Storylines, tee times and predictions for The Masters | Golf Insider
It’s been a while since we had some major championship golf.
It was last July, to be exact, when Scottie Scheffler rolled to a win in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush for his second major of the season.
Now it’s April and time to return to Augusta National for The Masters.
Since 2019, when Tiger Woods shocked the world and won his fifth green jacket, the winners of The Masters have been a who’s who of golf. The list includes Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Scheffler (twice), Jon Rahm and the career grand slam-winning Rory McIlroy.
Will we see another big-name champion or could someone sneak up and grab a surprise green jacket?
No matter who is on top of the leaderboard, Augusta will provide drama and be a must-watch for golf fans starting Thursday.
Best storylines to follow
- McIlroy defends his title: Nobody has gone back-to-back at The Masters since Woods in 2000-01, so McIlroy faces a tough task. He has not played since The Players Championship in March but has sounded extremely confident in his pre-tournament press conferences. Repeating after winning the grand slam last year would be quite an accomplishment for McIlroy.
- Scheffler back after layoff: The No. 1 player in the world has been out for a while as well. He was away as he and his wife welcomed their second child. In past years, Scheffler played in one of the Texas events leading up to The Masters. He also has not played since The Players but is once again the betting favorite. It is hard to see the two-time champion not playing well.
- Can Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau bring LIV vibes to Augusta?: Rahm and DeChambeau have played great on the LIV Tour. Both players are on top of the betting board. Rahm has won here before and seems to be in great condition. DeChambeau also always seems to be a wild card. He won twice on LIV and was in the final group last year before fading away.
- The golf course: Augusta National is always a story, but this year it could play pretty tough due to dry conditions. There seems to be no rain in the weather forecast and a little bit of wind. Scheffler won in 2024 with spicy conditions. The course gives up birdies but if the greens are hard, scoring could be down.
- A wide-open tournament: Scheffler hasn’t been as dominant in 2026. McIlroy is dealing with all the responsibilities of being the defending champion. Chris Gotterup is the only player to win twice this season. There are plenty of guys who could take home the green jacket, with many of them looking to become first-time major winners.
Notable tee times
- 8:31 a.m. (Thursday)/11:44 a.m. (Friday) – Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Mason Howell: The defending champ, The Players champ and the U.S. Amateur winner are a must-watch group. Young is a sleeper pick for the tournament with his recent success.
- 11:44 a.m./8:19 a.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Robert MacIntyre, Gary Woodland: Scheffler makes his return to the course with two of the hottest players on tour. Woodland is coming off his win in Houston and MacIntyre has been a fixture on leaderboards this season.
- 8:07 a.m./11:20 a.m. – Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele: Three big-time players who could be in the mix Sunday. DeChambeau had a chance last year and Schauffele has been a factor a couple of times. Fitzpatrick won the Valspar earlier this year.
- 11:20 a.m./7:55 a.m. – Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka: It is crazy there is only one Masters win in this group. Spieth dominated the tournament in 2015 but that is the only one. Rose has lost in a playoff twice, including last year. Koepka is rounding into form during his return to the PGA Tour and has plenty of major experience.
Wyndham Clark set for third Masters
Colorado native Wyndham Clark will look to bring his 2023 vibes to Augusta National Golf Club this week.
Clark, who made a hole-in-one during Wednesday’s Par-3 contest, broke out on the PGA Tour in 2023 by winning the U.S. Open and followed it up with a win at Pebble Beach in 2024. But his game has fallen off over the last couple of years.
The Valor Christian graduate will play in his third Masters starting Thursday. Clark has not been successful at the first major in his first two tries. He missed the cut in 2024 and tied for 45th in 2025.
Coming off two straight missed cuts, Clark is still working to get back into form. He will tee off at 9:27 a.m. Thursday with former Masters champ Mike Weir and amateur Mateo Pulcini.
What they’re saying
“When he (Nicklaus) stood at the 17th tee, Seve (Ballesteros) dumped it in the water at 15 for a bogey and suddenly Jack was tied for the lead. I can remember thinking to myself as he walked up to keep it simple and get out of the way. And I managed to do that.”
- Steamboat Springs resident Verne Lundquist in 2024 on his legendary call of Jack Nicklaus during the 1986 Masters. The moment celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
And the winner is …
This year’s green jacket is going to a player who is ready for his breakthrough moment. That golfer is Ludvig Aberg. Just like Clark, Aberg is set to play in his third Masters but has had more success. He finished second in 2024 and was seventh in 2025. Both years, Aberg had chances to win, but he hit a ball in the water on No. 11 in 2024 and had a three-putt on No. 17 in 2025. The smooth-swinging Aberg has his moment Sunday.
Skins game
Odds to win The Masters
Scottie Scheffler +550
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Jon Rahm +1000
Rory McIlroy +1300
Xander Schauffele +1500
Ludvig Aberg +1700
Matt Fitzpatrick +2200
Cameron Young +2200
Tommy Fleetwood +2200
Wyndham Clark +25000
-Odds provided by FanDuel SportsBook
This week in golf
Augusta National Golf Club
The Masters
Site: Augusta, Ga.
Course: Augusta National GC. Yardage: 7,565. Par: 72.
Prize money: TBA ($21 million in 2025). Winner’s share: TBA ($4.2 million in 2025).
Television: Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Prime Video), 1-5:30 p.m. (ESPN); Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-noon (Paramount+), Noon-5 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Rory McIlroy.
World Golf Rankings
- Scottie Scheffler 15.10
- Rory McIlroy 8.06
- Cameron Young 5.31
- Tommy Fleetwood 5.23
- J.J. Spaun 5.01
- Matt Fitzpatrick 4.97
- Collin Morikawa 4.76
- Robert MacIntyre 4.76
- Justin Rose 4.74
- Xander Schauffele 4.71
- Chris Gotterup 4.63
- Russell Henley 4.48
- Sepp Straka 4.16
- Hideki Matsuyama 3.95
- Justin Thomas 3.86
- Ben Griffin 3.83
- Ludvig Aberg 3.72
- Jacob Bridgeman 3.61
- Alex Noren 3.47
- Harris English 3.43
- Akshay Bhatia 3.40
- Viktor Hovland 3.33
- Patrick Reed 3.30
- Bryson DeChambeau 3.16
- Min Woo Lee 3.02