Last year, Augusta gave us a Sunday for the ages. Rory McIlroy finally vanquished his demons and replaced the weight he carried with a green jacket.
The Masters always delivers. What storylines will emerge this year?
Every player below has the tools to win a Masters – some already have. The question is simple: will they do it this year? Let’s start with the titans, move through a few favorite categories, and close with my top 10.
Clash of the Titans
Jon Rahm – The 2023 Masters champ has three runner-up finishes and a win on LIV this year. His victory came in Hong Kong, quite a different style of course from Augusta. With a top-5 in every event he’s played this year, Rahm arrives in peak form – and that makes him dangerous.
Rory McIlroy – The defending champ has been dealing with a persistent back injury since he withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational a month ago. He’s had time to rest but may be slightly rusty. Expect Rory to build into the week and by the weekend, the game that won last year’s Masters will emerge.
Bryson DeChambeau – Wins in Singapore and South Africa have him surging into Augusta. Last year’s T5 was his best Masters finish, despite a quiet Sunday. If the short game cooperates, this could be the year he cracks the code.
Scottie Scheffler – A “slow” year by his standards still includes a win at The American Express. With a newborn at home, priorities may have shifted, but Scheffler has always balanced golf and life as well as anyone. If he manages to get some sleep and finds a rhythm, he’ll be in the mix.
Beginner’s Luck
Only three players have ever won in their Masters debut: Horton Smith (1934), Gene Sarazen (1935), and Fuzzy Zoeller (1979). History isn’t kind to first-timers but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Chris Gotterup – The New Jersey native has been on a tear with wins at the Scottish Open (outdueling Rory), Sony Open, and Waste Management. He’s 5th in FedEx Cup points and ranked 11th in the world. More importantly, he’s already shown he can close against elite fields.
Jacob Bridgeman – Like Gotterup, Bridgeman is making his Masters debut and could be the guy. The Clemson alum held off Rory to win at Riviera this year, finished T5 at The Players, has four top-10s and leads the FedEx Cup. He thrives on big stages against marquee names. History says no but his game tells us otherwise.
Ryan Gerard – This is an off-the-grid pick. In December 2025, the 26-year-old was seven spots outside the top-50 in the OWGR and hadn’t secured his Masters bid. Gerard made the last minute decision to travel nearly 30 hours to Mauritius, which was hosting the DP World Tour’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
At the final hole, the former Tar Heel pulled off a long bunker shot to a tucked pin to force a playoff. He didn’t need to get the ball up-and-down to win a spot in The Masters, he just needed to avoid disaster. But Gerard didn’t fly halfway across the world to play a chunk shot into the middle of the green to secure second place. He clipped the shot cleanly, flew his ball past the pin and spun back to a few feet – the commentator called it "absolute magic.”
Gerard lost the playoff but the bunker shot was revealing. The guy plays to win.
Sensational Southpaws
Robert MacIntyre – Mike Weir, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson…Bobby Mac? Lefties who can fade it love Augusta.
Bobby Mac’s year includes two 4ths and a 2nd last week at Valero. He’s no stranger to major pressure having contended at The Open and U.S. Open last year. One of his two missed cuts in 2025 came at last year’s Masters, but he’s a far more complete player now and looks ready.
Akshay Bhatia – Similar to Bobby Mac, Akshay’s results at Augusta are underwhelming, but his journey is just starting. Bhatia picked up the biggest win of his career at Bay Hill this year reaching three wins at 24-years-old. He has all the firepower he needs to navigate Augusta National. Whether his putter can stay hot for four days in Georgia is the question.
European Invasion
Matthew Fitzpatrick – Fitzpatrick is a silent assassin, and he’s been all business this year. Runner-up at The Players and a win the following week at Valspar has him arriving at Augusta in strong form. With only a single T10 at The Masters since 2016 however, Augusta doesn’t seem to suit his eye. He’s developed significantly as a player in the past year, which makes him a contender anytime he tees it up.
Ludvig Aberg – The 26-year-old Swede looks like a Masters champion. He finished runner-up to Scheffler in his Masters debut in ‘24 and was at top of the leaderboard late on Sunday last year before a collapse on 18 dropped him to 7th. He’s given himself chances late on Sunday – the question is when will he learn how to close?
Justin Rose – Rose played one of the most impressive final rounds in Masters history last year while trying to chase down his friend and Ryder Cup teammate. Ten birdies! To birdie more than half the holes on Sunday at Augusta National is to discover the tunnel of perfect and impenetrable focus called “the zone.” Still, it would take a series of mistakes from McIlroy for Rose to get back in the tournament. Rose finished runner-up for the third time in his Masters career. He started the year with a win at the Farmers Insurance. Will Rosey find his place this year among the azaleas?
Adopted Florida Man
Corey Conners – My colleague, Ryan French, threatened to end our relationship if I didn’t include the Canadian-turned-Floridian. French is still working the refs on a Ryder Cup pick, but this week, Conners will try to add some green to his wardrobe. While his best finish this season is a T-13 at The Players (see Florida Man), The Masters tweeted, “Over the last 20 years, the Masters champion was, on average, competing in their ninth Tournament.” Among those making their ninth competitive trip to Augusta: Si Woo Kim, Xander Schauffele and, you guessed it, Corey Conners. Need I say more?
Team America
Xander Schauffele – The 32-year-old hasn’t been playing flashy golf this year, but he’s trending. After starting the year with a missed cut at the Farmers Insurance (his hometown event), the two-time major champion has been improving steadily. In his past four starts, he has three top 10s, with a 3rd at The Players and a T4 at Valero. Xander has finished in the top-10 at The Masters each of the past three years, and five out of the past seven years. He should probably be in the titan category.
Cameron Young – Young enters The Masters having finished T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and becoming The Players champion this year. The 28-year-old now has two wins and a Ryder Cup under his belt. While he missed the cut at The Masters last year and his best finish at Augusta is a T-7 in 2023, Young is one of the hottest players on the planet right now. He has the temperament for major contention.
Patrick Reed – The 35-year-old loves Augusta. Reed has made 10 cuts in his 12 Augusta appearances and won the green jacket in 2018. The decision to take off his 4 Aces hat for good sparked exceptional play: he won two out of his first three starts on the DP World Tour, with a 2nd place in between. Reed jumped 21 spots in the OWGR to 23rd. He finished two back of McIlroy and Rose at last year’s Masters. This is his moment to reclaim Captain America status.
My Top 10
10: Rose
9: MacIntyre
8: Scheffler
7: Rahm
6: Schauffele
5: Åberg
4: Young
3: Rory
2: DeChambeau
1: Reed
