Steve Palmer's golf Majors ante-post pointers

Already advised on January 2

Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters (9-1), Rory McIlroy to win the US PGA Championship (10-1), Dustin Johnson to win the US Open (33-1), Xander Schauffele to win the Open (33-1)
1pt each-way Betfair, Power

Majors season is fast approaching and the golfing elite are readying themselves for the four most important events on the schedule – the Masters, the US PGA Championship, the US Open and the Open Championship.

From 2019 onwards, the Majors have been crammed into a four-month period – the sport's most prestigious prizes are handed out from April through July – so players are desperate to peak for this small window of opportunity.

The Masters starts at Augusta, Georgia, on April 11. Here we take a look at how the main contenders for each Major are shaping up with just a fortnight until the stars of golf gather at the Cathedral of Pines for practice rounds.

The Masters

Scottie Scheffler will go into the Masters as emphatic favourite, barring serious injury in his final warm-up event. Scheffler, a general 9-2 chance for Augusta glory, is scheduled to tee up in this week's Houston Open.

The Texas-based superstar will be hoping to continue his solid form on the greens – a revival with putter in hand has made Scheffler the complete package going into the opening Major of the season. Peerless ball-striking has been married to tidy short-game work since he switched from a blade putter to a mallet one at Bay Hill.

Scheffler, who has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship in his last two starts, has an excellent Masters record and is clearly the man to beat this time. Augusta form figures of 19-18-1-10 should be improved upon next month.

Masters preparations have not been going as well for Rory McIlroy, who needs a Green Jacket to complete a career Grand Slam. Victory in the Dubai Desert Classic in January was encouraging, but his PGA Tour efforts have been underwhelming.

McIlroy's iron-play has been poor for weeks, while recent experimentation with the height of his tees went wrong at Sawgrass last time out, as his driving form dipped spectacularly. The Northern Irishman, a 10-1 chance for Augusta, is set to play in next week's Texas Open looking for a pre-Masters fillip.

Other Masters hopefuls will be in action next week as the LIV circuit moves to Miami. It will be Jon Rahm's fifth LIV appearance. The Spaniard, defending champion at the Masters this year and 12-1 to retain the title, has contended in all his LIV events before fading away over the closing holes.

Brooks Koepka, 20-1 for the Masters having finished runner-up to Rahm last year, is also winless on the LIV circuit this season. Joaquin Niemann, who has won two LIV titles this year and was last month given a special invitation to the Masters, is an in-form 28-1 poke for the Green Jacket. Former Masters champion Dustin Johnson, 33-1 for this edition, won LIV Las Vegas last month.

Will Zalatoris, who spent much of last year out injured with back problems, has found fitness and form this year and has shortened to 22-1 for the Masters. He has Augusta form figures of 2-6.

The Masters will be the Major debut of Ryder Cup star Ludvig Aberg, who can be backed at 25-1 for a victorious first foray to Augusta. The brilliant Swede, runner-up in last month's Pebble Beach Pro-Am, will expect to make an immediate impact.

US PGA Championship

Scheffler is 13-2 favourite for the US PGA, which will be played at Valhalla GC, Kentucky, in May. McIlroy is 10-1, which would be a healthy price should he find better form in the build-up. McIlroy's last Major title came at Valhalla in the 2014 US PGA.

Koepka will be the defending champion at Valhalla and can be backed at 16-1 – generous odds about a player who has won the tournament three times.

Last year's runner-up, Viktor Hovland, is 20-1 and drifting after an unconvincing start to 2024. The Norwegian switched coaches in the close-season and has been working on swing changes this year, looking confused and struggling for results.

Justin Thomas – a two-time US PGA Championship – has been creeping back into form over the last few months. JT could be popular at 28-1.

US Open

Scheffler is 6-1 favourite for the US Open at Pinehurst, North Carolina, with former champions Rahm and McIlroy at 10-1 and 11-1 respectively.

Wyndham Clark will be the defending champion and 28-1 could be a hot ticket given the way this rapid improver has started this year. Back-to-back runner-up efforts at Bay Hill and Sawgrass followed victory at Pebble Beach.

Giant Carolinian Dustin Johnson, playing well on the LIV circuit, looks a big price at 30-1 for some June joy. Johnson was US Open champion in 2016.

Open Championship

Scheffler is available at 8-1 for the final Major of the season – the Open Championship at Royal Troon. Regressive Open results of 8-21-23 seem likely to be followed by a bold bid for the Claret Jug in July.

Former Open champions McIlroy (10-1) and Jordan Spieth (25-1) will be keen to find form before their summer trip to Scotland. Xander Schauffele (25-1) will be hoping the swing changes he has been working on with new coach Chris Como are bedded in by the time of the Troon showpiece. Schauffele finished tied second in the Players Championship the week before last.

A Scheffler (Masters), McIlroy (US PGA), Johnson (US Open), Schauffele (Open) each-way Majors accumulator was recommended in January at 127,159-1. Going into April, it remains a lively investment.

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