The 2022 Masters tournament will tee off on Thursday from Augusta, GA and is gearing up to be a tournament unlike any other. Fitting. That means that gamblers and avid golf DFS fans will soon have to lock in their best bets and DFS lineups as they try to profit off golf's most iconic major. The best way to do that is to find a quality sleeper who could be a green-jacket dark horse.
Identifying sleepers isn't always easy, especially in a big field. However, since The Masters are played at Augusta National Golf Club every year, we have enough data with which to make informed decisions about top sleepers to trust.
Of course, there also are several different definitions of what a sleeper might be, depending on how you look at things.
Take, for instance, Sam Burns. In looking solely at his 50-1 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, you may instantly think, "Oh, this guy looks like a quality sleeper." But can he really be considered one? The odds may say yes and so might his career-long history, as the 25-year-old has not once finished inside the top-20 at a major and he’s making his first-ever appearance at Augusta. He even ranked outside the world's top-100 golfers in early 2021.
That said, Burns ranks second in the FedEx Cup standings and trails only World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in top-10 finishes this season. The pedigree might be lacking, but his recent performance indicates he’s anything but a sleeper. He's the 11th-ranked golfer in the world, after all.
As such, for the purposes of this exercise, we’re limiting our sleepers to anyone ranked outside of the top-25 in the world golf rankings.
That’s not to say there isn’t value in betting guys like Burns (+5000), Xander Schauffele (+2000) and Patrick Cantlay (+2500) as they look to win their first respective majors; It's just that it's hard to call them sleepers given that their recent play and rank compared to their peers in 2022.
With that established, The Sporting News is breaking down six sleepers to consider betting on to either win or place top-10 in The Masters for 2022.
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Will Zalatoris
- World Ranking: 29th
- Best finish at The Masters: 2nd (2021)
- Odds (USA): +3500 at DraftKings
- Odds (Canada): +2400 at Sports Interaction
Adams: The 25-year-old American turned heads last year at Augusta when he finished second in his Masters’ debut, just one stroke behind Hideki Matsuyama. Scoring chances can be hard to come by at Augusta with the tricky greens and undulating fairways, placing a premium on approach shots. So far this season, Zalatoris ranks second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach shots which bodes well if he can keep it straight off the tee — which he has in 2022, ranking eighth in strokes gained off the tee. Zalatoris made multiple birdies on the back nine in each of the four rounds last year so if he can limit mistakes, watch out for a Sunday charge from the 2021 runner-up.
Corey Conners
- World Ranking: 33
- Best finish at The Masters: T-8th (2021)
- Odds (USA): +5500 at DraftKings
- Odds (Canada): +3400 at Sports Interaction
Camenker: Conners has played in the Masters in three consecutive seasons. Each time, he has gotten better. He finished 46th in 2019, 10th in 2020 and eighth in 2021, and he should have a chance to improve in 2022.
Conners is one of the best golfers in strokes gained off the tee this season. While power isn't the most important trait to have at Augusta, it will help him to shorten the hole, especially considering that he is fairly accurate (his 64.1 percent driver accuracy ranks 43rd on the PGA Tour). Add in that Conners ranks top-50 in strokes gained on approach shots and is an above-average putter and the Canadian should stay in contention this week.
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Shane Lowry
- World Ranking: 35
- Best finish at The Masters: T-21st (2021)
- Odds (USA): +5500 at DraftKings
- Odds (Canada): +3500 at Sports Interaction
Camenker: Lowry is playing some of the best golf of his career so far in 2022-- He has logged three consecutive top-13 finishes including a second-place finish at the Honda Classic. He also had the best performance of his career at last year's Masters with a 21st-place finish.
Lowry is particularly good with his approach (14th in strokes gained on approach shots) and putting (31st in putting inside 10 feet and seventh in three-putt avoidance), so he should have a chance to tame the Masters course somewhat easily. He has enough strength on his driver (53rd in strokes gained off the tee) to shorten his approach, too, so the Irishman should be in the running for his first career green jacket.
Adam Scott
- World Ranking: 36th
- Best finish at The Masters: 1st (2013)
- Odds (USA): +5500 at DraftKings
- Odds (Canada): +4700 at Sports Interaction
Adams: Due to familiarity and the delicate need to balance patience with aggression, Augusta lends itself to runs by former champions who know how to pick and choose their spots. Enter Scott, the 2013 champion who has made the cut in each of his last 12 appearances at The Masters. Scott is heating up at the right time with four top-10 finishes in seven events in 2022 after logging just two top-10s across 21 events in 2021.
The biggest reason for Scott's early-season success? Putting. The Aussie ranks 13th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting which would be the best showing of his career and, of vital importance at Augusta, ranks inside the top-10 in three-putt avoidance. If Scott can stay hot on the greens, the 41-year-old could roll straight up the leaderboard in the hunt for a second green jacket.
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Max Homa
- World Ranking: 37
- Best finish at The Masters: T-61st (2020)
- Odds (USA): +8000 at DraftKings
- Odds (Canada): +8300 at Sports Interaction
Camenker: Sportsbooks seem to be low on Homa for the Masters, but it's hard to see why. When Homa has played well during this season, he has been excellent. He has four consecutive top-20 finishes and five in his last six outings. He also won a PGA Tour event for the first time back in September.
Perhaps it's because Homa has never finished higher than 61st at the Masters. His struggles at Augusta are admittedly concerning, but he hasn't played there many times and he ranks top-35 in strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained on approach and three-putt avoidance so far this season. That bodes well for him competing with the rest of the field. So, why not take a shot on him at 80-1 odds?
Marc Leishman
- World Ranking: 43rd
- Best finish at The Masters: T-4th (2013)
- Odds (USA): +5500 at DraftKings
- Odds (Canada): +5100 at Sports Interaction
Adams: Still in search of his first Major win, Leishman historically contends at The Masters. He entered the final round tied for second in 2021 before finishing tied for fifth and he has three top-10 finishes at Augusta. He’s proven capable of going low, as evidenced by a 67 last year and an opening-round 66 back in 2013 when he was the co-leader after 18 holes.
Leishman has the firepower to score with the world’s best, ranking 11th this season on the PGA Tour in birdie average, immediately ahead of Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson, two of the tournament favorites. If winning feels too aggressive, Leishman is a solid value bet to finish inside the top-10.
