Following Akshay Bhatia’s victory at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday, all eyes turn to Augusta National.

The wait is over -- golf's first major of 2024 is here. It's Masters week.

Here's all you need to know for this week’s major.

PGA Daily Fantasy

Masters Event Info

• Recent Winning Scores: -12, -10, -10, -20, -13
• Recent Cut Lines: +3, +4, +3, E, +3

Augusta National Golf Club Course Info

All course data from GCSAA unless otherwise noted.

• Par: 72
• Distance: 7,545 (around 247 yards longer than the average par 72)
• Average Fairway Width: 50.7 yards (85th of 88 courses)
• Average Green Size: 6,486 (average-to-large)
• Green Type: Bentgrass
• Stimpmeter: N/A

Augusta National Golf Club Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Putting
• Strokes Gained: Around the Green
• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
  • Emphasis on Driving Distance
• Total Strokes Gained
• Course History

2024 Masters DFS Top Plays

These picks stand out relative to their FanDuel daily fantasy golf salary. All stats cited below originate at datagolf and reference ranks relative to the field over the past 50 rounds unless otherwise noted. All betting odds come from the golf betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

2024 Masters Daily Fantasy Studs

Scottie Scheffler ($13,000 | +400)

Scottie Scheffler's salary this week is $800 above the next closest golfer, Jon Rahm ($12,200), but it's well deserved -- his play has been well above the rest of the golfing world. There aren't many boxes that Scheffler doesn't check this week.

Course history? In his four starts at the Masters, Scheffler has never finished worse than T19, including finishes of first and T10 in his two most recent appearances. In his last three Masters, Scheffler has gained strokes in every major category except putting, gaining at least +1.0 strokes on approach per round in each appearance.

Recent form? It would be difficult to be more in-form entering a major than Scheffler is right now. He has two wins and a T2 in his last three events and has finished outside the top 10 only once in his last 11 events.

Elite approach play? The largest of check marks. Scheffler is first in the field in strokes gained: approach. He has gained strokes on approach in 33 consecutive events with shotlink data. In 2024, he is averaging +1.57 strokes gained on approach per event.

The one weakness in Scheffler's game has been his putting, but that may be a thing of the past since his switch to a mallet-style putter a month ago. He has gained strokes with the flat stick in each of his three events since the switch. Over his last 25 starts, in the 11 events where Scheffler has gained strokes putting, he has never finished worse than T6, with four wins and two runner-ups.

Xander Schauffele ($10,900 | +1400)

Xander Schauffele has the seventh-highest salary this week but the fourth-best odds to win behind only Scheffler, Rory McIlroy ($11,800 | +1000), and Rahm ($12,200 | +1100). He is one of just two golfers this week who rank inside the top 10 in strokes gained: approach (fourth), strokes gained: off the tee (seventh), and strokes gained: around the green (eighth). He is also second in the field in total strokes gained and 21st in strokes gained: putting.

There are few weaknesses in Schauffele's game, and his results this season support that. In his eight events in 2024, he has six top-10 finishes and four top-five finishes, including finishes of T2 and T5 in his most recent events. Outside of his T50 finish in his Masters debut in 2018 and his missed cut in 2022, Schauffele has been excellent at Augusta National. His four other appearances resulted in finishes of T2 (2019), T17 (November 2020), T3 (2021), and T10 at last year's event.

Others to Consider:

• Jon Rahm ($12,200 | +1100)
• Rory McIlroy ($11,800 | +1000)
• Brooks Koepka ($11,600 | +2000)
• Hideki Matsuyama ($11,100 | +2200)
• Joaquin Niemann ($10,400 | +2800)

2024 Masters Daily Fantasy Mid-Range Plays

Cameron Smith ($9,900 | +3500)

Cameron Smith withdrew from his most recent LIV event with an illness, which was later revealed to be food poisoning. Assuming he recovers in time to be at his best for the Masters, he is worth considering this week. Smith is the only golfer in the field that ranks inside the top five in both strokes gained: approach (fifth) and strokes gained: putting (first). In his last event before his withdrawal last week, Smith finished T2 at LIV Hong Kong in early March.

Smith has an excellent history at the Masters, with three top-10 finishes in his last four appearances. What Smith does at an elite level is exactly what you need to succeed at Augusta National. He has been hit or miss in his four major appearances since his move to LIV, with finishes of T34 (Master), T9 (PGA Championship), 4th (U.S. Open), and T33 (The Open) last season.

Sahith Theegala ($9,700 | +5000)

Sahith Theegala will be making his second appearance at the Masters after finishing T9 in his tournament debut in 2023. Theegala is enjoying an excellent start to his season and is on pace to post career-best strokes gained averages in every category except around the green. In nine starts in 2024, he has shown significant improvement in strokes gained per round off the tee (+0.65 strokes better than his 2023 average), putting (+0.30), and on approach (+0.23).

In last year's Masters, he gained strokes in every category, one of only 10 golfers to do so. He is 4th in the field in strokes gained: putting, 14th in total strokes gained, 16th in strokes gained: off the tee, and 28th in strokes gained: approach. Playing some of the best golf of his young career, Theegala has the game to repeat or improve on his debut performance.

Others to Consider:

• Tony Finau ($9,700 | +4000)
• Cameron Young ($9,500 | +5000)
• Max Homa ($9,500 | +6500)

2024 Masters Daily Fantasy Value Plays

Akshay Bhatia ($8,900 | +11000)

Akshay Bhatia will be making his Masters debut this week after earning the final spot in the field with his victory at the Valero Texas Open on Sunday. On one hand, Bhatia lacks course experience at an event that heavily rewards it. On the other hand, Bhatia has the game to do well this week and has the potential to continue to ascend after his second PGA Tour victory. Bhatia was one of the most exciting prospects in golf when he turned pro at age 17. Now 22, he is playing the best golf of his professional career.

Bhatia has had a hit-or-miss season, with four missed cuts and six top-20 finishes in his 10 events. Since missing the cut at THE PLAYERS, he has finished T17, T11, and first. He has played his last 11 rounds under par.

The strength of his game is his approach play. He is 23rd in the field in strokes gained: approach and has gained at least +1.94 strokes per round on approach in each of his last two events. Outside of that, there are no glaring weaknesses, as he ranks 17th in strokes gained: off the tee, 10th in driving accuracy, 35th in strokes gained: around the green, and 36th in strokes gained: putting.

This week may be too soon for Bhatia to find success at the Masters, but I would rather be too early on someone with Bhatia's potential than too late. Assuming his shoulder isn't an issue, which he injured while celebrating a made putt to force a playoff on Sunday, he deserves consideration this week.

Russell Henley ($8,800 | +6500)

Russell Henley is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Valero Texas Open, his second finish of T4 or better in his last three starts (the other was a missed cut at THE PLAYERS).

Henley has a very well-rounded game. He is 10th in the field in total strokes gained, 16th in strokes gained: putting, 17th in strokes gained: around the green, 30th in strokes gained: approach, and 38th in strokes gained: off the tee. He is more accurate (seventh) than long (80th) off the tee, but that hasn't stopped him from performing well at the Masters before.

After missing the cut in his Masters debut in 2013, Henley has finished T31 or better in each of his six appearances since. He finished T4 in 2023 thanks to his short game, as he finished second in that event in strokes gained: putting and first in strokes gained: around the green.

Others to Consider:

• Adam Scott ($8,900 | +10000)
• Nick Taylor ($8,600 | +25000)
• Denny McCarthy ($7,200 | +11000)

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.