Biggest Masters stories, Scottie and Rory’s chances

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in sports and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss the biggest Masters stories, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy’s chances, players who are trending and more.

Welcome to Masters week, where we won’t be seeing Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson, but we have plenty of other stories ready to unfold at Augusta National. What are you looking at?

Zephyr Melton, Associate Game Improvement Editor (@zephyrmelton): Is Scottie Scheffler’s downfall real? Or has his (relatively) poor play been a simple case of early season illness. If he struggles to find his form at Augusta – where he has had a successful boat – it may be time to start ringing the alarm bells.

Jack Hirsh, equipment editor (@JR_HIRSHey): That’s a good one Zephyr, I really like joining Justin Rose this week. He’s in his mid-40s now, but still, he enters this week as the No. 7 player in the world and the most recent runner-up at Augusta. It’s incredible to think he’s now missed two Masters playoffs. He pulled out of a layoff after his win at Torrey Pines with a T13 at the Players. Is this the week he gets a green jacket?

Josh Schrock, news editor (@schrock_and_awe): I second both above. Rose would be my top story, but I’m curious to see what Brooks Koepka has in the bag next week. His major record has been poor since his PGA Championship win in 2023, but he said he fixed a putting problem that has plagued him for two years and was playing good golf leading up to the MC in Houston. Is this the main one where Brooks Koepka emerges as a threat?

Which big name player’s recent form is trending or fading as the first major season of the year approaches?

Melts: I’m buying Ludvig Aberg’s stock going into Augusta. He’s been in great form of late, with three top 10s in his last three starts, and he has an excellent record at the Masters, albeit in a small sample size. I like Ludvig to be a factor this week.

Hirsh: Tommy Fleetwood is my pick for this week and I think his game is perfectly suited for Augusta National. What about his tendencies? He has finished in the top-10 in three of his five starts this season, and while he didn’t this weekend in Texas, he was in the mix heading into the weekend. I think this is his week.

Schrock: I’m buying Xander Schauffele returning as a big threat. After winning two championships in 2024, he was sidelined by a rib injury to start last year and never seemed to get his swing right. He has been playing well lately, with the irons on top. I think Rose wins, but I expect Xander to be a factor on Sunday.

Bryson DeChambeau won both of his LIV golf starts before the Masters, and he has finished in the top six in each of the last two years. Are you meaner to Bryson than ever before? And is he your top pick this week among LIV players?

Melts: With Rory and Scottie off to slow starts to their seasons, I’d say this is the most open the race for the green jacket has been in a few years – so why not Bryson? Hard not to like how on trend he is. It will all depend on how well he can control his distance to the irons.

Hirsh: Yawnnnnn, no. A LIV win just doesn’t hold much credibility for me. It was a good sign for Brooks a few years ago when he lost to Rahm, but I just don’t see Bryson winning at Augusta. Will it meet again? Maybe, but I just don’t see him winning.

Schrock: I agree with Jack. I have a hard time seeing it all together for Bryson at Augusta. He seems to have figured things out since his MCs in 2022 and 2023, but he struggled last year as he was unable to control the distance with his irons and he has talked about trying to “drive in” his wedges. I think Jon Rahm, not Bryson, is the LIV player in the mix at Augusta this week.

Are you getting a combination of Scottie and Rory, or the field? And why?

Melts: Field. Neither of the top two dogs has shown enough consistency so far this year for me to back them against the rest of the field. Does that mean they won’t win? Not necessarily, but the odds favor the field.

Hirsh: Field. Not because I don’t think Scottie and Rory won’t clash, but I’m not convinced Scheffler is comfortable with his driver based on when we last saw him (even though it’s been three weeks) and this is a pretty important club to win the Masters. Rory I expect a bit more at the moment but I don’t think either of them are in the form they have been in the last couple of years.

Schrock: I will take the field. Between Scottie’s iron game and Rory’s back problem, I think it’s more than likely someone outside the top two will take home the green jacket. I’m interested to see how Rory plays now that he’s finally surrendered the mount at Augusta. I think he objects, but repetition is a monumental task. I’m really not sure what to make of where Scottie’s game is right now and if the iron game is in Augusta shape.

Last year, we asked who needed a Masters win the most, with our panel agreeing it was McIlroy. Well, now that he’s won it, who’s next on your list?

Melts: Justin Rose. He had an arm on the green jacket twice, but couldn’t do it at all. Father’s time may be coming soon and his chances are running out. A green jacket for Rose might be more meaningful than for any other player on the court. (Plus, a swing that sweet deserves more than a resume highlight.)

Hirsh: Tommy Fleetwood. He was the best player in the world at the end of the year last season and he is still in great form in 2026. It’s time to take it big.

Schrock: Agree with Zephyr. It’s Rose. He has held the lead or co-lead at the Masters nine times after Rounds 1, 2 and 3. That is third all-time behind Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. He is -18 under in his last 10 Masters, which ranks seventh. Five of the six players ahead of him have won jackets during that span. It’s time.

What is your final opinion on the Masters division?

Melts: I think we’ll see a hole-in-one on Sunday no. 16 with the traditional funnel pin.

Hirsh: I think this is the year Alan Bastable wins the media lottery. Ever since Brooks Koepka asked him in a press conference if he had played the course, I have been dying to see it come true.

Melts: I second this move.

Schrock: Ten years after his collapse on No. 12, I think Jordan Spieth holds the 54-hole lead this year and we’ll have another memorable Sunday on our hands at Augusta National.