Three Debutants Who Could Cause a Surprise in the US Masters

Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 was the last debutant to win the US Masters on their debut which proves landing the Green Jacket it is no easy feat for golfers who have no experience of playing Augusta National Golf Club.

Here are three players though who could have a big run on their debuts in the 2018 tournament which takes place from April 5-8 in what is the opening Major Championship of the calendar year.

Li Haotong

Chinese golfer Li Haotong in only 22 years old but he is already being tipped to have a huge career in the sport. The three-time winner on the PGA China Tour won the biggest prize of his career in 2016 as he landed the Volvo China Open which is an event on the European Tour.

Xinhua Sports via Twitter

In 2017 Haotong appeared in three Major Championships. He made a name for himself in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale where a stunning final round of 63 helped him to finish the weekend in third place.

It will be interesting to see how the young golfer handles Augusta but one thing is for sure, he will attack every hole like he does at any course he plays at. If he can find the fairways off the tee, he could make the cut and have a shot at the top 10 at the weekend in Georgia.

Xander Schauffele

Xander Schauffele is a player who is growing in confidence on the PGA Tour and that was evident in the Tour Championship last September as he prevailed in the FedEx Cup finale by one shot ahead of Justin Thomas.

The 24-year-old also had a fantastic campaign in the 2017 US Open as he ended the weekend in a tie for fifth at Erin Hills. An opening round of 66 in Wisconsin put him at the top end of the leaderboard after just 18 holes and he remained in contention on the final day as Brooks Koepka landed the top prize.

Schauffele is 50/1 in the latest golf odds for the Masters where it would be no surprise to see him put up a great showing on his first visit to one of the best courses in the USA.

Tony Finau

Tony Finau has qualified to play in the opening three Major Champions in 2018, with the first being the Masters at Augusta. The 28 year old broke his maiden on the PGA Tour in 2016 as he won the Puerto Rico Open in a play0off against Steve Marino.

Credit: M Suhail via Twitter

Finau made his debut in a Major at the 2015 US Open and he wasn’t fazed by the occasion as he finished in a tie for 14^th. Later that year, he had his first top ten finish in one of golf’s four biggest tournaments at the US PGA Championship.

The man from Salt Lake City, Utah could be on the verge of breaking into the top 50 in the world rankings in 2018 and a strong showing in the Masters would help him do that.

The final field for the 2018 US Masters will be finalised after the Houston Open on April 1.