Amanda Balionis ignores Rory McIlroy before Masters as thoughts clear | Golf | Sport

Balionis, 39, returns to Augusta National this year with the tournament’s American broadcaster, a year on from watching McIlroy make history. Yet she is not backing his chances of becoming only the fourth player after Jack Nicklaus (1965 and 1966), Nick Faldo (1989 and 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001 and 2022) to win back-to-back titles.

Scheffler is equally absent from her picks, despite the world number one having triumphed in two of the last four Masters tournaments. Speaking on the Fairway Rollin’ Podcast, Balionis said: “I have 12 or 13 names, and that doesn’t include Scottie or Rory.”

She added: “I don’t think you can just count Bryson (DeChambeau) out. I just think Bryson has such a chip on his shoulder. I think about this moment a lot from last year, when he came into the interview room after he thought he’d pretty much given it away, and he had that disaster on 11.” DeChambeau double-bogeyed the 11th hole to hand McIlroy a four-shot advantage, having led after birdieing the second before consecutive bogeys on the third and fourth.

Balionis recalled: “He comes in and ends up finishing T5, which is still the best finish in his Masters career, and he’s watching this playoff start to happen; he is so hot under the collar, he looks at me off-camera, and he says, ‘I just handed this to Rory, and I can’t believe he might give it away.'”

Balionis reckons DeChambeau could harness those feelings to his benefit and triumph this year. She said: “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.”

DeChambeau, though, is not the name topping her list of favourites. Balionis said, “I think Justin Rose has to be at the top of my list. He’s making his 21st start this year, that’s absolutely incredible, and he has three runner-up finishes here to his name.”

She also highlighted Scott, saying: “I’m looking at his stats, and he’s top five in iron play this season, fourth in proximity to the hole.

“This is looking good for Adam Scott until you look at his putting. He’s at the bottom of the list in three-putt avoidance.”