Former VCU Golfer To Compete In The Masters

VIRGINIA — The Masters Tournament week has arrived, with many of the best golfers around the world returning to the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia for the premier yearly golf championship. Included in the field of 88 golfers is a Virginia native.

Lanto Griffin grew up in Blacksburg and played golf at Virginia Commonwealth University where he was the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year. He turned professional in 2010.

Griffin, 32, is playing in his second Masters. He qualified for the 2020 Masters — where he missed the cut — after earning his first PGA Tour victory by winning the 2019 Houston Open.

Dustin Johnson is the defending champion, winning the 2020 Masters tournament that was postponed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic. He could be the first golfer to win The Masters two years in a row since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002, as Johnson was listed Monday as a +950 favorite by Oddschecker, a site that tracks betting odds from various oddsmakers.

Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion, and Bryson DeChambeau, both at +1000, have the next-best odds to win the four-day tournament, according to Oddschecker.

Woods, a five-time Masters champion, is not in this year’s field. He suffered a serious injury in a rollover car crash in February. Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Fred Couples, Zach Johnson, Larry Mize and Patrick Reed are the past champions in the field this year.

The Masters leaderboard will be updated as play begins Thursday.