The 2022 Masters field is loaded with PGA stars, but many of them will try to win the prestigious event for the first time starting Thursday, April 7. All of the world’s top 10 players will tee off at Augusta National Golf Club, but Dustin Johnson (2020) is the only one who has donned the green jacket before. No. 9 Rory McIlroy is seeking to join an exclusive club with a career grand slam, while No. 3 Collin Morikawa is going after a third major at the Masters 2022 at age 25. Caesars Sportsbook lists Jon Rahm as the 9-1 favorite in its latest 2022 Masters odds, with Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas all listed at 12-1.
Cameron Smith, a two-time winner this season, is 16-1, while reigning champion Hideki Matsuyama is a distant 28-1 in the Masters odds 2022. Before you make any 2022 Masters picks or PGA Tour predictions, you need to see what proven golf insider Sal Johnson has to say, considering his history at the Masters.
The esteemed golf insider has been around the game for many years and knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour. He also knows the keys at Augusta National and when a player’s momentum can carry him to greatness.
Johnson has nailed two of the past three winners of the Masters, including Tiger Woods’ unlikely victory in 2019 for his most recent major title. He also called Johnson’s 2020 win when he shot a tournament-record 20-under 268 to win by five strokes.
“His tee-to-green game is almost as sharp as in his prime,” Johnson said of Woods before the 2019 event. “This will be the reason for him winning. It would be great for the game, him winning another Masters.” Woods wasn’t far removed from back surgery and hadn’t won a major in more than 10 years, but he rallied from a two-shot deficit in the final round to win by one. It was his fifth Masters title and his 15th major championship.
Now, Johnson, the first producer of “Inside the PGA Tour” and longtime ABC Sports golf producer who worked with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, has released his highly confident 2022 Masters picks. The picks from the founder of GOLFstats.com, the world’s top golf statistics database, will definitely surprise you. You can see them here.
Top 2022 Masters expert picks
One shocking choice from Johnson: The expert is fading Collin Morikawa, even though he’s in the mix of top favorites. The world’s No. 2 golfer doesn’t have a strong track record at Augusta, tying for 18th last year and finishing 44th in 2020. His tee-to-green game is almost unmatched, but his putting has been inconsistent. He gets off the green in one putt less than 41% of the time (78th on tour) and is 112th inside 10 feet (88%).
On the other hand, Johnson knows Spieth is almost a shoo-in to play well at Augusta National. The 2015 Tour Player of the Year has finished in the top three an astonishing five times in eight appearances at the Masters and won it during that stellar 2015 season. He is not having a strong season, but he was a runner-up at Pebble Beach and is still hitting plenty of greens. He is 24th on tour in greens in regulation (70.6 percent) and has finished 26th or better in six of nine events, including the Hero World Challenge.
The expert also has seen the re-emergence of McIlroy and expects the Northern Irishman to also play well at the Masters 2022. McIlroy admitted he got off track trying to chase Bryson DeChambeau’s distance off the tee last year and ended up missing the cut at Augusta. After taking a few weeks off, he won the Wells Fargo a month later. He won the CJ Cup in October and has finished in the top 25 in three of his four tour outings this year. He also has finished in the top 12 three times on the European tour.
How to make 2022 Masters picks, bets
Johnson also is backing a massive long shot at Augusta who comes in at almost 100-1. “He seems like a strange choice, but he isn’t,” Johnson says of this golfer, who is one of the best short-range putters on tour. You can only see who it is at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2022 Masters at Augusta National? Where do Spieth and McIlroy finish? And which epic long shot is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Sal Johnson’s full leaderboard, picks and analysis for the 2022 Masters, all from the insider who has nailed the winner two of the last three years.