When the field is small and the majority of entrants are tournament winners or ranked among the best in the world, the term dark horse can become a relative description.
Still, with the McIlroys and Schefflers of the world gathering a lot of attention, there are some players who might go overlooked when trying to pick out who will wear the next green jacket.
Here are four who should be considered.
Cameron Young Cameron Young
Cam Young
Is it possible to call a guy who wins the Players a dark horse? Cam Young broke through for the biggest win of his career last month in taking top spot at TPC Sawgrass and in the process drew attention to his ever-improving skill set.
Prior to his first victory last August in the Wyndham Championship, he was known as a guy who had a lot of silver medals – seven of them, in fact, as he came close to winning but was either beaten or slipped down the stretch.
His victory at the Players not only proved he could win but could do it on a difficult course against the deepest field in golf. Tee to green, his game is solid so far this year, sitting fourth in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 15th in Greens in Regulation. His putter hasn’t been quite as hot as previous years but it’s still solid.
Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee
Lee has proved he can get it around Augusta National. In 2022, he eagled the second hole and then ran off a string of four birdies starting on the fifth hole for a front-nine 30. That equalled the scoring record for that side of the course.
The Australian golfer will try to do something similar this year when he tees it up for his fifth Masters. He arrives at Augusta National as the 25th-ranked golfer in the world after a solid start to his season. He has made the cut in all seven starts and finished tied for second at Pebble Beach.
His game is well-rounded, and he sits in fifth place in Strokes Gained: Total. Off the tee he is also solid and leads the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Total, a combination of distance an accuracy.
Si Woo Kim Si Woo Kim
Si Woo Kim
Kim is enjoying a strong season, making the cut in all nine starts on the PGA Tour. Among his finishes are four top 10s, including a tie for second at the Farmers Insurance Open.
The 30-year-old from Seoul, South Korea has played in eight Masters, making the cut in the last seven. His best finish was a tie for 12th in 2021. The stats show he leads the PGA Tour in driving accuracy and proximity to the hole, two great numbers for someone taking on Augusta National. His putter hasn’t been consistently hot this year but he did putt well in his last two starts, a positive sign that could show a complete game.
Beyond the stats, Kim has matured as a player and seems wiser in shot selection and knowing when to take on risk. That could carry him a long way at Augusta National.
Jake Knapp Jake Knapp
Jake Knapp
Knapp has played in seven events this season, finishing inside the top 10 in five of them. The other two? One missed cut and a tie for 11th. That’s a very solid season that has somewhat slipped under the radar for prognosticators this week.
One small hesitation is that he has played just a single Masters, finishing tied for 55th two years ago, so there is not a ton of experience.
But that can be somewhat overlooked when you consider his stats this year. He is first in Strokes Gained: Total, second in Strokes Gained: Putting and eighth in Driving Distance. That would seem to be an almost perfect game to carry into Augusta National.