Nick Faldo has questioned whether Scottie Scheffler or Jon Rahm can win the Masters.
World number one Scheffler goes into Augusta as the favourite while Rahm is the defending champion.
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But Faldo believes the winner will come from elsewhere and offered different reasons as to why two of the game’s leading lights may be disappointed this weekend.
Scheffler has extended his advantage at the top of the world rankings following wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players in recent weeks but Faldo believes the unique atmosphere of a major may throw him of course.
He told the Sky Sports Golf podcast: “Everyone’s screaming that he is the favourite, but I’m not so sure. He has got to deal with that, and a lot of things have got to go right.
“I think it’s just a mental thing, as everyone gets hyped up at majors. If you’re good enough to take the majors down a couple of notches, so you’re back to normal, I think that that’s what he can do. I think that’s his main strength.”
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Rahm defected to LIV Golf in December in a deal worth a reported $300million and three-time Masters winner Faldo believes the lack of hard-nosed competition on the breakaway tour, as well as its 54-hole format, will count against him.
“I think he feels that [lack of intensity],” Faldo added. “I know that he made comments about watching Riviera [Genesis Invitational] and thought he wished he was there.
“I thought The Players was good and I bet he wished he was in there. He has been playing resort courses in shorts for the past couple of months and hasn’t really been tested yet.
“He’s a hell of a player, but he’s going to have to make a little bit of effort to step it up and get the right intensity. Whether coming into defend you can do it, or whether he’s just not quite sharp enough because he hasn’t tested himself quite as much, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Faldo didn’t go as far as predicting a winner but believes it may be someone who is flying under the radar.
He said: “I was looking at stats and I’ve got a feeling it could be a ‘second-tier’ guy. You’ve got a dozen or so obvious names and then I think it could be a person from outside of that – someone playing well enough. But it’s a whole new world trying to win your first Green Jacket.”
