Augusta, GA. The world of elite professional golf has been operating for the last few years under a split between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
That will change this week when the 89th Masters is conducted at the Augusta National Golf Club.
All of the sport’s top players will be on hand to see which one golfer can attain the famed green jacket when play concludes.
What are the main storylines that will likely be front and center?
Read on —
Will Rory’s story end in glory?
The 35-year-old has climbed to #2 in the world golf rankings with two PGA Tour titles this year — the most recent coming at The Players Championship.
McIlroy has not won a major for 10+ years since winning the PGA Championship at Valhalla.
He’s had a few close calls — the most recent coming in last year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst where faulty putting over the last few holes opened the door for Bryson DeChambeau to snare his second Open title.
However, if McIlroy secures the missing green jacket, he would lift the major-less monkey off his back and become just the 6th golfer to have won the career Grand Slam. A win at Augusta could also serve as the springboard for additional majors.
Can McIlroy handle the pressure which will only intensify should he be in contention come the final round. The stakes are indeed that high for him.
Can Scheffler reassert his dominance?
At the end of 2024 there was no question Scottie Scheffler had clearly elevated himself to a level far beyond those behind him.
Scheffler won 7 times on the PGA Tour plus two other wins for a total of 9 victories. The magnitude of that accomplishment given the depth of talented players is beyond remarkable. One has to go back to the time when Tiger Woods was dominant to find a year in which a player was so successful from start to finish.
Unfortunately, Scheffler suffered an accident when preparing food for Christmas dinner and his form was clearly off in the first few events played this year.
At his last competitive appearance in Houston, he finished in the runner-up position and appears ready to defend the Masters title he won last year.
Scheffler would like to reassert his dominance and there would be no better place to do that than at Augusta. A third green jacket in four years would make him just the second golfer to accomplish the feat (Jack Nicklaus did so in 1963, 1965 and 1966). A win would also show the golf world his intent on staying at the top of the mountain he occupies now.
Is Rahm Ready?
After John Rahm won his second major with a green jacket at the 2023 Masters he appeared to be on the way to even greater heights.
Then Rahm opted to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf and while his play has been good he has stalled out on the major front. Since that win at Augusta he has garnered three top finishes – including a T2 at the 2023 Open Championship.
There’s been speculation that Rahm has had buyer’s remorse since joining LIV Golf but the Spaniard has not given any indication he’s ready to plan a return.
The 30-year-old has long stated a desire to follow in the footsteps of his golfing idol – fellow countryman Seve Ballesteros. The major championships are central to achieving a pathway to that kind of legacy.
This year’s Masters will provide a clear indicator if Rahm is indeed ready.
Can Jordan Spieth return to prominence?
It seems like the distant past but this year marks the 10th anniversary of Jordan Spieth’s then record tying winning 72-hole score of 270 in 2015. The 31-year-old became the second -youngest player to secure a green jacket and he built upon that triumph by capturing the U.S. Open in June of that year and nearly pulled off wins in the final two majors at The Open and PGA Championship respectively.
Spieth’s meteoric rise nearly saw an encore performance at Augusta in 2016 until he inexplicably drowned his opportunity at the par-3 12th during the final round.
Jordan added to his major championship hardware in 2017 when winning The Open Championship.
But in the eight years that have followed he’s returned to the winner’s circle just twice.
His golf game has clearly improved, raising his world golf ranking from 69th at the end of 2024 to its present 66th position, but the promise of what he showed when first arriving on the pro golf scene has clearly stalled.
Should Spieth recapture the early magic he showed in 2015 the wherewithal to do so at Augusta would signal an amazing comeback in once again being mentioned with the upper echelon in professional golf.
Is Ludvig Åberg ready to don a green jacket?
The 2024 Masters was Åberg’s first Masters and also first major championship. He battled throughout the event – finishing as runner-up to Scheffler. The progression of the Swede since his collegiate years at Texas Tech has been remarkable. The next part of his career is now in front of him — can he now claim a major championship title?
The 25-year-old played well in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst last year and eventually finished T12. But he did miss the cut at both the PGA Championship and The Open.
Expectations are always an issue on the progression of top players. Some are able to push through ceilings and reach a higher plateau. No Swede has ever won the green jacket and Åberg did win earlier this year at The Genesis Invitational. But his two starts were shaky and leave some doubt about his current form. He finished T22 at Bay Hill and missed the cut at The Players.
Which Åberg will show up at Augusta National? We shall soon see.
Is Dustin Johnson still relevant in major championship play?
When Johnson claimed the Masters in 2020 with a record 268 total, he showcased a form that had pushed him to the top of the world golf ranking.
Then DJ opted to bolt for LIV Golf in June 2022 and the fall-off of his once dominant play is now evident.
The 40-year-old has played in 18 majors since that win and the results have seen just five top ten placements. More noticeably, in his last eight majors – there’s been only one top ten.
Players who reach Johnson’s age have a number of pressing time concerns. He’s a dad to kids and his involvement with LIV Golf has shown flashes of his old self but the test for him at Augusta this week will be to show whether he has the drive and passion to stay in the mixture.
Only DJ knows if he still has the yearning to push himself back into the mixture.
Is Joaquín Niemann ready for prime time in the major events?
The talented 26-year-old from Chile left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in August 2022 and has been a force in the upstart league.
But Niemann has not been able to make any headway in the major championships, thus far. He has no finishes in the top ten any of the four.
Only one golfer has won a major from South America – Roberto De Vincenzo at the 1967 Open Championship.
Can 2025 be the lift off for Niemann? Joaquin certainly hopes so.
Can Bryson DeChambeau conquer Augusta National?
The two-time U.S. Open winner finished T6 in the 2024 Masters but remarkably that was his first top ten in eight appearances. Prior to that year – DeChambeau had missed the cut in 2022 and 2023.
DeChambeau went through an extensive physical conditioning program several years ago and he helped himself with a more meaningful connection to golf fans.
His win at Pinehurst last year elevated his stature and demonstrated his earlier win at Winged Foot in 2020 was not a one and done situation.
One would think the layout of Augusta National would favor the long-hitting DeChambeau. Given his considerable talents it’s very possible 2025 can be another key victory waiting to happen.
Can Koepka finally earn the green jacket?
The career of Brooks Koepka has been a fascinating one to observe. Koepka’s start in the pro ranks had him begin in Europe after failing to quality for the PGA Tour. He then won on the PGA Tour before hitting his stride in winning four majors in 23 months.
Koepka’s game has been uneven throughout his career. But he showed the wherewithal to return to major championship form when winning his 5th major and 3rd PGA Championship in 2023 at Oak Hill.
However, Brooks has not had a top ten finish in a major since that win in Rochester and over his last 12 majors only had two top two finishes.
With Koepka it’s either he’s on totally or he’s not.
Brooks has unfinished business at Augusta. After leading the 2023 event by two shots going into the final, he laid an egg with a score of 75 and losing to Rahm by four shots.
One has to think Koepka wants to redeem himself and that can only happen with possession of a green jacket.
