Amanda Balionis, the CBS golf reporter, has revealed that neither Rory McIlroy nor Scottie Scheffler feature among her dozen or so picks for this year's Masters. Balionis, 39, will return to Augusta National this week, but she is not backing the world number one or the defending champion to win.
Speaking on the Fairway Rollin' Podcast, Balionis said: 'I have 12 or 13 names, and that doesn't include Scottie or Rory.' Instead, she highlighted Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, and Adam Scott as potential winners.
Balionis recalled DeChambeau's frustration at last year's Masters, where he double-bogeyed the 11th hole and later said he had 'handed this to Rory.' She believes that 'chip on his shoulder' could drive him to victory this year. 'I think that little added incentive or focus that you can't recreate anywhere else, I actually think that might be really, really important for him this week,' she said.
However, DeChambeau is not Balionis's top pick. That honour goes to Justin Rose, who is making his 21st Masters start and has three runner-up finishes. 'I think Justin Rose has to be at the top of my list,' Balionis said. She also praised Adam Scott's iron play but noted his poor putting statistics.
