2025 Masters: Experts' picks and betting tips - ESPN

The first golf major of the year begins with the 2025 Masters Tournament from Thursday through Sunday at Augusta National in Georgia.

Scottie Scheffler enters the tournament as the defending champion and the favorite (+475), followed closed by Rory McIlroy and then Collin Morikawa and Jon Rahm.

Who do our golf experts think will win? Where do our betting experts believe there is value? We break down the favorites and much more ahead of the 2025 Masters.

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Experts' picks to win | Betting roundtable

Matt Barrie
Rory McIlroy: because it's his time.

Tory Barron
Brooks Koepka: Sure, last year's Augusta performance was uninspired. But this is still Big Game Brooks we're talking about. The five-time major champion — who has three top-10 finishes in his past six Masters starts, including tying for runner-up in 2019 and 2023 — is at his best when he's counted out. With all eyes on Scheffler and McIlroy, Koepka finally adds an elusive green jacket to his esteemed collection and is welcomed back to the PGA Tour with open arms (hey, winning is healing).

Jeff Darlington
Justin Thomas: JT got his swagger back in recent months with four top-10 finishes in eight starts — and a 62 at the Players Championship in the second round to make the cut. The timing is right for one of golf's best players to claim golf's greatest prize.

Michael Eaves
Rory McIlroy: He may be playing the best golf he's ever played before getting to Augusta, and his shots gained stats certainly back that up. Golf is about winning though, and with his victories at Pebble Beach and the Players Championship, he's the only player with multiple PGA Tour wins this year. Each of the past three years, the player with the most wins entering the Masters won the