4/7/26
The best annual sporting event in the world is here. The 90th Masters has a different feel to it in various ways. No Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson for the first time since 1994. Rory McIlroy is the defending Masters champion after a cinematic victory last April. There is concievably 30 players that could win the first major of the year in what is the most wide-open Masters in recent memory, perhaps ever. The Masters is also on a run of champions as good as any, starting with Sergio Garcia’s thrilling breakthrough in 2017. The tournament might be due for a “long shot” winner after the last nine have been world-class players.
When Rory McIlroy became the sixth player ever to complete the career grand slam last year, the entire sports world was dialed in to one of the most enthralling final rounds in Masters history. Coming into last year, McIlroy had won at Pebble Beach at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and at The Players Championship in a playoff over J.J. Spaun. This year, McIlroy has had a significantly quieter start to the season. He was on the grounds on Saturday during the Augusta National Women’s Amateur to greet this year’s champ, Maria Jose Marin, and enjoyed a round of golf with his father on Sunday. McIlroy is searching to be the fourth player ever to win back-to-back Masters (Tiger Woods 2001 & 2002, Nick Faldo 1989 & 1990, Jack Nicklaus 1965 & 1966). If McIlroy were to place the green jacket on himself as Nicklaus did in 1966, he will need to find his form from a year ago when he conquered his demons from years past.
Scottie Scheffler has been the undisputed world number one player for the last three years. Winning two green jackets in 2022 and 2024, Scheffler hopes to continue his every-other-year trend with a win this week. Scheffler and his wife, Meredith, welcomed their second child, Remy, a week and a half ago, which forced Scheffler to withdraw from the Houston Open. Scheffler is one U.S. Open away from joining the hexad of grand slam champions, but has been the best player at Augusta National Golf Club this decade. Scheffler’s worst finish is T-19 in his Masters debut in 2020, and he hasn’t finished outside the top 10 at a Masters in four straight tournaments. Scheffler can saunter onto the grounds and erupt for a big performance anytime, anywhere. Despite not having his best start to the season, he’s still the favorite to win his third green jacket and further cement his already indelible legacy.
It’s been a long time since there has been such a large number of players playing wonderful golf heading into The Masters. Typically, the field can be narrowed to approximately a dozen players who are focused on during Masters week. This year is a rare treat as there are 30 players that will tee it up this week, for whom a legitimate argument could be made as to why they will win. Matt Fitzpatrick is certainly a player leading that conversation. Fitzpatrick recently won The Valspar Championship and, since last year, has been back to his peak form. The 2022 U.S. Open champion added a runner-up finish at The Players and was exquisite at last fall’s Ryder Cup for Team Europe. Though history isn’t on his side, with only two top 10s at The Masters, coming back in 2016 and 2023, Fitzpatrick is a proper player and one of the players to watch this week.
Cameron Young outlasted Fitzpatrick at The Players last month, and ever since he won The Wyndham Championship last year for his first PGA Tour win, Young has quickly risen as one of the best players in the world. Young was one of the few bright spots for the United States at the Ryder Cup, and in his last three starts, his worst finish was a T-7 at The Genesis Invitational. Young has four starts at The Masters with two missed cuts, including last year, and two top 10s. Young is a popular player, and that would rise with a green jacket.
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the best players in the world and one of the best major championship players. He’s seemingly been in the mix in nearly every major championship over the last three years, including winning the 2024 U.S. Open. He was in the final pairing with McIlroy last year, and everyone thought he would be dueling with McIlroy at last year’s Masters. A disappointing final round of 75 took him out of the tournament. This year, he’s won his last two starts on LIV and should be a factor in the tournament. The two-time U.S. Open champion could add to his legacy with a win at The Masters.
The European trio of Jon Rahm, Ludvig Åberg, and Robert MacIntyre are threats to win the first major of the year. Rahm won in 2023, but since then finished T-45 and T-14 at The Masters. The Spaniard has finished no worse than fifth on LIV, including winning LIV Hong Kong in March. Åberg could be the fifth player in Masters history to finish in the top 10 in his first three starts. The Swede took second in his first major championship in 2024, and last year was seventh. Åberg has been a force in the last month, but hasn’t gotten the job done in the final round. MacIntyre looks to be the fourth left-handed player to win The Masters (Mike Weir, Phil Mickelson, and Bubba Watson). The Scottish player finished second at The Valero Texas Open last week and fourth at The Players but missed the cut at The Masters last year. All three players wouldn’t be a surprise to be in the final pairing on Sunday.
Two Masters rookies are particularly intriguing possibilities to be the first Masters rookie since 1979 (Fuzzy Zoeller) to win the green jacket. Chris Gotterup has won three times on the PGA Tour since July, including twice this season. Gotterup should’ve been on last fall’s Ryder Cup team for the United States and continues to validate that belief. He’s coming off a T-6 at the Houston Open and has been a force off the tee and with his iron play. Gotterup appears to be a blossoming star and would elevate to a new level with a major championship. Jacob Bridgeman is a player golf fans know of, but the general sports fan isn’t aware of. Bridgeman has been the best player on the PGA Tour this season, breaking through with a win at The Genesis Invitational in February. Bridgeman is one of the best putters in the world, and the Masters rookie is one of the “long shots” that could shock the sports world by wearing the green jacket on Sunday night.
Over 1,000 words in, and this is the first mention of the quartet of Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, and Justin Rose, all of whom are in the OWGR Top 10. Fleetwood is still in search of his first major championship and would be an extremely popular major champion. Fleetwood has four top 10s in five starts this year and finished T-3 at The Masters in 2024. Schauffele won two majors in 2024, and a Masters win would put him one U.S. Open victory shy of completing the career grand slam. Schauffele had a lost year in 2025, largely due to injury, but this season has finished inside the top five in his last two starts. Spaun won the 2025 U.S. Open in a wild finish, stamped with his birdie putt on the 72nd hole. After missing three of his last four cuts, Spaun won last week at the Texas Open. Spaun broke out last year and isn’t going anywhere in 2026. He’s made the cut at both of his prior Masters and has shown he won’t back down from a fight. Rose is one of the most accomplished one-time major champions in golf history. Team Rose fell short in a playoff at The Masters last April for the second time in his career, the other came in 2017, which until last year was the most recent Masters playoff. It feels like he should finish his career with at least one Masters triumph, and maybe this year is the year.
Some other “long shots” that are riveting choices to win are Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim, and Corey Conners. Im and Kim are both Korean players who have been stalwarts for the International team at the Presidents Cup. Sungjae Im quietly has a great track record at Augusta National Golf Club with four made cuts in six appearances and three top 10s, including a T-5 last year. Im’s form this season hasn’t been stellar, but he has the pedigree and talent to put it all together and be a contender. Si Woo Kim is one of the most fascinating professional golfers to watch. Kim holds nothing back, and his risk/reward mentality never provides a dull moment. He didn’t even qualify for The Masters last year, but he is another player who’s pretty consistent off the tee and with his irons. Should he putt well, he could come out of left field to win this week. The Canadian, Corey Conners, has been a top-10 machine at The Masters. He has four top 10s in seven starts, including a T-8 last year. For some reason, Augusta National Golf Club fits the eye of Conners, and he always seems to be in the mix. Only one Canadian has won the Masters (Mike Weir, 2003), but Conners could change that and bring the green jacket north of the border.
Prediction
My prediction is that a long shot will win it. We’ve been spoiled with an amazing run of winners, and we’re due for a non-star to win The Masters. Someone like Jacob Bridgeman, Sungjae Im, or Si Woo Kim are some of the players I really like heading into this week. Begrudgingly, I’ll pick Xander Schauffele to win due to his recent form and history of three straight top 10s at The Masters. My winning score prediction will be -12. The winners since Dustin Johnson’s dazzling -20 performance in 2020 have been -10, -11, or -12.
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