Our PGA DFS Player Models are FREE (with a registered account) for the Masters, so we may as well dive into some Round 4 Showdown analysis with the huge contests DraftKings is offering.
The 89th Masters Tournament has already been a great one through three rounds, and Sunday sets up to be an epic showdown. At the top of the leaderboard, it shapes up to be a showdown between Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, but there are plenty of big names among the 53 players who will take on Augusta National Golf Club for one final time in 2025.
Rory McIlroy $11,600
Rory starts the final round with a two-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau. He opened the week with an even-par 72 after two double-bogeys in his closing four holes. The veteran didn’t unravel, though, posting back-to-back rounds of 66 to catapult into the lead at -12 for the week.
Rory starts with the pole position, and he has looked in outstanding form both before this week and in the first three rounds. McIlroy knows how to close and has won 28 times on the PGA TOUR, including twice already this year. He won at Pebble Beach in a Signature Event and followed that up with his second career win at THE PLAYERS Championship.
So far this week, he ranks first in Total Strokes Gained and second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, first in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and first in Strokes Gained: Ballstriking. His putter has been a little streaky, but he’s the strong favorite to finish the week by claiming the Masters title and completing the first career grand slam completed since Tiger in 2000.
It could be a historic week, and you can get a piece of that by building around Rory as your superstar to build around in Showdown contests. Remember, Round 4 Showdowns do reward positional finishing bonuses, so Rory has a great spot to produce huge points. You’ll need to find leverage in other spots since he’ll be chalky, but his ceiling is too high to pass up.
Ludvig Aberg $9,800
Last year’s runner-up at the Masters had questionable form coming into Augusta, so he was a great leverage play for week-long contests. He has looked much better this week and is right back in the mix. He knocked down three straight birdies on No. 14, 15, and 16 to move to fourth place and will start six strokes off Rory’s pace.
He’s tied with Patrick Reed ($7,800), who is a much more affordable option, but Aberg’s long-term form with his approach play and his steely nerves make him one of the players who could battle his way to the top. If anyone from the chase pack is able to catch up with Rory and Bryson, Aberg would be my top pick.
Davis Thompson $6,800
Thompson starred at the University of Georgia for college golf and has looked right at home in his Masters debut. He earned his ticket with a win at the John Deere Classic last summer, which was one of his 13 top-25 finishes that included five top-10 finishes in 27 events in 2024.
He missed a couple of cuts in Florida, but he has also had some strong finishes with a T13 at Torrey Pines at the Genesis Invitational and a T10 at THE PLAYERS Championship. He had two rounds of 65 and 64 in the middle of the Houston Open two weeks ago and came to Augusta with some momentum. Coming into the week, he ranked in the top 15 in the field over his last 20 rounds in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, Strokes Gained: Ball Striking, and Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee.
His tee-to-green game is elite, and his putter has been on point so far this week. He has been very consistent, posting 71-73-70 to start the final round at T17. He has 16 birdies on the week and could be much higher on the leaderboard if not for a tough finishing stretch to Round 2, where he bogeyed three straight holes.
Nico Echavarria $6,300
Echavarria starts the final round T10, and he is well on his way to his best finish in a major championship. The 30-year-old from Colombia claimed his second PGA TOUR victory at the ZOZO Championship last fall against a strong field and lost in a playoff at the Sony Open.
This week, he has progressively gotten better in each round, starting with a 73 and improving with a 70 in Round 2 to comfortably make the cut. In Round 3, he made just one bogey while dropping four birdies, including a clutch three on the par 4 17th. He finished -3 on the round to move to T10. He’s been very successful in his Masters debut and is a great way to get a name high on the leaderboard that casual fans may not be as familiar with.
Pictured: Rory McIlroy
Photo Credit: Getty Images
