2022 Masters picks, odds: Expert predictions, favorites to win from betting

With the 86th Masters fast approaching, the key question everyone’s asking is the same across the golf world: Who are you picking to win at Augusta National? With a tremendous field featuring most of the best professionals and a few of the top amateurs in the world, the first major of 2022 should be an epic ride from Thursday’s first round onward.

This year’s Masters is as wide open as any in recent memory. There is no favorite in the single digits this time around, and nobody has emerged as the player to beat over 72 holes. The two hottest players in the world — Cameron Smith and Scottie Scheffler — are both nice picks but not considered heavyweight favorites at Augusta. Conversely, many of the top stars in the world have not won so far in 2022 and several of them have a dodgy history with this course.

Then there is the Tiger Woods conundrum. What do you do with a five-time Masters winner who has not played an official event in 17 months but also might know the golf course better than anyone who has ever played it? Woods indicated that he is indeed going to tee it up on Thursday morning alongside Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann, and the potential outcomes for him might be wider than anyone else in the field.

Add it all up, and it would appear that we’re in for a wild Masters week full of unexpected twists and turns but also a lot of familiar names atop the leaderboard. As such, you’re not going to want to miss a minute of action, so be sure to check out (and bookmark) our 2022 Masters TV schedule and coverage guide so you can stay tuned in all week.

So what is going to happen this week at Augusta? Let’s take a look at a full set of predictions and picks from our CBS Sports experts as we attempt to project who will win — and what will happen — at the most prestigious golf tournament in the world. Check out a full set of 2022 Masters odds provided by Caesars Sportsbook.

2022 Masters expert picks, predictions

Kyle Porter, golf writer

Winner — Justin Thomas (12-1): I have some conflicted feelings about J.T. at Augusta National, where he clearly does not putt the ball well. However, in the weeks leading into this one, it has felt (and looked, statistically) as if he was building toward a massive victory. You could have said the same over the first few rounds at the Masters last year, too, before an 8 on the par-5 13th led to 75 and undid his chances of winning. His driving can get wayward at times so the big number is always a concern, but if the weather gets a little squirrely later this week — and it might — Thomas proved at the Players Championship that he has probably more game than anyone to stand up to it.

Sleeper — Si Woo Kim (65-1): There are a few things I love about Kim this week. The first is that he’s showed the propensity to win massive events before (he dominated the 2017 Players), and the second is that he low-key plays Augusta National tremendously. Kim has four straight made cuts here, including three top 25s and a sneaky T12 in 2021 when he putted with his 3-wood for part of the tournament. There are a handful of players at 50-1…