The 2023 Masters promises a field full of elite golfers at the top of their games. Scottie Scheffler took over the world's No. 1 ranking with his Players Championship victory, while Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy have been battling him for that distinction all year. When the Masters 2023 begins Thursday, April 6 at Augusta National Golf Club, Scheffler will tee off as the defending champion after he went 10-under last year to finish three strokes ahead of runner-up Rory McIlroy.

Scheffler is the 13-2 favorite in the latest 2023 Masters odds from Caesars Sportsbook. McIlroy (15-2) and Ram (8-1) are right behind, and Open Championship winner Cameron Smith, who tied for third last year, is 14-1 in the Masters odds 2023.

Before you consider any 2023 Masters picks, make sure you check out the Masters 2023 predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. 

McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. He takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is having a profitable 2022-23 season. McDonald is up almost 17 units this season, meaning a haul of nearly $1,700 for $100 bettors. He is having a profitable season in both outright picks and head-to-head matchups.

McDonald nailed the Farmers Insurance Open, backing Homa (25-1) as his top choice. He hit another 25-1 shot at the Houston Open, taking Tony Finau to win, and finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on his outrights, including a monster 250-1 payout on Hudson Swafford at the American Express. Anyone who follows McDonald's advice has been cashing in.

Now, McDonald has scoured the 2023 Masters field for the best value and locked in his best bets and favorites to avoid. We can tell you that McDonald is fading Viktor Hovland, even though he was third at the Players Championship! McDonald knows Hovland's highest finish in three Masters is 21st, and his career-long issues around the green are amplified at Augusta.

Instead, McDonald is jumping on a few underdogs, including one golfer who's had plenty of success at Augusta, but is still listed at nearly 100-1 to win it all! If he can pull off a STUNNING victory, anyone who backs him would cash in HUGE! You ABSOLUTELY need to see who it is before locking in any 2023 Masters picks of your own!

So which 2023 Masters players should you target or avoid? And which golfer in the Masters 2023 field could bring a MONSTER payday of nearly 100-1? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Patrick McDonald's top picks for the 2023 Masters, all from the expert up almost $1,700 for the 2022-23 season, and find out!