Johnson leads strong list of contenders into Masters

The top 10 players to watch this week at Augusta National Golf Club in the Masters. The tournament tees off Thursday.

Dustin Johnson: The game’s No. 1 player is on a roll with three wins and three other top-10 finishes already this season. That continues the momentum he started last year at the U.S. Open. He has to be the clear favorite.

Jordan Spieth: The 2015 Masters winner looked like he was going to win two straight last year but stumbled badly on the back nine Sunday. There’s no doubt he will be driven to bounce back in style this week.

Jason Day: The 2015 PGA Championship winner is ranked third in the world, but he has been under the radar a bit. Don’t expect that to continue this week.

Hideki Matsuyama: The Japanese star has had a strong season with two wins and six top-10 finishes in his 12 tournaments. He appears ready to take the next step in his career, and that would include a major. He is ranked fourth.

Roy McIlroy: The four-time major winner needs only the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. McIlroy, who is ranked third, hasn’t won this season on the PGA Tour, but he has three top-10 finishes in his four events.

Rickie Fowler: Fowler is ranked seventh and has probably taken over the dreaded “best player to not win a major title,” although he did win the Players Championship in 2015. Fowler has a win and five other top-10 finishes in nine events this season.

Jon Rahm: The young Spaniard (he’s 22 years old) has climbed to No. 12 in the world. He has six top-10 finishes this season, including a win at the Farmers Insurance Open, entering his Masters debut.

Phil Mickelson: The three-time Masters winner has 12 other top-10 finishes at Augusta National, including a tie for second in 2015. But he has finished lower than 50th in three of the past four years.

Henrik Stenson: The fifth-ranked player in the world won the British Open last summer. His best finish at the Masters is a tie for 14th in 2014.

Patrick Reed: It’s time for the star of the U.S. team’s Ryder Cup victory last year to take a step up in the majors. His best finish in a major is a tie for 12th at the British Open last summer. His best Masters finish is a tie for 22nd in 2015.

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Johnson leads strong list of contenders into Masters."