Picks and predictions for Round 1 of Golfweek’s Golf Challenge pick ’em game. Can you beat our expert?
Looking for a golf pick ’em game around this week’s big event? Golfweek.com has you covered and is offering up a $100 gift card per round for the winner of its Golf Challenge; each day there will be a new round and a new set of questions. Today, SportsbookWire‘s golf expert, Esten McLaren, takes you through his picks and predictions for the first round. Do you have what it takes to beat him and win?
How to play: Make seven picks for Round 1 for your chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. A perfect score will win the prize and in the event of multiple entries going 7-for-7, the closest tiebreaker answer (without going over) will be deemed the winner.
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Don’t feel like choosing your own picks? Select “Random”, “Favorite”, or “Popular” to auto-fill your answers.
McLaren’s round 1 picks
Group 28: Adam Scott/Bryson DeChambeau/Max Homa 3-ball winner
DeChambeau‘s the easy pick here. He’s the top player in this group at No. 6 in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings and recently won the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 2020 US Open champ is also No. 1 on Tour this season in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee.
Adam Scott Round 1 score: Over/Under 68.5
The 2013 Masters champ has just one top-10 finish in seven appearances since, and he tied for 34th in the fall. He has never opened the Masters with a round of 68 or better. Take the Over.
Group 29: Tony Finau/Louis Oosthuizen/Justin Thomas 3-ball winner
Oosthuizen is a bit of a contrarian pick here as the lowest-ranked golfer of these three and with Thomas coming off a marquee victory at The Players Championship. The South African is 18th on Tour in Round 1 scoring average on the 2020-21 season at 69.56 through nine events; Thomas is just behind at 69.60.
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Tony Finau Round 1 score: Over/Under 69.5
Though Finau is tied for just 65th on Tour in Round 1 scoring average this season, he opened the fall Masters with a round of 3-under par, 69. He’s in excellent form in 2021 with four top-10 finishes through nine events. Take the Under.
Group 30: Jordan Spieth/Cameron Smith/Collin Morikawa 3-ball winner
Spieth will be the popular pick off his win at the Valero Texas Open but he needs to be faded this week against a much stronger field at a more difficult golf course. Morikawa is the pick while ranking second on Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach per round for the 2020-21 season.
Jordan Spieth to birdie Hole 16 in Round 1: Yes or No
There were 45 birdies carded on the 170-yard, par-3 16th at Augusta National in mid-November. While the pin position is likely to be in its easiest location for Round 1, No is the pick here, as Spieth is averaging a score of 3.05 on par 3s this season.
Collin Morikawa Round 1 score: Over/Under 68.5
Morikawa, the 2020 PGA Championship winner, opened the 2020 Masters with a Round 1 score of 2-under par, 70, en route to a T-44 finish. That said, his iron play and ball-striking are well-suited to Augusta National, and the 24-year-old should fare better in his second appearance at this event. Take the Under.
Tiebreaker: Jordan Spieth Round 1 score
Spieth leads everyone with a minimum of five rounds played at Augusta National with an average of 2.90 strokes gained on the field per round but that number was padded earlier in his career. He finished just T-46 in the fall.
We’re betting against Spieth in his three-man group, so set the slider to 74. It’s the same as his opening score from 2020, and that was in much easier scoring conditions.
Make your picks
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