Augusta, Ga. — 15-time major champion Tiger Woods won’t tee it at the 89th Masters as he’s recovering from his ruptured left Achilles tendon, but there’s still plenty of storylines as the world’s best golfer will descend to Augusta National Golf Club this week.
World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler attempts to join Jack Nicklaus (1963, ’65, ’66) as the only golfer to win three green jackets in four years. He can become the fourth player in Masters history to win consecutive years. Nicklaus, Nick Faldo (1989-90), and Woods (2001-02) were others.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy may take better shape than Schaeffler heading for the first major championship of the season. McIlroy tries to become the sixth golfer of his Masters era by capturing the Green Jacket, and attempts to complete his career grand slam. It was McIlroy’s 11th attempt, and he tries to end a major championship drought of over a decade.
In what promises to be a drama-filled week at Augusta National, these are not the only interesting storylines. For the first time in eight months, the best golfers from both the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf League will compete in the same field.
“(It’s) the one thing we all cherish most is a week,” said three-time master winner Phil Mickelson. “It’s the beginning of a major championship series. History is made there every year.”
This is from those who can watch 96 golfers on the field and can win, to those who are just trying to make a cut.
The expected duel between world No. 1 Scotty Scheffler and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy will be a high-drama, but other golfers like Morikawa, John Rahm and Zander Shaufele can take charge of Sunday rates. Here are the golfers who have the chance to slide their green jacket on Sunday:
Scotty Scheffler
After missing the first month of the season with a right hand injury, the world’s No. 1 golfer gets hot again. He finished second at the age of 19 with a one stroke behind Minwoolly, his final start at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. He got over 7 strokes on the field on putting, and was the first stroke he got: approach (4.512). Schaeffler is still searching for his first victory of the season, but it is difficult to choose anyone other than the golfer who has won two of the past three masters.
Rory McIlroy
It feels like McIlroy will capture an elusive green jacket to complete his career grand slam now or never feel. He scored two first wins before April (against a loaded field) and is playing the best golf of his career. With Schaeffler and Schaufere still returning from injuries, McIlroy could definitely be the beat-hit golfer at Augusta National. The four-time major champion was still dialing his driver in his final start at Houston, battling pain in his right elbow.
Collin Morikawa
As Normal Sports’ Kyle Porter pointed out in the X, 10 of the past 12 Masters champions had at least 1.7 strokes from the tee to the green three months before the first major of the season. Morikawa leads the tour with his statistics (1.999) and approach (1.190). The two-time major champion hasn’t won since October 2023, but it feels like his drought is about to end. He took the lead after eight holes in the final round of 2024, but posted two double bogeys on the next three holes. He finished third with a 4 under.
John Larm
The 2023 Masters Champion came in 45th in last year’s title defense, with many questioning whether he was playing enough to compete in the major championship in the LIV Golf League. He tied him to seventh place in the open to crush those concerns. The Spanish golfer won his first season at Liv Golf twice, and was the circuit’s individual season ring champion in 2024. Rahm has five top-10 finishes with eight starts at Augusta National.
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The former Texas tech star hasn’t been bothered by many of his first two seasons on tour. At Master last year, he placed second in his major championship debut with a 7-under four-stroke behind Schaeffler. Oberg was perfect for the mix as he hit one water at No. 11 since Fuzzy Zoller in 1979, becoming the first Masters winner to be pulled away with three back nine birdies. Oberg won his second PGA Tour victory at the Genesis Invitational on February 16th, and surprisingly missed the cut at the Player Championship and Valero Texas Open. He is almost ranked outside the top 100 for the strokes he has obtained from his approach and putting this season.
Bryson Deccanbeau
The Golf Gods seem to have finally forgiven Dedanbo in 2020 for his wise comment that Augusta National is on a par 67 course as he has been hitting the ball so far. Last year he was the leader of 18 holes after a 7-under 65 card in the first round, but finished with pars in each of the last three rounds. He finished sixth at 2 under with his best finish at Master.
Xander Schauffele
Schaufele won his first two major championships last year. He was powerful in the Masters with three top-10 finishes in his last four starts, including eighth solo at 1 under under in 2024. He was tied to 12th place in the final start of the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, where he won over 11 strokes on his approach.
Brooks Koepka
It’s a major, so the five-time major champion figures are in the Augusta National mix. He has won three top 10 in his past six starts, including runner-ups in 2019 and 2023. He told Liv Golf Ambassador Rick Shields he hopes there will be too many green jackets. “It’s easy to say that, right?” Koepka said. “But the moment you’re doing it, you have the opportunity, ‘I want to beat Augusta, I’ve always wanted to do this’ – it’s in front of you.
Tier II: People who can win
This is a legitimate candidate other than the top 8. They have the game, courage and nerves that handle four pressure pack rounds on one of the world’s most dangerous golf courses.
Justin Thomas
JT won his first PGA Tour victory in nearly three years at the Valspar Championship, finishing second at 10 under. He had three other top ten earlier this season and climbed out of the darkness. Thomas missed the cut in his last two starts at the Masters, but has all the shots in his bag to get into the competition.
Cameron Smith
The Liv Golf League captain has been relatively quiet over the past two seasons, except that he will be sixth in the 2024 Masters. He finished in the top 10 in five of his seven starts of his last seven.
Tommy Fleetwood
Thanks to the final round of 69, Fleetwood was tied to third place in 2024, opening his first top 10 with an eight-man master start. He finished in the top 25 in his first five starts on the tour this season.
Tyrrell Hutton
Hatton has enjoyed considerable stretches on his DP World Tour with six top 10 starting in late September, including a victory at the Hero Dubai Deater Classic. The fiery British appeared to drive away the demons of Augusta citizens by becoming ninth tied in 2024. Well, almost. After playing the par 5 15th hole in the fourth round in four, Hutton said, “That hole is running out of rent in my head. I hate it. I absolutely hate it.”
Jordan Spieth
Near the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Masters victory, there were indications that the three-time major champions were approaching breakthrough after recovering from offseason surgical surgery. He missed a cut in two of his last three starts at ANGC, but has eight top 25 seconds with 11 starts overall.
Joaquín Niemann
Nieman, a professional 18-time winner worldwide, hasn’t cracked the top 10 majors with 22 starts. He was tied to 16th and 22nd place in two previous starts, respectively. He has won the LIV Golf League twice this season.
Hideki Matsuyama
The 2021 Masters Champion won the 11th PGA Tour in the season opener at Sentry in early January. He struggled hard from the tee in 2025, hitting only 51.6% of the fairway, ranked 168th on the tour.
Russell Henry
The University of Georgia Golfer College grew up in Macon, Georgia, about 120 miles from Augusta. He won his fifth PGA Tour at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 9th, and in 2023 he enjoyed success at the Masters, tied his fourth in 2023.
Cep Straca
Straka collected his third victory on a tour with American Express in January and has one of the more underrated swings in the game. He gradually got better at Augusta National, ranking 30th in the last three years, tied for the 46th and 16th.
Viktor Hovland
The Norwegians were lost in the golf wilderness until they unexpectedly won the Valsper Championship. Was it an extraordinary or indication that more victory was coming?
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The 26-year-old from Australia won his first PGA Tour at the Houston Open, defeating Schaeffler and Gary Woodland by one stroke. Justin Bieber led Lee after his big victory. He had the top 25 with two of the three masters starting.
Patrick Reed
The 2018 Masters Champion’s only victory since leaving Liv Golf was at the Hong Kong Open on the Asia Tour in November. He appears to be on the Augusta National leaderboard all the time, finishing in the top 12, but has finished once in the past five starts in the city he attended college.
Justin Rose
Two Masters Runner Ups have played inconsistent golf this season, but he can warm up this week. He has won a top 25 finish at Augusta National in 11 of the last 14 years.
Daniel Burger
Burger is playing very good golf again after a long recovery from a back injury. He had five straight tops 25 on his tour heading into the Texas Open. He hasn’t finished in the Masters’ Top 25 since his debut in 2016, finishing 10th.
Keegan Bradley
Captain America, who leads the US Ryder Cup team at Beth Page Black in New York in late September, fell to the top 25 with the past two master starters.
Robert McInteal
The Scottish golfer has returned to the Masters for the first time since 2022 at 23rd place. He won the tour twice last year and ranks 17th in the world.
It will be Zalatoris
Golf fans are waiting for Zaratoris’ breakthrough for surgery to repair two herniated discs on their back after missing most of the 2023 season. He finished 9th in the Masters last year, earning his third straight top 10 in many starts. He was ranked 130th last week in the stroke heading towards (-.226).
Patrick Cantray
Cantrey posted a top 25 straight for the past two master starters and eight out of the past 10 majors.
Shane Laurie
The 37-year-old Irish golfer has appeared in the mix this season. He was runner-up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Proam and was Solo Seven Seven at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. His high water mark at Augusta National was a tie from three years ago.
Maverick McNerry
McNerry’s great play this season – he finished 8th in the Sentry and finished runner-up in the Genesis invitation, but helped him rise to 16th in the world. It will be his Masters debut.
Harris English
The Georgia native won his fifth PGA Tour victory at the Farmers Insurance Open on January 25th.
Nikolai Hodzigard
The 24-year-old from Denmark posted a 5-under 67 in his first Masters round last year, holding a brief share of leads on his move day. He was reverted by five straight bogeys in the second nine of the third round. He finished 16th in 2.
Tier III: If everything is right
This is a sleeper candidate for sliding a green jacket. This list features games that have been in progress this season, including past champions, Rising Stars. Will it all come together in Augusta?
Wyndham Clark
The 2023 US Open Championship game has been up and down for most of the past two seasons. He retreated from the player’s second round with a neck injury and finished fifth in the ’60s for Houston in the fourth round. He missed the weekend with his first Master Start in 2024.
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It was an east feast or hunger for IM in Augusta. He finished second in his 2020 debut, eighth in 2022 and 16th in 2023. He missed out on the cuts in 2021 and 2024.
Dustin Johnson
Does the 2020 Masters Champion leave something in the tank for another run in the second green jacket? His results in the Liv Golf League weren’t great until he was tied to fifth place in Singapore. The DJ’s best finish in the majors in 2024 was his tie, 31st in the open.
Lucas Glover
The 2009 US Open winner is off two of the best start of the season. He finished third in the player and eighth in the Valspar Championship. He hits the fairway, is above average iron player and a good mix of Masters.
Brian Herman
The winner of the 2023 Open Championship was looking for his form for most of the season until he packed things up in San Antonio to win the Valero Texas Open. He missed out on the cut with three straight master appearances (after he came in 12th in 2021).
JJ Spaun
The 34-year-old has played some of the best golf in his career, ranking 28th in the world. He finished runner-up at Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach and lost to McIlroy in the playoffs with players.
Akshay Bhatia
The 23-year-old has already won the Tour twice, finishing third with a 10-under player. He has won the top 20 on the tour of strokes: total (1.032) and ninth in putting (0.646).
Jason’s Day
Day’s final top 25 finish at the Masters was his fifth tie in 2019. National officials in Augusta are waiting with concern to see a new thread from Malbon, perhaps.
Adam Scott
Decades ago, Scott became the only golfer from Australia wearing a green jacket. His last top ten was the 9th tie in 2017.
Tony’s discussion
Since tied fifth at Genesis Invitational, Big Tone has been fighting, missing a 2-inch putt at the Houston Open. He has struggled with his iron play – he was ranked 125th in the strokes obtained: approach (-.188) towards the last week.
Sahith theegala
Tegala finished in 9th solo in her first Master Start in 2023. This season was a struggle.
Thomas Detley
The former Illinois star, from Belgium, has finished in the top 15 in each of his last three major starts. He finished 13th in the 2023 Open Championship and fourth and 14th in the PGA Championship and US Open last year. It was his first start at Augusta National.
Matt Fitzpatrick
The 2022 US Open winner stacked three straight tops 25 at Augusta National, including a 2023 10th tie. The past two seasons have been a challenge. He is currently ranked 70th in the official world golf rankings. He recently parted ways with Caddy Billy Foster.
Tom Kim
The TGL Superstar made the cuts on his first two starts at Augusta. He placed seventh in Pebble Beach, but his 2025 campaign has been a contradiction so far.
Corey Conners
The Canadian golfers stacked three straight top 10 at the Masters from 2020 to 2022. His iron plays were not as sharp as in recent seasons.
Chris Kirk
Kirk is still not at his best this season, but he’s been out of the top 25 straight at Augusta National. His putting needs to be improved to do it again.
Sam Burns
The five PGA Tour winners were not present at Augusta National on the weekend in two of his three starts. He also missed a back-to-back cut with the player and the Balsper Championship.
Michael Kim
Kim has started his first Masters since missing out on the cut in 2019. He made the field after Houston opened, finishing 50th in OWGR. He was ranked 155th in 2025.
Tia IV: Hey, miracles happen
They’re a long shot. This tier includes past champions, players with several players struggling with their form, and a few players trying to crack Augusta National puzzles.
Davis Thompson
After a decent stretch at the beginning of the season, the 25-year-old Georgia native is playing solid golf again – he’s finished 10th in the player. He starts his first master.
Cam Davis
The Australian golfer appeared in the mix after 36 holes last year, but recorded 73-75 over the weekend, finishing 12th in 1. He looked ready to take off this season, but missed a tour cut in each of his past four starts.
Aaron Rye
Although Rai is beginning his first master start, he has been successful in the majors, finishing 19th in the 2021 Open Championship and marking the 2024 US Open. He is one of the best iron players out there.
Tom HGE
Hoge is another iron player, leaving the top five finish in the player. His best master finish was his tie in 2022, 39th place.
Billy Hoshel
Will the former Florida star receive a hero’s welcome in Georgia after winning his first TGL Sophie Cup at Atlanta Drive GC? He made five straight cuts at Augusta National.
Denny McCarthy
If McCarthy’s putter gets warm, he can make a fuss and get on the leaderboard. He finished 45th in his Masters debut last year.
Taylor Pendris
The Canadian golfer is starting his first master. He has accumulated three top 10 on the tour this season.
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Poston made the cuts with consecutive starts at Augusta after two years of break. The three-time Tour winners weren’t epic golf this season.
Phil Mickelson
“Left-handed” is the only golfer on the field to win the Masters three times. At 52, he finished second with Koepka at 8, just two years ago, setting a record for the lowest round (7 under 65) and the best finish by players over 50. Mickelson tied for the 43rd last year.
Nick Taylor
Taylor won the Sony Open on January 12th with his fifth PGA Tour victory in Hawaii, but has struggled recently in the majors and has missed cuts in each of his last nine starts at the Big Four.
Cameron Young
Young had a back-to-back top 10 at the Masters, but his game has been confused lately. He missed a cut last week in four of his last five starts.
Sergio Garcia
The captain of the Liv Golf League has begun his 100th career start in the majors. His final top ten was his 2017 Masters victory. He missed the cut in five of his last six starts at Augusta National.
Danny Willett
Willett, an unlikely Masters champion in 2016, tied him down for the 12th time three years ago. Lightning can be stroked twice.
Laurie Canter
Kanter was the first former LIV golfer to qualify as a player and missed the cut. He makes his Masters debut after making the field ranked in the top 50 of OWGR.
Byeong hun an
The Korean golfer was ranked 16th in the Masters last year.
Nick Dunlap
The 21-year-old missed cuts in all three majors he played last season and did not play on his past three tours over the weekend. He’s more than his ability to like things this week.
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Nikolai’s twin brothers, who have won the DP World Tour five times, are making their Masters debut.
Christiaan bezuidenhout
South African native Bezuidenhout is one of the best putters on the tour, but his iron game is below average this season. He’s away from consecutive missed cuts.
Stephen Jager
The German golfer missed the cut in his Masters debut in 2024.
Matieu Pabon
Pavon placed 12th in his Masters debut, but has been struggling so far this season. His best finish was his tie, 42nd in the Cognizant Classic in nine starts on the tour.
Adam Schenk
Schenk unexpectedly placed 12th in last year’s Master, but he missed the cut in four of his last five starts heading into the Valero Texas Open last week.
Tier V: I’m happy with the cut
Unless something special happens, they are not expected to become one of the candidates. For a variety of reasons, making an appearance at Augusta National Golf Club over the weekend would be considered a victory.
Max Homa
Joe Highsmith
Brian Campbell
Raphael Campos
Nico Echavalia
Austin Eckroat
Max Griezerman
Patton Kizaia
Sliston Lawrence
Matt McCarty
Davis Riley
Jonattan Vegas
Kevin Yu
There are many patrons leading Homa, a likable golfer who has struggled quite a bit on the course since finishing third at Augusta National last year. HOMA, ranked 5th in the world two years ago, reached 78th. He had missed four straight cuts heading to Valero Texas Open last week.
A few golfers on this list have won over the past six months – Highsmith (Cognizant Classic), Campbell (Mexican Open), Campos (Butterfield Bermuda Championship), Ecavalia (Zozo Championship), McCarty (Black Desert Championship), and YU (Sanderson Championship) – have won their first start. year.
Riley is also playing the master for the first time. He missed out on one departure and four straight miss cuts to start the 2025 season, but recently he turned things around.
We are Silence: Past Champions
They are competing as they won the Green Jacket this week and earned the right to return to play, but the days behind them are competing for another major championship.
Angel Cabrera
Fred Couple
Zach Johnson
Bernhard Langer
Jose Maria Orazabal
Charle Schwartzel
Vijay Singh
Baba Watson
Mike Weir
It is expected to mark the final start for Langer, the 1985 and 1993 Masters champions. He was the first German golfer to compete in the Masters in 1982, and became the third international competitor to capture the Green Jacket 40 years ago (Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros were the others).
Two years ago, the 1992 Masters champion couple broke the tournament record for being the oldest golfer (187 days) to cut 36 holes. The mark was previously set by Langer in 2020 (63, 78). Last year, 2000 Masters champion Shin made a cut at the age of 61, finishing in 58th place for those over 14.
Cabrera will be returning to Augusta National for the first time since missing out on a cut in 2019. The 2009 Masters Champion was in prison for 30 months for domestic abuse of two partners.
Tier VII: Amateur
They are the new kids of the crow’s nest and the most talented (and lucky) amateur players in the world. They are trying to turn professionals by cutting as amateurs by Ryan Moore (13th in 2005), Matsuyama (27th in 2011), and Deccanbo (21st in 2016).
Josel Ballester
Evan Beck
Justin Hastings
Noah Kent
Hiroshi Tai
In August, Barrester became the first Spanish golfer to win a US amateur at Hazeltin National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. A three-time Arizona national, Barrester is the world’s No. 5 amateur golfer. Sergio Garcia’s father, Victor, is his swing coach.
Kent, who finished in the US amateur runner-up, was transferred from Iowa to Florida in December.
Former Wake Forest golfer and investment group analyst, Beck won the 2024 US Junior High School at Kinrock Golf Club in Manakin Sabot, Virginia, and won the Masters invitation.
Hastings, a native of the Cayman Islands, won the Latin American Amateur Championship in Buenos Aires in January.
Thailand was last year’s NCAA Division I individual champion, winning 3-under 285 on the North Course at Omnira Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, and attacking Florida’s Luke Clanton and Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent once. Georgia Tech juniors will become the first golfer to represent Singapore and compete in the Masters.