Augusta, GA. Finally. After all the hype and chatter the first major golf championship is now underway. The 89th Masters officially started with the ceremonial opening tee shots from Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson.
The lead two players in the world — Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy – are poised to add to specific storylines that will be watched closely.
The number-one-ranked player Scheffler is seeking to win his third green jacket in four years. That would match what six-time winner Nicklaus achieved between 1963-66. Should Scheffler defend his title he will become just the fourth to do so – joining Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Nicklaus.
The 28-year-old had a sensational 2024 season with nine total wins. His return to the PGA Tour in 2025 was delayed because of minor surgery to his hand which came about because of a Christmas accident when preparing ravioli for his family.
Although he has not won this year heading into Augusta, Scheffler’s golf game seems to be rounding into form given his most recent runner-up finish at Houston two weeks ago. He is also the betting favorite (+400) at DraftKIngs Sportsbook.
A third green jacket would reset the focus back onto the man who has been at the top of the world golf rankings for a total of 132 weeks – 98 consecutively. The Texan is scheduled to tee off at 10:15 AM ET and will play with two-time major winner Justin Thomas and U.S. Amateur winner José Luis Ballester from Spain.
A third green jacket would reset the focus back onto the man who has been at the top of the world golf rankings for a total of 132 weeks – 98 consecutively. The Texan is scheduled to tee off at 10:15 AM ET and will play with two-time major winner Justin Thomas and U.S. Amateur winner José Luis Ballester from Spain.
Scheffler is well aware of the momentum McIlroy has put into motion with two early season wins – at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
The 35-year-old Northern Irishman has had a mixed record at the Masters over the last six years. In that time frame he’s finished in the top five twice — 2020 and 2022. But in that time frame he’s also had two missed cuts and two other lack luster performances with a T19 in 2019 and a T22 in last year’s event.
McIlroy has been major-less since 2014 when winning his fourth major title at the PGA Championship at Valhalla. A win at Augusta would change significantly his career standing. A green jacket would elevate him into a special membership – just the 6th golfer to have won the career Grand Slam. Clearly, a win at the 17th Masters he played would push him to even higher heights from an overall legacy standpoint.
This year’s tournament marks the 11th time McIlroy is attempting to secure the career Grand Slam. McIlroy is scheduled to tee off at 1:12 PM ET with Ludvig Åberg and Akshay Bhatia.
Although the primary focus is on the Scheffler and McIlroy tussle there are a number of rivals who could push themselves to the front of the storyline.
A total of 12 players from LIV Golf will be competing. That number is down from a high of 18 who competed in 2023. Prominent past major winners from that circuit could make a serious effort to secure the famed green jacket. Among them is the current U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. The two-time major winner had his best finish at Augusta last year with a T6 placement.
Other key LIV Golf players include five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, two-time major winner and past green jacket recipient Jon Rahm and former Open Champion Cameron Smith. Many eyes will be watching how Joaquín Niemann fares – the Chilean golfer received his second consecutive special exemption to play in the Masters.
English golfer Tyrell Hatton will also be in the field and he is the only LIV player this year to get into the Masters solely based on his overall world golf ranking. The 33-year-old’s best previous finish at Augusta was a tie for ninth last year, but he has only one career top-five finish at a major (2016 Open Championship).
Discussion of the golf course is always a central part of any Masters storyline. Unlike recent years when focus centered on new championship tees added for the par-5 13th and par-4 5th holes – the main focus has been the overall appearance of Augusta National following hurricane Helene that swept through the immediate area in September 2024.
The category 4 storm impacted an estimated 1,500 trees. Playing angles for a number of the holes will likely have an impact on the choices various players take.
Augusta National also rebuilt four greens – Nos. 1, 8, 15 and 16 – though it’s unclear whether any of those were related to the damage they sustained, or part of the club’s ongoing changes/improvements to the course (the tournament is known to rebuild greens without publicly acknowledging).
McIlroy in his pre-tournament comments said those four greens are playing much firmer than the rest of the course. That should facilitate interesting risk-reward decisions on the par 5s, specifically as players will attempt to hold a far firmer green.
The Masters is unique among the four major championships in that it is the only venue that is played annually.
Can the 89th Masters be the stage for a glorious shootout between Scheffler and McIlroy? Keep in mind, this year’s tournament marks the 50th anniversary of when Nicklaus outdueled key rivals Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller in an epic Augusta contest. If this year’s Masters can reach that level of excitement it will join the small grouping of past tournaments that have long been remembered.
The stage is now set to provide crucial answers to a number of key questions.
