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Rory McIlroy captured the green jacket last year, but a recent back injury could impact his defense at the Masters.
Last year’s Masters was unforgettable. After years of coming up short at Augusta National and a decade without a major title, Rory McIlroy looked poised to win. He held the lead in the final round but faltered, missing a crucial five-foot putt on 18 that allowed Justin Rose to surge ahead. Yet, McIlroy bounced back with a dramatic birdie in the playoff to secure his first green jacket, joining the ranks of legends like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen as one of the few to win all four major championships.
The emotions McIlroy showed after sinking the winning putt were raw and powerful. Surrounded by family, friends, and well-wishers on his walk to the clubhouse, he appeared as if he’d just experienced an unparalleled triumph. Even by the high standards of iconic Masters wins—from young Tiger Woods in 1997 to hometown hero Larry Mize’s playoff chip in 1987—McIlroy’s victory was special.
So where does that leave us now? Can McIlroy channel more magic? Will world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler reclaim the green jacket? Or will a new champion rise? Let’s examine the main storylines ahead of this year’s first major.
Since winning the Masters, McIlroy has only claimed one individual tournament victory—last September’s Irish Open, which had a relatively soft field. He contributed to Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black but was largely absent from contention in the other majors in 2025 and even missed the cut at the Canadian Open.
This year, McIlroy has played four PGA Tour events, with just one top-10 finish—a tie for second at Riviera in February. However, in March, he withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational after a back injury during warmups and then tied for 46th at the Players Championship.
He has not competed since, but time off appears to have aided his recovery. McIlroy declared himself “100 per cent” healthy yesterday and said he feels “so much more relaxed” at Augusta this year after carrying the weight of his breakthrough victory. At 36, if McIlroy is truly feeling strong both physically and mentally, he could become the first to win back-to-back Masters titles since Tiger Woods nearly 25 years ago.
Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 and 2024 Masters champion, has also been off his best form. After a stellar 2023 with six tournament wins—including his first PGA Championship and British Open—Scheffler began this season strongly, winning at the Bob Hope Desert Classic and posting top-five finishes at the Phoenix Open and Pebble Beach.
But he has not cracked the top 10 in three recent starts, finishing outside the top 20 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship. His iron play, usually a key strength and essential for success at Augusta, has notably declined.
Unlike McIlroy, Scheffler hasn’t competed since the Players Championship, not due to injury but because his wife recently gave birth to their second child. He took some time off and arrived at Augusta on Sunday with his nine-day-old son.
Adjusting to a newborn can disrupt even the most disciplined routines. Despite having a substantial personal staff, Scheffler’s shaky irons and lack of sleep could prove the biggest challenge this week.
Unlike the past two years, when McIlroy and Scheffler each won the Players Championship leading up to their Masters victories, there’s no clear frontrunner this time.
Though betting odds still favour Scheffler, his recent struggles and McIlroy’s back issues, combined with emerging contenders, suggest this year’s Masters is unusually wide open.
Among challengers aiming to disrupt McIlroy and Scheffler are 2023 champion Jon Rahm of Spain and two-time U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau from the United States. Both now compete on LIV Golf and have won three consecutive rebel tour events, with DeChambeau claiming the last two. They rank second and third in Masters betting odds.
Data Golf rankings, which gamblers trust more than official world rankings since they include LIV results, list Rahm and DeChambeau as No. 2 and No. 11 in the world. For Masters odds, Rahm and DeChambeau rank second and fifth, with McIlroy and American Xander Schauffele ranked in between.
Schauffele reached No. 2 in the world in 2024 after winning two majors but struggled with a rib injury last year. He’s bounced back recently, including a third-place finish at the Players, and boasts a strong Augusta record with three straight top-10 finishes and a best result of second place.
Swede Ludvig Aberg, though less experienced, shines at Augusta with second and seventh-place finishes in his two Masters appearances. He narrowly missed winning the Players Championship after blowing a three-shot lead going into the final round but recently posted three consecutive top-five finishes.
American Cameron Young, who won the Players, is also a popular pick this week after placing in the top 10 in two of his first four Masters.
Other players to watch include Matt Fitzpatrick from England, who was runner-up at the Players and won a tournament the following week; two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, currently hampered by a back injury; and American Masters rookies Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman, who have a combined three wins and seven top-10s this season. The last Masters debutant to win was Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
Americans Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed have recently left LIV Golf to return to the PGA Tour. Reed, though currently playing on the European Tour until he rejoins later this year, won the Masters in 2018 and placed third last year. Koepka is a five-time major winner with two runner-up finishes at Augusta.
Notably absent this year are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Woods is dealing with fallout from his recent DUI-related arrest and is unlikely to contend at 50 years old. Mickelson, 55, withdrew due to a family health matter. This is the first Masters since 1994 without either of the iconic legends.
Three Canadians will tee off on Thursday: Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, and Mike Weir. Weir, 55 and from Brights Grove, Ontario, has made the cut only once in the last 11 years but holds a lifetime entry due to his historic 2003 victory, which made him the first and only Canadian to win the green jacket.
Last year, Conners was in strong contention, entering the final round in sole third place—four shots behind McIlroy and two behind DeChambeau. However, a final-round 75 dropped him to a tie for eighth, matching his second-best finish at Augusta. Four of his six major top-10s have come here, including a career-best tie for sixth in 2022.
Taylor is best remembered for his clutch win at the 2023 Canadian Open, where he sank a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole to become the first Canadian to win the event in 69 years. He has five career PGA Tour titles but has struggled in majors, missing the cut in 10 of his last 12 starts over four years.