The Masters: Three Players To Cheer For At Augusta Not Named Tiger Woods
A total of 88 players will tee it up in the 2023 Masters and while you've already focused in on your favorite storylines and players you like to contend for a green jacket on Sunday, we're here to offer up three players you may want to consider pulling for.
None of the three players we've circled are Tiger Woods. This isn't a swipe at Woods, in fact it's the opposite.
At this point, golf fans are either cheering for arguably the greatest golfer to ever live or they're not. The reasons to pull for the five-time Masters winner are aplenty, as are the off-course issues that may deter people from cheering for him. Convincing people why they should cheer for the big cat this week at Augusta National would be a waste of time.
Three Players To Cheer For At The 2023 Masters
Rory McIlroy
Both the Rory lovers and the Rory haters have reasons to pull for McIlroy to win his first green jacket on Sunday.
This will be McIlroy's ninth attempt at completing the career Grand Slam. For the ninth straight year, McIlroy's quest to become just the sixth player of all time to accomplish the feat is the biggest storyline heading into the Masters.
It's hard not to pull for Rory McIlroy to win the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
All of the McIlroy supporters want to see the 33-year-old check off the final box on his career to-do list to cement himself as one of the greatest to ever pick up a golf club.
Those that aren't total Rory haters but may not be too fond of McIlroy should be pulling for the same result so the storyline can finally go away.
Entering the 2024 Masters next spring and not having to listen to that decade-old headline would be a welcome sight, and McIlroy would welcome that reality more than anyone else in the world.
Brooks Koepka
Anyone rooting for pure chaos in the golf world will be pulling for one of the 18 LIV golfers in the field to find the winner's circle on Sunday.
Brooks Koepka is one of the LIV players teeing it up and given his two wins in six starts on the Saudi-backed circuit, many believe he has a real shot at contending.
Golf is also more fun when Koepka is winning. When he won back-to-back U.S. Opens and PGA Championships, golf was in a hell of a spot. Having a villain-like character tied to LIV Golf in Koepka win a green jacket would get him back in the mix with the three-headed monster on Tour that is Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy.
Jordan Spieth
The fact that Jordan Spieth has won just one green jacket in his career simply does not make sense. There is no doubt in my mind that he wakes up multiple times a year in a cold sweat re-living his close calls at Augusta National.
Jordan Spieth surely can't go his entire career with just one green jacket. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
While he has won the Masters, you could argue that the tournament has been a horror show for Augusta's adopted boy.
In his first Masters appearance in 2014, he finished tied for second before winning the green jacket the very next year. He followed that up with another T-2 finish in 2016. He also picked up a third in 2018 and tied for third in 2021.
In five of his nine Masters appearances, Spieth has lost to exactly seven players and has one green jacket to show for it.
Would it be more interesting to see another player win their first major at Augusta National this weekend instead of Spieth winning his second Masters? Sure, maybe, but it feels like Spieth is owed another green jacket, and seeing him do it this year would be just as good as any other.
Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris