 with bet365

At bigger odds it may be worth having a look at Canadian Nick Taylor, who will be having his third crack at Augusta after a tied-29th finish in 2020 on debut and a missed cut last year.

The 36-year-old clinched his fifth PGA Tour title at the Sony Open in January and he has had some solid showings since that success, notably going T12 at the American Express and tied-ninth at the Genesis Invitational.

Taylor has excelled with his approach play this season and he ranks ninth in strokes gained in that department and fourth in greens in regulation, while a driving accuracy position of 13th highlights his solid work off the tee.

If he has a good week on the greens, the world number 31 could become the second male Canadian to win a Major after Mike Weir at the 2003 Masters.

Tip 3: Matthieu Pavon to win and each-way @ 400/1 with bet365

At even bigger odds, Frenchman Matthieu Pavon could be worth keeping on side after he demonstrated his liking for Augusta National when finishing tied-12th on debut last year.

The 32-year-old, a winner on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, has struggled for results this year with his best effort a tie for 42nd at the Cognizant Classic.

A return to the Masters could provide Pavon with the spark needed to reignite his season and get back inside the top 50 in the world, having slipped from 31st at the start of the year to 52nd.