AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fifteen-time major champion Tiger Woods won’t tee it up in the 89th Masters because he’s recovering from a ruptured left Achilles tendon, but there are still plenty of storylines as the world’s best golfers descend on Augusta National Golf Club this week.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will try to join Jack Nicklaus (1963, ’65 and ’66) as the only golfers to win three green jackets in a four-year span. He can become only the fourth player in Masters history to win in back-to-back years; Nicklaus, Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Woods (2001-02) were the others.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy might have better form than Scheffler heading into the first major championship of the season. McIlroy will attempt to become only the sixth golfer in the Masters era to complete the career Grand Slam by capturing a green jacket. It will be McIlroy’s 11th attempt, and he’ll try to end a major championship drought of more than 10 years.
Those aren’t the only intriguing storylines in what promises to be a drama-filled week at Augusta National. For the first time in eight months, the best golfers from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League will be competing in the same field.
“[It’s] a week that we all cherish the most,” three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson said. “It’s the start of the major championship series. History is made there every year.”
Here’s a look at the 96 golfers in the field, from the guys who can win to those who are simply trying to make the cut.
While the anticipated duel between world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy would be high drama, other golfers like Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele are more than capable of making a Sunday charge. Here are the golfers with the best chances to slip on a green jacket Sunday.
Scottie Scheffler
After missing the first month of the season with a right hand injury, the world No. 1 golfer is heating up again. He tied for second at 19 under in his last start at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, one stroke behind Min Woo Lee. He gained more than seven strokes on the field in putting and was first in strokes gained: approach (4.512). Scheffler is still looking for his first victory of the season, but it would be difficult to pick anyone other than the golfer who has won two of the past three Masters.
Rory McIlroy
It almost feels like now or never for McIlroy to capture an elusive green jacket and complete the career Grand Slam. He had two victories before April (against loaded fields) for the first time and is playing some of the best golf of his career. With Scheffler and Schauffele still making their way back from injuries, McIlroy might be arguably the golfer to beat at Augusta National. The four-time major champion was still dialing in his driver and battling a sore right elbow in his last start in Houston.
Collin Morikawa
As Kyle Porter of Normal Sport noted on X, 10 of the past 12 Masters champions were gaining at least 1.7 strokes or better from tee to green in the three months before the first major of the season. Morikawa leads the tour in that statistic (1.999), as well as approach (1.190). The two-time major champion hasn’t won since October 2023, but it sure feels like his drought is about to end. He was tied for the lead after eight holes in the final round in 2024, but posted two double-bogeys in the next three holes. He tied for third at 4 under.
Jon Rahm
The 2023 Masters champion tied for 45th in his title defense last year, leaving many to question whether he was playing enough in the LIV Golf League to contend at major championships. He tied for seventh at The Open to squash those concerns. The Spanish golfer won twice in his first season with LIV Golf and was the circuit’s individual seasonlong champion in 2024. He had top-6 finishes in each of his first four starts this season. Rahm has five top-10 finishes in eight starts at Augusta National.
Ludvig Åberg
The former Texas Tech star hasn’t been fazed by much of anything in his first two seasons on tour. At last year’s Masters, he finished solo second at 7 under, four strokes behind Scheffler, in his major championship debut. Åberg was right in the mix to become the first Masters first-time winner since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 until he hit one into the water on No. 11, and Scheffler pulled away with three back-nine birdies. Åberg picked up his second PGA Tour victory at the Genesis Invitational on Feb. 16, then surprisingly missed the cut at the Players Championship and the Valero Texas Open. He nearly ranks outside the top 100 in strokes gained: approach and putting this season.
Bryson DeChambeau
It seems the golfing gods finally forgave DeChambeau for his ill-advised comments in 2020 about Augusta National being a par-67 course because he hits the ball so far. Last year, he was the 18-hole leader after carding a 7-under 65 in the first round, but he finished over par in each of the last three rounds. He tied for sixth at 2 under, by far his best finish in the Masters.
Xander Schauffele
Schauffele picked up his first two major championship victories last year, and he has been mighty good in the Masters with three top-10 finishes in his past four starts, including solo eighth at 1 under in 2024. After missing two months with an intercostal strain and slight tear in his cartilage in his right ribs this season, Schauffele might still be rounding into form. He tied for 12th in his last start at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, where he gained more than 11 strokes on approach.
Brooks Koepka
It’s a major, so the five-time major champion figures to be in the mix at Augusta National, where he has three top-10s in his past six starts, including tying for runner-up in 2019 and 2023. Two years ago, Koepka held the 54-hole lead but lost to Rahm by four strokes. He told LIV Golf ambassador Rick Shiels that he wanted a green jacket too much. “It’s easy to say it, right?” Koepka said. “But in the moment when you’re doing it, you’re like, ‘I want to win Augusta, I’ve always wanted to do this’ and you’ve got the opportunity — it’s right there in front of you. All you’ve got to do is finish 18 more holes, and I got so far ahead. And when you get so far ahead, you lose what’s going on and it just became a disaster and a snowball effect, and you’re just going down and down.”
Tier II: The guys who can win
Here are the legitimate contenders other than the top eight. They have the games, guts and nerves to handle four pressure-packed rounds on one of the most treacherous golf courses in the world.
Justin Thomas
JT nearly picked up his first PGA Tour victory in close to three years at the Valspar Championship, finishing second at 10 under. He had three other top-10s earlier this season and has climbed out of the darkness. Thomas missed the cut in his past two starts at the Masters but has every shot in his bag to get into contention.
Cameron Smith
The LIV Golf League captain has been relatively quiet the past two seasons — except for tying for sixth at the 2024 Masters. He finished in the top 10 in five of his past seven starts at Augusta National.
Tommy Fleetwood
Thanks to a final-round 69, Fleetwood tied for third in 2024, his first top-10 in eight Masters starts. He finished in the top 25 in his first five starts on tour this season.
Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton has enjoyed quite a stretch on the DP World Tour with six top-10s in as many starts since late September, including a win at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. The fiery Englishman seemed to exorcise his Augusta National demons by tying for ninth in 2024. Well, almost. After playing the par-5 15th hole at 4 over in four rounds, Hatton said, “That hole lives rent-free in my head. I hate it. I absolutely hate it.”
Jordan Spieth
Near the 10th anniversary of his 2015 Masters victory, there have been signs that the three-time major champion is close to breaking through after recovering from offseason wrist surgery. He missed the cut in two of his past three starts at ANGC, but has eight top 25s in 11 starts overall.
Joaquín Niemann
An 18-time winner around the world as a pro, Niemann has yet to crack the top 10 in 22 starts in majors. He tied for 16th and 22nd, respectively, in his past two starts at Augusta National. He has won twice in the LIV Golf League this season.
Hideki Matsuyama
The 2021 Masters champion captured his 11th PGA Tour victory in the season opener at The Sentry in early January. He has struggled mightily off the tee in 2025, hitting only 51.6% of fairways, which ranks 168th on tour.
Russell Henley
The former University of Georgia golfer grew up in Macon, Georgia, about 120 miles from Augusta. He picked up his fifth PGA Tour victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 9 and has tasted success at the Masters, tying for fourth in 2023.
Sepp Straka
Straka collected his third win on tour at the American Express in January and has one of the more underrated swings in the game. He has gotten progressively better at Augusta National, tying for 30th, 46th and 16th the past three years.
Viktor Hovland
The Norwegian was lost in golf’s wilderness until winning unexpectedly at the Valspar Championship. Was that an aberration or a sign that more wins are coming?
Min Woo Lee
The 26-year-old from Australia cooked up his first PGA Tour win at the Houston Open, beating Scheffler and Gary Woodland by one stroke. Justin Bieber even FaceTimed Lee after his big victory. He had top-25s in two of his three Masters starts.
Patrick Reed
The 2018 Masters champion’s lone victory since leaving for LIV Golf was at the Asian Tour’s Hong Kong Open in November. He always seems to be on the leaderboard at Augusta National, finishing in the top 12 all but once in his past five starts in the city where he attended college.
Justin Rose
The two-time Masters runner-up has played inconsistent golf this season, but he’s capable of warming up this week. He has top-25 finishes in 11 of the past 14 years at Augusta National.
Daniel Berger
Berger is playing very good golf again after a long recovery from a back injury. He had five straight top-25s on tour heading into the Texas Open. He hasn’t finished in the top 25 at the Masters since tying for 10th in his debut in 2016.
Keegan Bradley
The current “Captain America” who will lead the U.S. Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in New York in late September, Bradley cracked the top 25 in his past two Masters starts.
Robert MacIntyre
The Scottish golfer is back in the Masters for the first time since tying for 23rd in 2022. He won twice on tour last year and is ranked 17th in the world.
Will Zalatoris
Golf fans are still waiting for Zalatoris’ breakthrough after he missed much of the 2023 season because of surgery to repair two herniated discs in his back. He tied for ninth at the Masters last year, his third straight top-10 in as many starts. He ranked 130th in strokes gained: putting (-.226) heading into last week.
Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay posted consecutive top-25s in his past two Masters starts and in eight of the past 10 majors.
Shane Lowry
The 37-year-old Irish golfer has been in the mix a bunch this season — he was runner-up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and solo seventh at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. His high-water mark at Augusta National was a tie for third three years ago.
Maverick McNealy
McNealy’s stellar play this season — he tied for eighth at The Sentry and was runner-up at the Genesis Invitational — helped him climb to 16th in the world. It will be his Masters debut.
Harris English
The Georgia native picked up his fifth PGA Tour victory at the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 25. His iron play hasn’t been great this season, but he’s one of the best putters on tour.
Nicolai Højgaard
The 24-year-old from Denmark posted a 5-under 67 in his first Masters round last year and briefly held a share of the lead on Moving Day. He was undone by five straight bogeys on the second nine in the third round. He tied for 16th at 2 over.
Tier III: If everything goes right
Here are the sleeper candidates to slip on a green jacket. The list features past champions, rising stars and others whose games have been works in progress so far this season. Will it all come together at Augusta?
Wyndham Clark
The 2023 U.S. Open champion’s game has been up and down for much of the past two seasons. He withdrew from the second round of the Players with a neck injury, then tied for fifth in Houston with four rounds in the 60s. He missed the weekend in his first Masters start in 2024.
Sungjae Im
It has been feast or famine for Im in Augusta. He tied for second in his debut in 2020, eighth in 2022 and 16th in 2023. He missed the cut in 2021 and 2024.
Dustin Johnson
Does the 2020 Masters champion have something left in the tank for another run at a second green jacket? His results in the LIV Golf League weren’t great until he tied for fifth in Singapore. DJ’s best finish in a 2024 major was a tie for 31st at The Open.
Lucas Glover
The 2009 U.S. Open winner is coming off two of his best starts of the season: a tie for third at the Players and for eighth at the Valspar Championship. He hits fairways and is an above-average iron player, which is a good mix at the Masters.
Brian Harman
The 2023 Open Championship winner had been searching for his form for much of the season, until putting things together in San Antonio and winning the Valero Texas Open. He missed the cut in three straight Masters appearances (after tying for 12th in 2021).
J.J. Spaun
The 34-year-old is playing some of the best golf of his career and has climbed to 28th in the world. He was runner-up at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches and lost to McIlroy in a playoff at the Players.
Akshay Bhatia
The 23-year-old has already won twice on tour and tied for third at the Players at 10 under. He’s in the top 20 on tour in strokes gained: total (1.032) and ninth in putting (0.646).
Jason Day
Day’s last top-25 finish at the Masters was a tie for fifth in 2019. Augusta National officials are probably anxiously waiting to see his new threads from Malbon.
Adam Scott
A dozen years ago, Scott became the only golfer from Australia to slip on a green jacket. His last top-10 was a tie for ninth in 2017.
Tony Finau
Big Tone has been scuffling since tying for fifth at the Genesis Invitational, even missing a 2-inch putt at the Houston Open. He has struggled with his iron play — he was ranked 125th in strokes gained: approach (-.188) heading into last week.
Sahith Theegala
Theegala was solo ninth in his first Masters start in 2023. This season has been a struggle — he finished tied for 36th or worse in all but one of the nine starts in which he made the cut.
Thomas Detry
The former Illinois star, who is from Belgium, finished in the top 15 in each of his past three starts in majors — he tied for 13th in the 2023 Open Championship and for fourth and 14th at last year’s PGA Championship and U.S. Open, respectively. It’s his first start at Augusta National.
Matt Fitzpatrick
The 2022 U.S. Open winner has piled up three straight top-25s at Augusta National, including a tie for 10th in 2023. The past two seasons have been a challenge; he’s currently ranked 70th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He recently parted ways with caddie Billy Foster.
Tom Kim
The TGL superstar made the cut in his first two starts at Augusta. He tied for seventh at Pebble Beach, but his 2025 campaign has otherwise been too inconsistent so far.
Corey Conners
The Canadian golfer piled up three straight top-10s at the Masters from 2020 to 2022. His iron play hasn’t been as sharp as in recent seasons.
Chris Kirk
Kirk hasn’t been at his best yet this season, but he’s coming off back-to-back top-25s at Augusta National. His putting will have to improve to do it again.
Sam Burns
The five-time PGA Tour winner wasn’t around for the weekend at Augusta National in two of his three starts. He had back-to-back missed cuts at the Players and Valspar Championship, too.
Michael Kim
Kim is making his first Masters start since missing the cut in 2019. He made the field by finishing 50th in the OWGR after the Houston Open. He started 2025 ranked 155th.
Tier IV: Hey, miracles happen
They are the long shots. This tier includes past champions, a few players struggling with their form and a handful who are trying to crack the puzzle of Augusta National.
Davis Thompson
After a so-so stretch at the start of the season, the 25-year-old Georgia native is playing solid golf again — he tied for 10th at the Players. He’ll be making his first Masters start.
Cam Davis
The Australian golfer was in the mix after 36 holes last year but posted 73-75 on the weekend and tied for 12th at 1 over. He seemed ready to take off this season but missed the cut in each of his past four starts on tour.
Aaron Rai
Rai is making his first Masters start, but he has had success in majors, tying for 19th in the 2021 Open Championship and 2024 U.S. Open. He’s one of the best iron players out there.
Tom Hoge
Hoge is another solid iron player and is coming off a top-5 finish at the Players. His best Masters finish was a tie for 39th in 2022.
Billy Horschel
Will the former Florida star receive a hero’s welcome in Georgia after winning the inaugural TGL SoFi Cup with Atlanta Drive GC? He has made five straight cuts at Augusta National.
Denny McCarthy
If McCarthy’s putter warms up, he’s capable of making some noise and getting on the leaderboard. He tied for 45th in his Masters debut last year.
Taylor Pendrith
The Canadian golfer is making his first Masters start. He piled up three top-10s on tour this season, including a tie for fifth in Houston.
J.T. Poston
Poston made the cut in back-to-back starts at Augusta after a two-year hiatus. The three-time winner on tour has played steady but not spectacular golf this season.
Phil Mickelson
“Lefty” is the only golfer in the field who has won the Masters three times — and he tied for second with Koepka at 8 under just two years ago at age 52, setting the record for lowest round (7-under 65) and highest finish by a player 50 or older. Mickelson tied for 43rd last year.
Nick Taylor
Taylor won the Sony Open in Hawaii on Jan. 12 for his fifth PGA Tour victory but has struggled mightily in majors lately, missing the cut in each of his past nine starts in the big four.
Cameron Young
Young had back-to-back top-10s at the Masters, but his game has been a mess lately. He missed the cut in four of his past five starts heading into last week.
Sergio Garcia
The LIV Golf League captain is making his 100th career start in a major. His last top-10 was his 2017 Masters victory. He missed the cut in five of his past six starts at Augusta National.
Danny Willett
An unlikely Masters champion in 2016, Willett tied for 12th three years ago. Lightning could stroke twice.
Laurie Canter
Canter was the first former LIV Golf participant to qualify for the Players and missed the cut. He’ll make his Masters debut after making the field by being ranked in the top 50 in the OWGR.
Byeong Hun An
The South Korean golfer tied for 16th at the Masters last year, his second-best finish in a major.
Nick Dunlap
The 21-year-old missed the cut in all three majors he played last season and didn’t play on the weekend in his past three starts on tour. He’s more than capable of turning things around this week.
Rasmus Højgaard
A five-time winner on the DP World Tour, Nicolai’s twin brother is making his Masters debut.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Bezuidenhout, from South Africa, is one of the better putters on tour, but his iron game has been below average so far this season. He’s coming off back-to-back missed cuts.
Stephan Jager
The German golfer missed the cut in his Masters debut in 2024.
Matthieu Pavon
Pavon tied for 12th in his Masters debut, but he has struggled so far this season. His best finish was a tie for 42nd at the Cognizant Classic in nine starts on tour.
Adam Schenk
Schenk unexpectedly tied for 12th in last year’s Masters, but he missed the cut in four of his past five starts heading into last week’s Valero Texas Open.
Tier V: Happy to make the cut
They aren’t expected to be among the contenders unless something special happens. For various reasons, just being around on the weekend at Augusta National Golf Club would be considered a victory.
Max Homa
Joe Highsmith
Brian Campbell
Rafael Campos
Nico Echavarria
Austin Eckroat
Max Greyserman
Patton Kizzire
Thriston Lawrence
Matt McCarty
Davis Riley
Jhonattan Vegas
Kevin Yu
There will be many patrons pulling for Homa, the likable golfer who has struggled considerably on the course since he tied for third at Augusta National last year. Ranked as high as No. 5 in the world two years ago, Homa has slipped to 78th. He had missed four straight cuts heading into last week’s Valero Texas Open.
A handful of golfers on this list have won in the past six months — Highsmith (Cognizant Classic), Campbell (Mexico Open), Campos (Butterfield Bermuda Championship), Echavarria (Zozo Championship), McCarty (Black Desert Championship) and Yu (Sanderson Farms Championship) — but they’re making their first starts at Augusta National, which hasn’t been kind to first-timers over the years.
Riley is also playing the Masters for the first time. He had one withdrawal and four straight missed cuts to start the 2025 season but has turned things around lately.
Tier VI: Past champions
They’re competing this week because they won green jackets and earned the right to come back to play, but their days of competing for another major championship are behind them.
Ángel Cabrera
Fred Couples
Zach Johnson
Bernhard Langer
José María Olazábal
Charl Schwartzel
Vijay Singh
Bubba Watson
Mike Weir
It is expected to be the final start for Langer, the 1985 and 1993 Masters champion, who will be playing in the tournament for the 41st time. He was the first German golfer to compete in the Masters in 1982 and became only the third international competitor to capture a green jacket 40 years ago (Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros were the others).
Two years ago, Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, broke the tournament record for being the oldest golfer (63 years, 187 days) to make the 36-hole cut. The mark was previously set by Langer in 2020 (63 years, 78 days). Last year, Singh, the 2000 Masters champion, made the cut at age 61 and tied for 58th at 14 over.
Cabrera returns to Augusta National for the first time since missing the cut in 2019. The 2009 Masters champion served 30 months in prison in Argentina for domestic abuse against two of his partners.
Tier VII: Amateurs
They’re the new kids in the Crow’s Nest and the most talented (and most fortunate) amateur players in the world. They’re trying to do what Ryan Moore (tied for 13th in 2005), Matsuyama (27th in 2011) and DeChambeau (21st in 2016) did before turning pro by making the cut as amateurs.
Josele Ballester
Evan Beck
Justin Hastings
Noah Kent
Hiroshi Tai
In August, Ballester became the first Spanish golfer to win the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. A three-time All-American at Arizona State, Ballester is the fifth-ranked amateur golfer in the world. Sergio Garcia’s father, Victor, is his swing coach.
Kent, who was runner-up at the U.S. Amateur, transferred from Iowa to Florida in December.
Beck, a former Wake Forest golfer and an analyst for an investment group, captured the 2024 U.S. Mid-Am at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, to get a Masters invitation.
Hastings, from the Cayman Islands, won the Latin American Amateur Championship in Buenos Aires in January.
Tai was last year’s NCAA Division I individual champion with a 3-under 285 at the North Course at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, beating Florida State’s Luke Clanton and Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent by one stroke. The Georgia Tech junior will be the first golfer representing Singapore to compete in the Masters.
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