2025 Masters Picks in Round 1: Who to Watch on Thursday
The Masters is one of the premier events on the sports calendar. On Thursday, Round 1 of the Masters gets started in Augusta, Ga. at 7:40 a.m. ET. We’re diving into the top Masters picks for Round 1 on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club.
All of the best golfers in the world will assemble at Augusta National to try and win the coveted green jacket. There are a few storylines going into the tournament: Can Scottie Scheffler be the first to win back-to-back since Tiger Woods (2001-2002)? Will Rory McIlroy finally become the sixth player to get the grand slam?
Below, we’ll break down a few of the best Masters picks for Round 1 and the top projections to target on PrizePicks and for DFS, including Scheffler, Justin Thomas, and Ludvig Aberg. You can also find the top sleeper picks for the Masters here.
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With new picks and projections dropping for every Masters Round, the fun doesn’t stop until the green jacket is given out on Sunday night.
Masters Picks for Round 1: Thursday, April 9
Here are the five best picks for Masters Round 1 on Thursday for PrizePicks. Click each golfer to jump ahead to their analysis.
Scottie Scheffler — 70 Strokes
Scheffler will be the most talked-about player throughout the weekend because he is coming off one of the more phenomenal seasons in PGA Tour history.
In 2024, he had nine total wins, including the Masters and a gold medal at the Olympics. Now he’s coming into the 2025 Masters winning two of the last three.
He has continued that momentum in 2025. Scheffler has three top-ten finishes in six tournaments and just finished T-2 at the Houston Open.
Scheffler has gotten off to great starts in most of the tournaments this year by shooting under 70 in Round 1 of four tournaments. In his recent run at the Masters, he’s gone less than 70 in three straight.
Over his last five rounds at Augusta, Scheffler is averaging 69.4 strokes, and he shot less than 70 in two of his rounds last year.
Justin Thomas — 71 Strokes
Justin Thomas has been close to the green jacket with two top 10 finishes, but lately, he’s struggled with back-to-back missed cuts. Thomas has had some problems over the last couple of years, including driving accuracy and putting.
Last year, he only had 53.8% fairway hits in the two days, and when you’re starting a hole having to make up for a mistake, you always feel like you’re playing behind. He’s improved his accuracy, but while he’s only 101st in driving accuracy this year (57.14%), it’s his first time inside the top 150 since going pro.
Thursday will be a perfect day in Augusta, with the sun out and minimal wind. That could help Thomas find the fairway off the tee. It will also help his putting game, which has significantly improved this year, as his 4.97 average birdies per round ranks second.
Thomas only went less than this number once at Augusta over his last two years, but he’s a sleeper pick in this year’s Masters field.
Tony Finau — 3.5 Bogeys or Worse
Tony Finau has been unable to replicate his 2019 performance at Augusta, where he finished T-5. He’s finished outside the top 25 in four of the last five tournaments and is coming off fishing T-55 in 2024.
Last year, he had a great first round, shooting a 71 (-1), but it was all downhill after that, and he would shoot +12 the rest of the way. In those final three rounds, he averaged five bogeys, which continued into 2025, as his 16.49% bogey avoidance is 127th.
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Ludvig Aberg — 4 Birdies Or Better
Ludvig Aberg is no longer an unknown, thanks to his impressive performance at last year’s Masters, where he finished as the runner-up. It is well known that Augusta is often difficult for debutants, so you always notice when one is in contention.
Aberg was part of the final group on Sunday, and while he remained a contender throughout that round, he could not overcome Scheffler and get the historic win.
Aberg made some excellent approaches during the 2024 tournament, but also rookie mistakes that should improve with experience. Aberg had four birdies or better in three of the four rounds last year. As the tournament went on, his short game got better, and after only grabbing two birdies on Thursday, he had 15 over the next three days.
He’s been one of the best off the tee this year, as his 0.579 strokes gained off the tee are ninth, which has helped him average 4.52 birdies per round (13th). With the course knowledge in hand, he can have a great start to the tournament.
Sepp Straka — 11.5 Greens In Regulation
If Sepp Straka plays up to his potential, he could be in contention throughout the weekend. Accuracy is essential at the Masters because of the slopes and hills off the fairways. His accuracy and approach to the green will put him in an excellent position for this tournament.
He doesn’t have the power stroke, but it’s the sacrifice he makes to keep it on the green. His 66.73% driving accuracy percentage is ninth, which helps with his approach. He’s fifth in strokes gained on approach to the green. More importantly, it gets him to green, as he’s second in greens in regulation (73.25%), ninth in driving accuracy percentage (66.73%), and fifth in strokes gain on approach to the green (0.968).
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The stage is set for the Masters — one of the most exciting sporting events of the year is here. The best golfers in the world will compete in Augusta, Ga. to compete to take home the illustrious green jacket between Thursday and Sunday.
With every hole, you can win real money on the Masters on PrizePicks.
On the Masters board on PrizePicks, just pick More or Less two to six golfers to build your Lineup, including some of the top golfers in the world, like Justin Rose or Bryson DeChambeau.
Stayed tuned to the Playbook throughout the Masters for picks and analysis on every round for Masters DFS and PrizePicks.
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