Masters Preview

Cue up that iconic piano and prepare to watch hours of golf every day from Thursday to Sunday, because The Masters is finally here.

The first (and arguably most famous) major of the year brings some of the most dedicated or casual fans together to watch the magic unfold at Augusta National.

However, one of the toughest parts of watching is figuring out who to watch in the 95-golfer field and who will contend for the green jacket come championship Sunday, so this article will serve as a guide as to what players to keep an eye on throughout The Masters.

Who better to start with than last year’s champion and the Official World Golf Rankings best golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler?

Scheffler has won two of the last three Masters tournaments and will look to tie legends like Phil Mickelson and Gary Player with three victories at Augusta.

After starting the season injured, Scheffler hasn’t looked as dominant as last year, but a tied-for-second finish at last week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open shows that he’s ready for this week and a clear frontrunner for another win.

Speaking of past champions, Jon Rahm enters this year’s tournament looking for redemption after a rough finish last year, where he tied for 46th place. Rahm won the tournament in 2023 at -12 and joined the LIV Tour later that year.

To this point, Rahm has yet to win a LIV event in their schedule but has finished top 10 in each of those appearances. If Rahm can channel his 2023 success along with his solid play so far, he could return to the top of the leaderboard and notch his second win at Augusta.

This year’s field also contains other past champions such as Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and much more. The field isn’t just former winners, there are plenty of hungry golfers seeking their first victory.

The most prominent of those without a green jacket is Rory McIlroy. In his 18 years on tour, McIlroy has won every major except The Masters.

Every year, it seems like all of the hype is on McIlroy to finally break through and get his first Masters win, but he just never gets it done.

This year, however, could be different. McIlroy has won two events so far, taking victories in both the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players’ Championship.

He will also be seeking redemption after finishing tied for 22nd last year at the Masters, making winning his first green jacket and completing the major Grand Slam his primary focus this week.

When Rahm won in 2023, there was one golfer that contended with him up until the end on Sunday, where he finished tied for second place with Phil Mickelson. That golfer would be Brooks Koepka.

Koepka isn’t new when it comes to winning majors, as after his second-place finish at Augusta, he went on to win the PGA Championship, a major that he has won three times, along with winning the U.S. Open twice in his career.

Winning a green jacket would be a huge addition to Koepka’s resume, but he needs to hope that he can overcome his disappointing finish at The Masters last year.

Speaking of LIV Tour players that have won majors, Bryson DeChambeau is also looking for his first Masters win after his victory at the U.S. Open last year.

DeChambeau has had an interesting past with Augusta National, as after calling the notoriously hard course a par-67 in 2020, he finished tied for 34th.

After 2020, DeChambeau placed lower in 2021 than he did the year prior, then missed back-to-back cuts in 2022 and 2023. Last year, he finally broke through and finished tied for sixth.

DeChambeau has elevated himself to fan-favorite status, particularly after retracting his comments from 2020 and winning at Pinehurst last year. Don’t be surprised if he’s in contention on Sunday for the green jacket this year.

Another player who has become a fan favorite is Ludvig Aberg. The 25-year-old has already become one of the best all-around golfers on the PGA Tour and won the Genesis Invitational earlier this year.

Aberg impressed fans in a big way last year after finishing in second place in his debut at The Masters last year.

Now that he has some experience under his belt, Aberg has a great chance at joining Tiger Woods, Spieth and Scheffler as some of the youngest to ever get a win at Augusta National.

Min Woo Lee is another young golfer that fans should keep their eyes on throughout the tournament. He won’t necessarily go out and win it all this year, but like Aberg, fans believe he has the potential to win multiple majors throughout his career.

Lee just won his first PGA Tour event just two weeks ago at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and finished 22nd at last year’s Masters.

If Lee can use these finishes as momentum, he could end up with a top-10 or better finish that would set him up for a bright 2026 Masters appearance or even a green jacket this year if he plays his best golf.

With all of these storylines heading into the first round on Thursday, this is shaping up to be one of the most interesting and hyped up Masters tournaments of all time.

Dylan Sechrist is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dks5749@psu.edu.