10 groups cannot lose potential contenders, wild cards

2025 masters begin on Thursday in Augusta National, and, as usual, there is no shortage of stories in the first part of the year.

Rory Mcilroy’s Hunt for his first green jacket is the title, followed closely Scottie Scheffler’s attempt to become The first player since Tiger Woods to win back-back masters. There is an unknown what to expect from the stars of Livit Jon Rahm, Bryson Dechambeau and Brooks koepka. Sprinkle the resurrection of Justin Thomas and Victor Hovland’s visible escape From the golf desert, and this master has all the ingredients required for a memorable week in Augusta.

One of the best things Augusta National does is provide a balanced sheet filled with intriguing groups from top to bottom. In recent years, masters have plunged their toe in the waters of the “Super Group”, but this year, the clusters have returned to what we expect from the masters.

Here are my favorite groups for the first two days of 2025 masters:

Will Zalaatoris, Noah Kent (A), Bernhard Langer (8:35 AM et Thursday)

Zalaatoris played in three masters. He finished second, T6 and T9 in those three. The course fits his eye, and he has the ball that strikes to fight constantly in Augusta National.

This is Langer’s final masters and the first of Kent. The US amateur runner hits it a mile, which can only be worth awarded for early Thursday.

Collins, Min Woman, Joaquin Niemann (9:47 times and Thursday)

Morikawa has three ends of Top-10 in its last three beginnings in Augusta National. The world -listed player in the world arrives in the high shape and will be a fashion choice to get the green jacket home.

But this group is about Niemann. The 26-year-old Chilean played well in Liv and around the globe, but has not yet moved the needle during his career in large championships. Niemann has been loud of how he feels unresponsive to Livi. He received a special invitation to the masters, and he had to demonstrate an ability to appear in the larger stages.

Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley, Jason Day (9:58 AM et Thursday)

2025 Ryder captain has been paired with the boy who was rumored for years to score to be the Team USA captain in Bethpage before being thrown into Liv. This is a gentle pairing from green jackets.

Add to Jason Day and the bold fashion choices he and Malbon could withdraw, and you have a winning three-top.

Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jose Luis Ballester (A) (10:15 AM on Thursday)

All eyes will be in Scheffler as he begins his attempt to win a third master in four years. While the world no. 1 has not had his best things so far this season – the product of a Christmas ravioli damage – he has still claimed in some tours and is a favorite to win this week.

But while everyone is looking at Scheffler, I’ll watch Thomas. JT has played as a Top-10 player in the world for over six months. He is through the other side of his dip and is ready to win again. Thomas has been hit by Augusta National in recent years, including a brutal stretch with four holes last year that forced her to lose the cut.

With his play now in good shape, it’s time for Thomas to finally fight the masters.

Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, Tyrrell Hatton (10:26 AM et Thursday)

Spieth is the interesting part of this group, with the other two serving as players with fun roles.

It’s been 10 years since Spieth won the masters. Healthy now after an off -season hand surgery, Spieth has joined good rounds here and there in his return, but he has not been able to avoid slow mistakes, Especially Friday. However, Augusta often creates the best in spieth, and golf is better when he is pretending to large championships.

As for Hatton, he is going a T9 in last year’s masters and is a lawful Top-10 player in the world over the last eight months. But the Englishman’s temperament is legend, and he has not been shy about criticizing Augusta in the past.

This group can only end up being three boys who place and accumulate in trees for two days, or could give us many and many self-talked-about contenders.

Brooks koepka, my sungjae, Russell Henley (12:50 pm et Thursday)

Since the end of T2 in the 2023 masters and won the PGA 2023 championship, Koepka has not been heard by the last six diplomas. He completed T17 in 2023 US Open and T64 in Open that year. Last year, he did not post a Top-20th conclusion on any of the four major. Koepka has said that his 2023 masters’ merger led to discoveries about his game. He showed that next month in Oak Hill but has been sleeping since. Will he turn into a large management chart this week?

Koepka is paired with a Henley sleeping fashion choice, who just won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and my Sunjae, who has three Top-20s in five career masters.

Adam Scott, Victor Hovland, Xander Shoes (1:10 pm it Thursday)

Despite winning two of the last three diplomas last year, most people seem to be counting Schauffle. He lost a month due to a rib injury and returned to play Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass, who left him to look for the right feeling of swing. Schauffle seemed to enter something during the Valsspar championship and has four Top-10 conclusions in Augusta since 2019. If the number 3 player in the world can fly under radar, Schauffle is just doing it.

Hovland won Valspar despite what he called “disgusting shots”. The Norwegian star has been swinging at his rhythm for more than a year and is finally starting to feel good about his progress. Inclusion in Augusta would indicate that Hovland is fully returned to be Victor Hovland who was once the player ranked in 3 in the world.

Rory Mcilroy, Ludwig åberg, Akshay Bhatia (1:12 PM et Thursday)

Not many necessary explanations here.

Mcilroy is statistically playing the most complete golf of his career. He has already charged Wins at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass And you are currently playing the best golf in the world. This feels like Mcilroy masters wins, but he must eradicate his mental demons and finish the work on Sunday.

Åberg held the lead in the nine rear last year in its first masters. He feels destined to win a green, perhaps multiple jacket, at one point in his career.

Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson Dechambeau, Shane Lowry (1:23 PM et Thursday)

Dechambeau hit 393 strokes on the rank of Tuesday. He is scoring different driver heads while looking for the right one.

“For my speeds, it’s just so tedious and they have to be measured and so precisely determined,” Dechambeau said on Tuesday. “It is difficult; the production process is not easy. Onhe one of those where at the speed of my caliber, it must be super accurate. So, I am trying different heads to see how it reacts, how I feel, how it feels in my hands.

Augusta tortured Dechambeau until last year, where he held the lead with 18 holes and was tied to the lead of 36 holes along the way to a T6 end. Dechambeau would end the race in the PGA Championship before winning US Open at Pinehurst No. 2. He now has the game and experience to put himself in the mix every year in Augusta. However, that AGC education is still ongoing.

“I haven’t learned enough, obviously,” Dechambeau told Augusta National on Tuesday. “I can tell you that it has finally grown over time. Every year, I learn a little more about the winds and how it affects the golf ball in a certain hole or on a certain slope about a PIN location, just small things that continue to improve my knowledge about golf course.”

Jon Rahm, WynDham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood (1:34 PM et Thursday)

Rahm said on Tuesday that he thought his game was “unjustly judged” last year based on his poor performance in the main championships.

While he has fallen out of the best 70 in the official rankings of the world golf, Rahm remains a top 5-10 player in the world based on talent. The Spaniard is very aware of the narrative surrounding his big flops last season, and I am very interested in seeing what game he brings to Augusta National this year.

Clark, the Open Open 2023 champion, has a big big record outside a win at the Los Angeles Country Club. At the player championship this year, Clark talked about trying to rediscover the feeling and joy Play the golf for which he is capable. Can it be put into something in Augusta National, or will another gray box be added to its Wikipedia site?

Fleetwood is forced to win a major at one point. He remains one of the best ball strikers on the planet and has remained in diplomas over the years. I expect it to be in the mixture when the weekend rotates.