The first men’s major champion of the year will be crowned on Sunday evening when the final round of The Masters takes place at Augusta National. This is a day in the golfing calendar which is steeped in history and tradition and another chapter will get added to it here.
We have a classy leader, a competent challenger and a number of star names hoping to capitalise on any mistakes behind them on what will be another dramatic Sunday evening which only this place seems to provide.
Round 3 Recap
After 54 holes of this tournament it remains Scottie Scheffler out in front but the world number one saw his lead cut from five to three by Cameron Smith. The Players Championship winner sits on six under, three behind Scheffler and will go eyeball to eyeball with him in the final group. Sungjae Im is the only other player who is within seven of Scheffler. He sits five back on four under. Shane Lowry, Charl Schwartzel, Justin Thomas and Corey Conners are the only other players under par while the likes of Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa are one over the card, 10 back from the lead.
It was another annoying day in a week of annoyance with the match betting for us on Saturday. After eight holes Shane Lowry was five ahead and cruising towards winning his two ball against Sungjae Im only for the Korean to bounce back and Lowry to completely fade on the back nine. In the end he went from leading by five to losing by two in the space of 10 holes so to say that was disappointing is an understatement.
Sunday Betting
You would imagine this tournament is all about two men from here – Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith. They came here as the two form horses and best golfers on the planet on current form and will go at it for the title on Sunday. I’m on Smith since before a ball was hit so I hope the Australian can chase down his man and land us the full money. That being the case I don’t really need to bet on that market again. There are markets without the front three and things like top five and top 10 finishes there to go at but with the front three so far clear guessing who will be motivated and who won’t isn’t easy so that puts me off a little bit. I’m happy to ride with Smith.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account to get up to £25 in free bets! Perfect offer for this tournament! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Sunday 2 Balls
As with Saturday, the players go out in two balls for the final round with the last pair onto the golf course being Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith and they will go out at 19.40 BST. Sungjae Im and Shane Lowry partner each other for the second day in a row and they tee off at 19.30 BST just after Charl Schwartzel and Justin Thomas go out at 19.20 BST. Two groups jump off the page and will be sure to get some of the feature group coverage. They see Tiger Woods out alongside Jon Rahm at 15.50 BST while Rory McIlroy partners Collin Morikawa with them teeing off at 18.50 BST. That one and one other group catch my eye on the betting front.
Viktor Hovland vs Hideki Matsuyama
Match tees off at 18.10 BST
Two world class golfers partner each other on Sunday afternoon when the Norwegian ace Viktor Hovland goes out alongside the defending champion Hideki Matsuyama in one of the more appealing groups of the final day.
At +3 we can safely assume that these two are not going to win the tournament but I think Hovland can finish better than Matsuyama. There is still a lot for Matsuyama to do on Sunday, not least slip the Green Jacket on what will presumably be Scottie Scheffler or Cameron Smith and it might be that his attention will wander onto that ceremony at some point rather than the golf. We should also remember that the Japanese star arrived here under an injury cloud and his 77 on Saturday certainly painted the picture of a jaded man. Hovland shot 71 in the tough conditions on Saturday so he clearly hasn’t just sacked off this tournament and as the fresher and potentially more motivated man I think he wins this two ball.
Rory Mcilroy vs Collin Morikawa
Match tees off at 18.50 BST
The sixth to last group out in The Masters 2022 sees two major champions on show when Rory McIlroy goes up against Collin Morikawa, the current Open champion who one day will be looking to add this title to his growing major collection.
McIlroy is also hoping to finally get his hands on this prize but the wait for a Masters title and the completion of his own Grand Slam is likely to go on for another year but I think he can sign off by winning this two ball. McIlroy tends to play this place well on Sunday’s these days, particularly when he isn’t in contention. Six of his last Sunday rounds here have been in the 60s and with conditions improving I see no reason why he won’t break 70 again. Morikawa has only played Masters Sunday twice in the past with scores of 74 and 70. He has played 11 rounds on this course in total and only one of them have seen him break 70. If that record extends here I expect McIlroy to have beaten him.
Tips
Back V.Hovland to beat H.Matsuyama for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with BetVictor
Back R.McIlroy to beat C.Morikawa for a 3/10 stake at 2.05 with BetVictor
Back them here:
