The Masters Tournament commences Thursday. Who will don the green jacket? Who will leave dejected? Could we see a scoring record?
The GolfChannel.com team is on-site at Augusta National Golf Club and offers up some answers to the pressing questions at the year’s first major.
Who wins the 90th Masters?
Ryan Lavner: Scottie Scheffler. The world No. 1 being slightly off his game might increase the number of contenders, but he arrived here last year in worse shape and still finished among the top 5. It’s further proof this is a course that’s uniquely suited to his skill set, and the increasingly firm conditions, with a premium on distance control, strategy and scrambling, plays even more into his favor.
Rex Hoggard: Jon Rahm. Maybe it’s a combination of LIV Golf’s move to 72 holes which has shifted the balance of power toward the Spaniard and Bryson DeChambeau. Maybe it’s Rahm’s outrageously consistent start to the season that includes five starts, five top-5 finishes and a victory. Or maybe it’s the familiar look of determination in his eyes. Whatever it is, Rahm is the only contender without an obvious question mark.
Brentley Romine: Ludvig Åberg. I gave Jon Rahm the edge in ranking the entire field, but Åberg actually popped at No. 1 in my model. He’s trending and has great past experience here. He wins in his third Masters start.
Will 10 to 12 under win again?
Lavner: Sure does! Players have remarked early this week that the green speeds are still on the slower side but – sorry, rookies – that’s bound to change in the next 24 to 36 hours. The setup staff couldn’t have asked for a better run-up to this tournament, and the four glorious days of forecasted weather here – a little wind, plenty of sunshine – are as good as any stretch in recent memory. ANGC is in total control this week.
Hoggard: Yes. An absolutely perfect forecast means Augusta National will play exactly how the club wants – firm and fast. Thursday looks to be the most difficult day with wind gusts to 20 mph, but perfect spring conditions for the final two rounds will allow the world’s best to reach the 10-under threshold.
Romine: With Augusta National projected to play firmer and faster than in recent years, there’s a chance we could see single digits under par for the first time since 2017, when Sergio Garcia won at 9 under. The year prior, Danny Willett was the champ at 5 under. I’ll go 8 under this year.
Will we see the first Masters 62?
Lavner: Will be stunned if we even sniff it. Sixty-five was the low score a year ago, shot by Justin Rose in the opening round, and that’ll be a phenomenal number again this time.
Hoggard: No. Even when the winds pass after Thursday’s opening round, Augusta National’s green complexes will be the ultimate equalizer. There will be plenty of rounds in the 60s, but nothing south of 63.
Romine: Considering my previous answer, no. In fact, I think we struggle to see something sub-66 this year.
Who leaves most disappointed?
Lavner: Bryson DeChambeau. This is arguably the best form that he’s arrived at the year’s first major, fresh off back-to-back wins on LIV. And he has posted two consecutive top-7 finishes here. But there’s some serious skepticism that he can get across the line, especially with the firmer conditions. DeChambeau’s right-to-left shot shape that produces his generational driving is also a major hindrance when it comes to his approach play, specifically his distance control. Simply put, he has to hit more greens to win here (or have the best scrambling week of his life).
Hoggard: Collin Morikawa. This is less about being disappointed with his Masters plight and more just general frustration with his season, which was derailed at The Players by a back injury. Morikawa would have been among the top favorites to win the year’s first major following his victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am but the injury has created far too many unknowns.
Romine: It’s hard to miss the Masters cut, especially when you consider the old guard and amateurs that round out the 91-player field. I don’t believe Justin Rose will miss the cut, but I also feel like he’ll struggled to replicate what’s he did last year.
Who contends but doesn’t win?
Lavner: Xander Schauffele. After a down 2025 by his standards, X has shown flashes over the past month that he’s rounding into form, and he has a couple of podium finishes already in his career at Augusta National. But Schauffele has already blinked once, during the third round of The Players, when conditions were exacting. He’s gaining confidence but isn’t there yet.
Hoggard: Scottie Scheffler. The world No. 1 had a statistically curious Florida swing with pedestrian ball-striking, at least by his own lofty standards, and two finishes outside the top 20. He and his wife, Meredith, also celebrated the birth of the couple’s second child two weeks ago. Despite all that, Scheffler is far too talented not to contend.
Romine: Some of the usual suspects – Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler – will factor, but as for some guys you may not be thinking about, I like Min Woo Lee, who has found something with the irons, and Akshay Bhatia, as long as he can forget that disaster a couple weeks ago at DLF in India.