Masters' Data & The Coolest Golf Gear To Help You Shoot Lower Scores

Happy Monday,

It is Masters week. To celebrate we dive into the data behind past successes and who is looking strong for this week’s event.

We also have a run through some of the coolest new golf gear on the market, our usual tip of the week and a skills game from Break X Golf.

Happy reading.

Break X Golf Skills Game

Break X Golf now shows you your PB and average score for every skills game, along with giving you benchmarks for what you should hit based on your handicap.

Break X Golf is a sister project to Golf Insider and was co-founded by Will Shaw. You can check it out here.

It’s Masters week!

By Jacob Watson

This week, the 88th Masters Championship is due to get underway. With the excitement brewing, it's time to consider who might come out on top this year. Using statistics from 'datagolf.com', we've identified some key factors for success at Augusta and highlighted potential contenders.

There are a few non-negotiables for success at Augusta, first, being able to bomb it. Augusta is a monster of a course, coming in at over 7,500 yards, it demands players to be able to hit the ball a long way. Players like Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, and Cameron Champ excel in this aspect. Additionally, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele stand out with impressive 'Off the Tee' Strokes Gained (SG) stats this season.

Another significant statistic is SG 'Tee to Green', where last year's champion, Jon Rahm, topped the rankings. In fact, the top 10 ranked players for SG 'Tee to Green' at last year's Masters all finished in the top 16 overall, indicating its predictive power. Scheffler and Schauffele also rank highly in this category, this season, proving again their potential for success. 

The par 5s at Augusta present scoring opportunities, but they come with their challenges, notably water hazards on holes 13 and 15. Past champions have succeeded at the par 5s, Matsuyama shooting a combined 11-under-par across the weekend (2021), Tiger Woods in 8-under-par (2019) and Reed in 12-under-par (2018). This sort of success requires accurate and long drives, coupled with precise approach play. Scheffler, again, is leading the way this season in terms of approach play. 

One player generating buzz is Ludvig Aberg. After turning professional last year, he has taken to golf at the highest level so quickly and this season he has been playing great, making every cut so far and finishing top 10 three times. He is performing consistently well over all the key metrics we have discussed and could definitely be a good pick. However, his lack of experience at Augusta could pose a challenge.

Experienced contenders like Scheffler and Schauffele are on top of their game right now and have the skill and track record to thrive at Augusta. Scheffler, already a Masters champion in 2022, holds a slight edge in proven success.

So, to sum things up, whether you back Scheffler, Schauffele, or Aberg, expect an exciting tournament with these players poised to perform well.