2023 Masters Tournament: Best Round 2 Head-to-Head Picks & Predictions

The Masters is off to a roaring start as we have a three-way tie for first between Viktor Hovland (-7), Jon Rahm, and Brooks Koepka. The action will continue to intensify as we enter the second day of the tournament. Some players will be in hot pursuit of the above-mentioned trio while others will simply be looking to crack the top 50 and secure a ticket to the weekend rounds.

From outright winners to round props, there's no shortage of ways to bet on The Masters at this point. For me, I've narrowed in on these three head-to-head matchups for Friday's round.

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>

2023 Masters Tournament: Best Round 2 Head-to-Head Bets

Scottie Sheffler (R2) vs. Rory McIlroy (R2)

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler isn't too far off the pace, entering Friday's action in a seven-way tie for sixth place. The world's top player logged a four under performance in the opener and he'll be looking to close the gap on the leading trio. As for the world's second-best player, Rory McIlroy, he played well Thursday and sits at T37 after posting an even round.

I just don't know how anyone can fade Scheffler in any capacity right now, so I'll go ahead and lock him in to post a better score on Friday in a head-to-head matchup with McIlroy. Both players have a decent history at Augusta National, but I have to give the edge to Scheffler here. He's been on fire recently, winning both the WM Phoenix Open in February and THE PLAYERS in early March.

Although it's just a four-stroke difference between the two world-class golfers, they're in completely different positions as McIlroy is trying to survive the cut while Scheffler is looking to thrive. Let's ride with the defending champ in this head-to-head showdown.

Bet: Scheffler to Beat McIlroy in Round 2 (-125)

Cameron Smith (R2) vs. Justin Thomas (R2)

On a personal note, I picked Cameron Smith to win the Masters prior to the tournament at +2100. He's off to a respectable start, sitting at T17 at two under. He's joined by Justin Thomas as the duo makes up nine golfers tied at two under.

Thomas is putting together a decent season thus far, posting a top-five along with three additional top-20s since the calendar turned to 2023. However, the 29-year-old is just not taking that next step forward to join the upper echelon of golf.

Therefore, I'm taking Cam Smith to top Thomas in the second round. Smith has been trending upward dating back to last year, winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions, THE PLAYERS Championship, and The Open in the 2021-2022 campaign. Furthermore, he's a perennial contender at Augusta right now. The Queensland native has logged the following finishes at The Masters recently: T2 (2020), T3 (2022), and T10 (2021). Look for the young LIV competitor to take another step forward Friday while edging out Justin Thomas in the process.

Bet: Smith to Beat Thomas in Round 2 (-105)

Xander Schauffele (R2) vs. Patrick Cantlay (R2)

Xander Schauffele is off to a great start at The Masters, sitting at T6 with a score of four under. I'll go ahead and back him in a head-to-head with Patrick Cantlay, who's T26 at one under.

The fact that this is a coin flip in terms of odds leaves me scratching my head. Cantlay's obviously a fantastic golfer, sitting at fourth in the current world rankings, but he doesn't have the history at Augusta like Schauffele. Cantlay's best finish at The Masters was a T9 (-10) in 2019 and he followed that up with a T17 (-7), a missed cut, and a T39 (+7).

Schauffele, aside from missing the cut last year, has been a mainstay inside of the top 20 in recent history. The American finished T2 (-12) in 2019, T17 in 2020 (-7), and T3 in 2021 (-7). Similar to my argument in the Scheffler/McIlroy play above, Schauffele will be looking to narrow the gap on the leaders while Cantlay's attempting to make the cut and survive. Let's ride with the more tried and true player at Augusta to post a better score in the second round.

Bet: Schauffele to Beat Cantlay in Round 2 (-110)

Connect with sportsbooks to automatically sync your balances and bets >>