(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

This space is often occupied by non-Bears topics, but those topics are rarely – if ever – other sports. The reason is simple: I don’t watch most other sports. I don’t watch baseball, basketball or hockey. I don’t even watch college football. I watch the NFL. I watch soccer. And I watch golf, my favorite sport, in every single form.

Since there is a serious lull in actual news around the Chicago Bears, today I’m dedicating this space to the greatest golf tournament in the world: The Masters Tournament.

Who Will Win?

Brooks Koepka (+2000)

In January, I had Cam Smith projected to win this tournament. But after winning The Players, is he really going to pull off the kind of double reserved for the legends of the sport?

Scottie Scheffler is the hottest player in the world. But in two appearances at Augusta National he has not contended. Scheffler is going to win here. But not this week.

Jon Rahm’s got a balky putter. Justin Thomas has a poor track record at the majors. Dustin Johnson is capable of hitting his driver fifty yards off-line currently. Rory McIlroy is, well, Rory McIlroy. (And with a green jacket on the line, he’s REALLY Rory McIlroy.)

So, with all that indecision, give me the game’s best player when it comes to major weeks. (And he’s in sneaky good form.)

Who Will Top 5?

Shane Lowry (+800)

When trying to project golf finishes, two factors matter: form and course history. Lowry’s last three results in stroke play events are a second at Honda, 13th at The Players and 12th at Valspar. He has been in the top 25 the last two years at Augusta. And with wind expected all week, it’s hard to find a player who handles the conditions better.

At that number, this seems a solid bet.

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Who knows what is to come from the NFL season? But there is a schedule now and here are my thoughts.

Bears.

• Media members used to criticize the schedule release as an event with the tired mantra, “We already knew the opponents!” But the schedule release, for many fans, sets their travel agenda for the fall. And with road games in Atlanta, Charlotte, LA, Nashville and Jacksonville, you better believe Bears fans will be traversing the country if fans are allowed in these buildings this season.
• The Masters is scheduled for 11/12 – 11/15. And for some reason, I was gifted the Bears playing on Monday Night Football that week. I haven’t missed a Bears game since 2005. And I wouldn’t have missed the game that Sunday. But man, it would have been difficult to keep my eyes on a football game as the leaders made their way to the 12th tee box. (I’ll manage with the US Open at Winged Foot in September.)
• Things I love about this schedule:
  • At Lions, home Giants to start. It’s hard to predict how good teams will be but neither of these teams is gonna be any good defensively. It’s a great opportunity for the offense to get off to a decent start.
  • Week 11 bye. Teams aren’t going to need the bye early this year because there’s not going to be an intense preseason period. Having the bye in late-November should allow the Bears to rev up for the stretch run.
  • At Jaguars, home Packers to finish. Jacksonville should be one of the worst teams in the league and the Bears seemingly finish on the road every single year; usually at Minnesota. Nice to finish at Soldier.
  • The Texans coming to Chicago on 12/13. Warm weather, inside team coming to Chicago in mid-December should play in the Bears’ favor.

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