2023 Masters predictions: Three long shots that could actually win at Augusta National despite odds

Before we get started here, some full disclosure: I went to the Masters practice round on Tuesday. It was my first trip to Augusta, and yes it's as amazing and life-changing an experience as everyone says. I also spent absurd dollars in the merch tent because I am a golf fan from the south, and this is what my people do.

My Apple Watch logged a cool 25k+ steps, and the thing about Augusta having more hills and elevation changes than you can see on TV is absolutely real. I honestly don't know how someone hasn't fallen down getting from the tee to the green on No. 6 before.

But we were there to scout some golfers as well, and saw things like Brooks Kopeka struggling mightily with a basic putting drill. But we'll avoid the negatives, and find three guys that maybe could actually win the 2023 Masters Tournament despite the massive odds against them from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Mito Pereira +8000

You know he's been in position before to win a major, and those of us that had a 130-1 ticket on him to cash are still a bit sore about it. But the Chilean is long enough to compete at Augusta, it's just about whether he can find the speed of the greens in his first appearance on a course traditionally quite unfriendly to rookies.

But Pereira seemed confident and rolled it well on the couple holes we saw. There's no question about his overall game, and back-to-back sixth-place finishes on the LIV Tour can't hurt his confidence. He'll need to make some bombs, but the price here is a smidge high for a guy that has shown he has the game to win on the biggest stage.

Billy Horschel +20000

I can't think of a guy with a worse course profile on a course that generally favors the longest hitters. So going with a guy that's 121st in driving distance this season, a full 31 yards behind the leader Rory McIlroy, sounds pretty dumb at first glance. Did we mention Billy H has missed three out of four cuts before winning his group at the WGC Match Play in Austin two weeks ago?

But here's the thing: One some of the toughest glass-topped greens in the world, the Florida Gator can roll it. We saw him knocking in putts with full confidence, and he was clearly relaxed out there. Inside of 50 yards he's one of the best out there, and he looks locked in after his terrific performance in Austin. There's worse ways you can spend your money this week.

Cameron Champ +30000

In the last calendar year Champ has played 21 PGA TOUR events, and has missed the cut in 15 of them. He's got one Top 10 in that time, and failed to make the weekend in seven of his last eight events. So how the heck is he even qualified for the first major of the year?

Because the Top 12 players and ties from last year are invited back, and Champ was T-10 in 2022, which followed T-26 in 2021, and T-19 in 2020. He's also fifth in driving distance on tour, and was swinging with plenty of confidence on Tuesday. If you believe in horses for courses, Champ is built for A Tradition Unlike Any Other.

  
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