Only three players have won the Masters more times than Phil Mickelson, as "Lefty" has slipped on the green jacket three times in his career. With five-time winner Tiger Woods not competing in the 2021 Masters, Mickelson is the most decorated member of the 88-man 2021 Masters field. However, he has just one top-25 finish during the current PGA Tour season and has nearly as many missed cuts (five) as weekends played (six). He still carries plenty of name value and will likely elicit a few 2021 Masters bets when the tournament tees off Thursday.

Mickelson's 2021 Masters odds  of 100-1 at William Hill Sportsbook indicate his chances of competing for his fourth green jacket are small. Other former Masters winners are expected to contend, as defending champion Dustin Johnson leads the field with 9-1 Masters odds 2021, while 2015 champ Jordan Spieth is right behind him at 10-1. Before you lock in any 2021 Masters picks or PGA Tour predictions, you have to see who Sal Johnson is backing.

A media legend and consummate golf insider, Johnson has a strong feel for what it takes to win at Augusta National. He was all over Dustin Johnson before the 2020 Masters, and even he had Woods as a shocking pick the previous year.

Before November's event, he tabbed Johnson as the top choice in his best bets. "When he gets on a roll like this, he is nearly impossible to beat," the golf guru told SportsLine. "He is a man with a purpose, and that is to win another major." Johnson simply ran away with the event, leading wire-to-wire and winning by five shots for his second major championship.

Even more stunning, Sal Johnson was on top of Woods before his emotional comeback victory in 2019. He featured Woods in his best bets despite the 15-time major winner coming off back surgery. Johnson noted Woods' tee-to-green game looked almost as sharp as it did in his prime. "And this will be the reason for him winning." The result? Woods shot 13-under to earn his fifth green jacket.

The golf expert knows these players and how they fit the courses. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month, he singled out DeChambeau as his top choice to win before he took his second victory of the year.

He also knows when surging players are poised for a breakthrough. He tabbed Sungjae Im as a top contender before his first Tour win at the Honda Classic last season and touted Tyrell Hatton to get his first tour victory the following week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Anyone who has followed Johnson's advice has cashed in huge.

Johnson, the first producer of "Inside the PGA Tour" and a longtime ABC Sports technician who worked with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman who was also the founder of the world's top golf stats database, has released his highly confident 2021 Masters picks, and they will surprise you. You can only see them here.

Top 2021 Masters expert picks

Johnson is fading DeChambeau, even though the 27-year-old leads the tour in driving distance (320.8 yards) and scoring average (69.432) while being one of the top Las Vegas favorites. He also is the reigning U.S. Open champion, but DeChambeau's best finish at Augusta is a tie for 21st (as an amateur). He is more than just power, as he ranks 28th in overall putting average (1.583) and putts per round (28.5), but his accuracy is a major issue on a course like this. He ranks 81st in greens in regulation (67.4 percent) and will need an otherworldly putting week to contend.

On the other hand, the golf expert knows he had good reason to back Dustin Johnson strongly here last year. The 36-year-old has shot four over par over in his last two events (T-48, T-54), but there doesn't seem to be reason to worry. He remains near the top in most meaningful statistics and is third on tour in scoring average (69.650). He has been hitting it a long way off the tee (313.3 yards, seventh), finding greens (70.24 percent, 22nd), and making birdies (4.25 per round, 34th).

Johnson also expects Rory McIlroy to capitalize on his partnership with new swing coach Pete Cowen and have a strong Masters 2021 showing. It's not often that a golfer gets a new coach two weeks before the biggest tournament of the year, but McIlroy insists that the pair are on the same wavelength and don't have any dramatic changes in mind. McIlroy needs a green jacket to complete his Career Grand Slam, but he's had six top-10 finishes over his last seven trips to Augusta National and shot a blistering 14-under from Friday to Sunday at the 2020 Masters. You can only see who to pick here.

How to make 2021 Masters predictions

For the Masters 2021, Johnson is touting an epic long shot north of 40-1. This golfer has always been a shot-maker, and players like that are rewarded at the Masters. He could be a huge surprise this week, and anyone who backs this underdog could cash in big. He's only sharing all of his 2021 Masters bets here.

Who wins the Masters 2021? Where do Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed finish? And which huge long shot is a must-back? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Sal Johnson's full leaderboard, picks and analysis for the 2021 Masters, all from the insider who has nailed the last two Masters winners.

2021 Masters odds

Dustin Johnson 9-1
Jordan Spieth 10-1
Justin Thomas 10-1
Bryson DeChambeau 11-1
Jon Rahm 12-1
Rory McIlroy 14-1
Xander Schauffele 22-1
Patrick Cantlay 22-1
Brooks Koepka 25-1
Patrick Reed 28-1
Collin Morikawa 30-1
Lee Westwood 30-1
Tony Finau 33-1
Daniel Berger 33-1
Viktor Hovland 33-1
Webb Simpson 35-1
Hideki Matsuyama 35-1
Cameron Smith 35-1
Sung-Jae Im 35-1
Scottie Scheffler 35-1
Tyrrell Hatton 35-1
Paul Casey 40-1
Tommy Fleetwood 45-1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 45-1
Jason Day 45-1
Sergio Garcia 45-1
Joaquin Niemann 50-1
Bubba Watson 50-1
Adam Scott 66-1
Will Zalatoris 66-1
Louis Oosthuizen 66-1
Justin Rose 70-1
Abraham Ancer 70-1
Harris English 80-1
Corey Conners 80-1
Billy Horschel 80-1
Max Homa 80-1
Jason Kokrak 80-1
Matt Kuchar 80-1
Matt Wallace 80-1
Francesco Molinari 90-1
Matthew Wolff 90-1
Victor Perez 90-1
Shane Lowry 90-1
Brian Harman 90-1
Marc Leishman 100-1
Phil Mickelson 100-1
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 100-1
Si-Woo Kim 100-1
Ryan Palmer 100-1
Matt Jones 125-1
Cameron Champ 125-1
Dylan Frittelli 125-1
Ian Poulter 125-1
Kevin Kisner 125-1
Danny Willett 125-1
Carlos Ortiz 125-1
Robert Macintyre 125-1
Gary Woodland 125-1
Zach Johnson 150-1
Sebastian Munoz 150-1
Kevin Na 150-1
Bernd Wiesberger 200-1
Brendon Todd 200-1
Lanto Griffin 200-1
Mackenzie Hughes 200-1
Charl Schwartzel 250-1
C.T. Pan 250-1
Martin Laird 250-1
Michael Thompson 250-1
Henrik Stenson 250-1
Brian Gay 300-1
Hudson Swafford 400-1
Jimmy Walker 400-1
Stewart Cink 400-1
Bernhard Langer 500-1
Robert Streb 500-1
Jim Herman 500-1
Ty Strafaci 750-1
Fred Couples 750-1
Joe Long 1000-1
Charles Osborne 1000-1
Mike Weir 1000-1
Vijay Singh 1000-1
Jose Maria Olazabal 1500-1
Sandy Lyle 2500-1
Larry Mize 2500-1
Ian Woosnam 4000-1