Rory McIlroy is bidding to join an elusive club of golfers that have won all four Major Championships in their careers when he tees off in the US Masters at Augusta in November.
McIlroy recently made his return to the PGA Tour in the Charles Schwab Challenge, the first of many appearances planned by the golfer over the next few months.
The world number one was right at the top end of the outright betting for the tournament in Texas when he shot a round of 63 on day two. Unfortunately for the four-time Major winner, he followed that up with round of 69 and 74 respectively, which left him in a tie for 32nd place after the 72 holes.
The Northern Irishman is the 6/1 favourite for the Masters for those who want to start betting online. Those online golf odds could shorten if he is successful in a tournament before the Major at the back end of this year.
It has been a good 12 months for McIlroy which has helped him secure that spot at the top of the world rankings. He has had wins in the Canadian Open, Tour Championship and WGC-HSBC Champions.
At the age of 31, McIlroy is arguably at the peak of his career so he will look to win as many tournaments as he can in 2020. He is also likely to be part of the European squad which features in the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits where the visitors are the underdogs at 6/4 in the betting.
Competition to McIlroy at Augusta and Top Spot in World Rankings
Spaniard Jon Rahm is directly below McIlroy in the world rankings and could be his biggest challenger at Augusta in November.
Rahm has yet to win a Major Championship but many in the sport feel he will not need to wait much longer to secure one of the four big tournaments in golf.
The world number two has performed consistently well in the US Masters over the last couple years. In 2018 he finished fourth in the field, while in 2019, he ended the weekend in the top 10 in the tournament which was won by Tiger Woods.
Rahm is the 11/1 second-favourite to be suited up in the Green Jacket at the end of the 2020 renewal of the famous golf event. His last success came in the 2019 DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and he will be hungry for more trophies in 2020.
A victory in the US Masters could be the first of many Major wins for Rahm as he bids to become the number one golfer in the world. The Spaniard spent a record 60 weeks at the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings before he turned professional, so it would be an impressive double for the 25-year-old.
Rahm is also set to qualify for the Ryder Cup this year where he will be teammates with McIlroy as they look to defeat the 8/15 favourites USA and win on American soil for the first time since 2012.
The 2020 US Masters is scheduled to take place between 12-15 November in what will be the 84th edition of the tournament in Georgia.
