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Apr. 9—AUGUSTA — The chatter leading up to the opening round of the 89th Masters Tournament has been dominated by two questions.
Can Scottie Scheffler join a rare group of repeat champions, in addition to an even more select group (member: Nicklaus, Jack) to win three green jackets in four years?
Or is it Rory McIlroy's time to finally win the Masters and complete the career Grand Slam?
The world's No. 1- and No. 2-ranked players have commanded most of the attention this year, along with a golf course that is without more than a few trees in the wake of Hurricane Helene six months ago, but plenty in the field rightly view the 2025 Masters as more than just a two-horse race.
The field of 95 features the best in the world, and none would be here if they didn't feel as if they had a chance to win — not that they haven't noticed the high level of play of Scheffler and McIlroy.
"Just motivating. ... There's so many guys that have played at a really high level, and luckily I've learned that I can play at that level," said world No. 3 Xander Schauffele. "More motivating than anything else. They've been playing incredible golf. Rory has been playing unbelievably well this year with a couple wins already and kind of breezing through what looks like hard golf courses. And it's just what happens when you're a really good player and you put things together. That's sort of what happens. Luckily I was able to do that last year, and there's no reason I can't do it again."
Schauffele was referring to the two major championships he won last year, which put he and Scheffler in a 1A vs. 1B debate for PGA Tour Player of the Year — like he did seven other times that year on Tour, Scheffler won.
Like Scheffler, Schauffele is returning from injury. This will be his fifth start of the year, and while it's taken some time to get back up to speed his game is trending upward following a tie for 12th in his last start at the Valspar Championship.
A spot behind him in the rankings is Collin Morikawa, a fellow two-time major champion with a pair of runner-up finishes this season. He's finished in the top 10 in each of his last three Masters appearances, and he said he's gotten more and more comfortable here since making his debut in 2020. The McIlroy Slam talk is entering its 11th year, and Morikawa can start a conversation of his own with a win this week to get three-fourths of the way there.
"Yeah, I think, let's see, I've been in the lead at the Masters last year. A few years ago even at Brookline (in the 2022 U.S. Open) I was leading through 36," he said. "Yeah, it creeps in. If it doesn't creep in, then you really don't care. For me, you care, so you want to know and you want to put yourself in these positions. It doesn't always work out. But yeah, it's definitely something you want to try and accomplish. I do know fully how hard it is, but it's not like one of them I haven't played well. I've been close, so it's just keep knocking at the door."
World No. 5 Ludvig Åberg looked plenty comfortable here last year, finishing second behind Scheffler in his debut. His recent results have been a mixed bag, as he followed up a win in the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines with consecutive missed cuts in his last two starts. No. 9 Viktor Hovland has done the reverse of that, winning the Valspar after missing three straight cuts.
And that's only going by the Official World Golf Ranking. Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion, is considered among the top betting favorites even as his ranking has plummeted all the way to 80th due to him playing in non-points-earning LIV Golf events.
"A couple weeks to go and I'll be gone," Rahm said, sarcastically referring to his placement inside the top 100. "I mean, I'm not going to say exactly a number, but I would still undoubtedly consider myself a top-10 player in the world. But it's hard to tell nowadays."
Bryson DeChambeau doesn't have the same worry at No. 19, thanks in large part to his victory over McIlroy last year in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. He was also the 18-hole leader at the Masters following an opening 65, and though he didn't finish the week with a win (he didn't break par the next three rounds and tied for sixth) it was still the first of three major top-10 finishes for the year.
Not that the majors have gotten any easier — he missed the cut at The Open Championship to halt that top-10 streak. Still, he's considered a favorite this week.
"Major championship tests are — that's why they're major championship tests," he said. "They're the most difficult tournaments that we as professional golfers face and will face in our careers, and I think that's why they're so revered to win. I think there's a little bit less pressure, but no matter the tournament, I'm still — the last nine holes of the tournament I'm going to feel nerves. I'm going to feel nervous. I'm going to be focusing on how to control those nerves. And I think everybody kind of gets that way as well. I don't think anyone is immune to it. But it's a joy for that test to come about. Even though I get nervous, it's a joy for me."
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Can Scottie Scheffler join a rare group of repeat champions, in addition to an even more select group (member: Nicklaus, Jack) to win three green jackets in four years?
Or is it Rory McIlroy's time to finally win the Masters and complete the career Grand Slam?
The world's No. 1- and No. 2-ranked players have commanded most of the attention this year, along with a golf course that is without more than a few trees in the wake of Hurricane Helene six months ago, but plenty in the field rightly view the 2025 Masters as more than just a two-horse race.
The field of 95 features the best in the world, and none would be here if they didn't feel as if they had a chance to win — not that they haven't noticed the high level of play of Scheffler and McIlroy.
"Just motivating. ... There's so many guys that have played at a really high level, and luckily I've learned that I can play at that level," said world No. 3 Xander Schauffele. "More motivating than anything else. They've been playing incredible golf. Rory has been playing unbelievably well this year with a couple wins already and kind of breezing through what looks like hard golf courses. And it's just what happens when you're a really good player and you put things together. That's sort of what happens. Luckily I was able to do that last year, and there's no reason I can't do it again."
Schauffele was referring to the two major championships he won last year, which put he and Scheffler in a 1A vs. 1B debate for PGA Tour Player of the Year — like he did seven other times that year on Tour, Scheffler won.
Like Scheffler, Schauffele is returning from injury. This will be his fifth start of the year, and while it's taken some time to get back up to speed his game is trending upward following a tie for 12th in his last start at the Valspar Championship.
A spot behind him in the rankings is Collin Morikawa, a fellow two-time major champion with a pair of runner-up finishes this season. He's finished in the top 10 in each of his last three Masters appearances, and he said he's gotten more and more comfortable here since making his debut in 2020. The McIlroy Slam talk is entering its 11th year, and Morikawa can start a conversation of his own with a win this week to get three-fourths of the way there.
"Yeah, I think, let's see, I've been in the lead at the Masters last year. A few years ago even at Brookline (in the 2022 U.S. Open) I was leading through 36," he said. "Yeah, it creeps in. If it doesn't creep in, then you really don't care. For me, you care, so you want to know and you want to put yourself in these positions. It doesn't always work out. But yeah, it's definitely something you want to try and accomplish. I do know fully how hard it is, but it's not like one of them I haven't played well. I've been close, so it's just keep knocking at the door."
World No. 5 Ludvig Åberg looked plenty comfortable here last year, finishing second behind Scheffler in his debut. His recent results have been a mixed bag, as he followed up a win in the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines with consecutive missed cuts in his last two starts. No. 9 Viktor Hovland has done the reverse of that, winning the Valspar after missing three straight cuts.
And that's only going by the Official World Golf Ranking. Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion, is considered among the top betting favorites even as his ranking has plummeted all the way to 80th due to him playing in non-points-earning LIV Golf events.
"A couple weeks to go and I'll be gone," Rahm said, sarcastically referring to his placement inside the top 100. "I mean, I'm not going to say exactly a number, but I would still undoubtedly consider myself a top-10 player in the world. But it's hard to tell nowadays."
Bryson DeChambeau doesn't have the same worry at No. 19, thanks in large part to his victory over McIlroy last year in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. He was also the 18-hole leader at the Masters following an opening 65, and though he didn't finish the week with a win (he didn't break par the next three rounds and tied for sixth) it was still the first of three major top-10 finishes for the year.
Not that the majors have gotten any easier — he missed the cut at The Open Championship to halt that top-10 streak. Still, he's considered a favorite this week.
"Major championship tests are — that's why they're major championship tests," he said. "They're the most difficult tournaments that we as professional golfers face and will face in our careers, and I think that's why they're so revered to win. I think there's a little bit less pressure, but no matter the tournament, I'm still — the last nine holes of the tournament I'm going to feel nerves. I'm going to feel nervous. I'm going to be focusing on how to control those nerves. And I think everybody kind of gets that way as well. I don't think anyone is immune to it. But it's a joy for that test to come about. Even though I get nervous, it's a joy for me."
Continue reading...
