Ranking the Top 10 Golfers Ahead of the 2020 Masters

It's a tradition unlike any other in a year unlike any other.

It's the Masters—delayed by seven months—amid a global pandemic.

It seems like forever ago, but Tiger Woods will arrive at Augusta National as the defending champion after winning his 15th major there by a single stroke in April 2019.

Now 44 years old, Woods has slid to a No. 33 world ranking since that triumph but will still be the biggest story among a star-studded field as he seeks a sixth green jacket.

But it won't come easy.

He'll be joined in the fray by a fleet of hungry and talented youngsters that includes 23-year-old Collin Morikawa, who won the PGA Championship by two strokes in August, and 27-year-old Bryson DeChambeau, who captured the U.S. Open by six strokes in September.

Morikawa was just two months old when Woods won his first Masters in 1997, while DeChambeau turned four years old a few months afterward.

The field also includes the world's top-ranked player in Dustin Johnson and the two most decorated players of the last decade in Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka, who've each won four majors but never a Masters.

So, what goes into the breakdown to determine this year's winner?

A golfer's last several starts and a glance at his world ranking were the primary considerations, and we also took a look at career performances at Augusta.

How do we factor in Woods' history? Who is the best non-American contender? Can anyone—regardless of pedigree—give the youngsters a legitimate push?

In other words, who fills out our top 10 before the first groupings get going amid the mid-autumn chill Thursday?

Scroll through for the answers.

OWGR: No. 44

Best of 2020: Through mid-July, Bubba Watson's 2020 wasn't particularly memorable.

And while he's not been a fixture in winner's circles since then, either, the two-time Masters champion has played better and more consistently. In fact, two of his five top-10 finishes for the year have come in his last two events with a tie for seventh at The CJ Cup and a tie for fourth at the ZOZO Championship in October.

Why He's Here: Not many can call themselves two-time Masters champions. And because Watson is competitive and still at or near his prime at age 42, he's got to be among the choices at Augusta, where he's tied for fifth and 12th in his last two appearances.  

Masters History: Watson had never gotten closer than a tie for 20th before winning in 2012 and coming back for another green jacket in 2014. Two also-ran efforts and a missed cut preceded the aforementioned tie for fifth in 2018.

OWGR: No. 33

Best of 2020: If you'd expected continuation of the Tiger Woods resurgence in 2020, you're still waiting.

Though arguably the greatest player in golf history, the 15-time major champ has been far closer to pedestrian this season with just one top-10 finish among eight overall appearances. And what's more, the high finish—a tie for ninth at the Farmers Insurance Open—came in his season-opener back in January. 

Why He's Here: Well, there's that arguably the greatest player thing and that 15-time major champ thing. Not to mention that five of the 15 are Masters titles. So as long as he's in the field and anything close to relevant, Woods has an emeritus place among top-10 favorites at Augusta. 

Masters History: No one in the field has a better Masters reputation than Woods, who won the first of his 15 majors at Augusta in 1997 and the most recent there in 2019. Three others came across a five-season stretch in 2001, 2002 and 2005, and he's been fifth or better on seven other occasions, as well.

OWGR: No. 10

Best of 2020: You won't need a long memory to recall Patrick Cantlay's top effort this year.

The 28-year-old Californian was a winner in the most recent tournament he played, capturing the ZOZO Championship in metropolitan Tokyo in the final week of October. It was a star-studded tune-up prior to the long trip to Augusta and resulted in a one-stroke win over Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm.

Why He's Here: Cantlay is ranked 10th in the world after finishing three slots higher to end 2019, a year in which he won once and had eight other top-10s. He's been in the top 10 three other times this season, as well, but was far off the pace and finished tied for 43rd at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

Masters History: It's been famine or feast for Cantlay, relatively speaking, at the Masters. He was tied for 47th overall and the low amateur as a 20-year-old in 2012, before a missed cut in his next outing at Augusta in 2018. He led briefly in 2019 before settling for a tie for ninth, three shots behind Woods.

OWGR: No. 12

Best of 2020: He'd won majors in three straight years and entered 2020 as the world's No. 1 player, but there's been more chaff than wheat this season for Brooks Koepka, who turned 30 in May. The Floridian was seventh at the RBC Heritage in June and tied for second at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational in August.

Why He's Here: He's here because he's been the best big-stage player in the world for the last few seasons, finishing fourth or better in all four majors in 2019 and winning a second straight PGA Championship after a 2018 performance that included wins at both the PGA and U.S. Open.

Masters History: Koepka has crept closer to relevance in each of his four appearances, tying for 33rd, 21st and 11th from 2015 through 2017 before missing the 2018 event after wrist surgery. He shared the lead after Rounds 1 and 2 in 2019 and eventually tied for second, one shot behind Woods.

OWGR: No. 8

Best of 2020: It's taken him a while to become a well-known name, but few players have been as consistently good over the last several seasons as Xander Schauffele. He's continued that trend in 2020 with seven top-10 finishes in 19 events, including a three-stroke win at the TOUR Championship in September.

Why He's Here: Schauffele finished 2016 ranked 299th in the world, but he's been steadily climbing the ranks ever since and ended last year at No. 9. He's earned each of his four career wins since the start of 2017 and has been particularly good at the U.S. Open, where he's been sixth or better four straight times.

Masters History: The 27-year-old Californian has graduated from irrelevance to contender status in just two trips to Augusta, going from a tie for 50th in 2018 to a tie for second a year later. He shared the lead as late as the 16th hole in the fourth round and ultimately wound up a shot behind Woods.

OWGR: No. 3

Best of 2020: If consistent competitiveness and success in 2020 is the prerequisite for this year's Masters, Justin Thomas has certainly got an inside track. The world's No. 4 player at the close of 2019 is one tick better now after two wins, three seconds, one third and four other top-10s in 18 overall events.

Why He's Here: Again, Thomas is in this position for a reason. He's won at least one tournament for six straight seasons, including a career-high five in 2017 and two apiece each year since. A PGA Championship in 2017 is his lone major victory and cemented his status as Player of the Year.

Masters History: The Masters is the one American-based major in which Thomas hasn't made a significant impact, but he has gotten better in each of his four appearances in Augusta. He reached the top 20 there for the first time in 2018 and moved to a tie for 12th overall in 2019, five shots off the championship pace.

OWGR: No. 1

Best of 2020: The world's No. 1 player at the close of 2017 has returned to the throne in 2020 on the strength of nine top-10 finishes, including two wins, in 16 events. A bout with COVID-19 added a health concern to his season, however, and stalled the initial mojo in September.

Why He's Here: Wins this season at the Travelers Championship in June and The Northern Trust two months later showed Johnson at elite form. He shot four rounds of 67 or better in the latter win, including a second-round 60 that propelled him to an 11-shot triumph. His lone major, the U.S. Open, came in 2016.

Masters History: It's been two chapters for Johnson at Augusta, where he'd finished no better than 13th and missed a cut through five appearances but has since reeled off four straight top-10s. He birdied the 15th, 16th and 17th holes in the final round to tie for the lead in 2019, but he wound up tied for second.

OWGR: No. 5

Best of 2020: He's not won, but that doesn't mean Rory McIlroy hasn't been effective. He began the year as the world's No. 2 player and backed it up with top-five finishes in his first four events. He's only cracked two top-10s since, but they came on big stages at the TOUR Championship (T8) and the U.S. Open (T8).

Why He's Here: Because he's been among the most elite and popular players for so long, it feels as if McIlroy, now 31 years old, ought to have more than four major titles. He's not won on the biggest stage since taking the British Open and the PGA Championship in 2014 but has 11 top-10 finishes in 21 majors since.

Masters History: As his fans know, the Masters is the only major McIlroy hasn't secured. And they're surely aware of the disaster he endured there in 2011, losing a four-shot lead in the final round before shooting an 80 and finishing tied for 15th. He's had five top-10s at Augusta since, peaking at fourth place in 2015.

OWGR: No. 2 

Best of 2020: It's already been an eventful year for Jon Rahm, who started it ranked third in the world, moved to first after winning the Memorial Tournament in July and has since settled into second place behind only Dustin Johnson. He has two wins and two seconds among nine top-10s in 18 events.

Why He's Here: The win at the Memorial and a follow-up victory at the BMW Championship, where he beat Dustin Johnson in a playoff, states his case for 2020. The Spaniard also has four top-10 finishes in his last 10 major appearances, including a tie for third at the U.S. Open in 2019, six shots behind champ Gary Woodland.

Masters History: Rahm started off with a tie for 27th in his first Masters appearance in 2017 before earning top-10s in 2018 and 2019. He shot a third-round 65 to get within six shots of the 2018 lead and ultimately took a solo fourth, four shots behind Patrick Reed. He was tied for ninth, three shots behind Tiger Woods in 2019.

OWGR: No. 6

Best of 2020: No player on the world-class level has been any more successful across the board this year than Bryson DeChambeau, the big-hitting Californian with four top-three finishes and six more top-10s in just 16 events. Most important among them, of course, was a six-shot rout at the U.S. Open in September.

Why He's Here: He's the competitive favorite coming in because of everything he's done this year, and he's stayed sharp since the breakthrough major with an eighth-place finish at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October. He led that event off with a 62 and had three rounds of 67 or better.

Masters History: Truth be told, three trips to Augusta National haven't yielded much in the way of glory for DeChambeau, though he was the low amateur in 2016 at age 22. Ties for 38th and 29th have followed in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and he's won and tied for fourth in two majors this year.