Masters week arrives. Here’s what everyone will talking about

Listen to the pundits make their forecasts that only Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will matter in the 89th Masters that begins Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club.

Think about that idea — that only two players in the field can win — then borrow comedian Jack Benny’s long pause before his signature exasperated response: “Well!”

Well, yes, the year’s first major golf championship could boil down to a Scottie-Rory show. After all, they’re 1-2 in the world rankings. But some of the other 94 guys competing just might muscle their way into the scenario.

With the dawn of Masters week, other elements in the equation call for consideration. Indeed, topics — some cogent, some not — abound that will invite speculation during the early-week practice rounds.

Is there an opportunity for professional golf’s adversaries — the PGA Tour and LIV Golf — to reach a peaceful settlement? How badly did Hurricane Helene really damage one of the game’s most treasured courses? Will the idea of limiting the distance a golf ball can carry ever gain traction? Who besides Rory and Scottie? On and on, questions come. Answers must wait.

Look at a few that will be in the spotlight at Augusta National:

Scheffler vs. McIlroy

Start with the topic on every tongue. Will the top two golfers in the world perform with such precision that the other competitors become a side show?

Scheffler, No. 1, will be seeking his third Masters title in four years, a feat so rare that only by Jack Nicklaus has reached that plateau. McIlrory, No. 2, will again be seeking the title that would give him the career grand slam, another feat so rare that only Tiger Woods has climbed that mountain since 1966.

Scheffler’s hand injury during the holidays slowed his return to competition, but he is rounding into form and tied for second in his last start. Most players would gladly accept his 2025 record, no questions asked, yet his seven-win 2024 season make this year seems rather ordinary.

McIlroy, meanwhile, arrives with two Tour wins, both in high-profile events, this year for his best PGA Tour start. Unlike Scheffler, Augusta National has been a mystery for him.

What about Jon Rahm?

Augusta National loves its champions, and Rahm took a place among the most popular with this triumph in the 2023 Masters. That will never change, but he mostly disappeared from the spotlight after his move to LIV Golf for 2024.

He fell flat in his title defense in 2024, vanishing from the leaderboard in the first round and struggling to a tie for 45th. His Masters scores zoomed from 12-under-par 276 and a win all the way to a 9-over 297.

In the other majors, he missed the cut in the PGA Championship and withdrew from the U.S. Open with a foot injury before earning a tie for seventh in the Open Championship.

Rahm battled Augusta history a year ago. Only three players have won back-to-back Masters. And there’s this: Since 2017, only Scheffler, in 2023, finished in the top 10 the year after earning the title. Plus, the ’24 Masters represented his return to PGA Tour-level competition since his move to LIV, creating more than the normal major championship pressure.

Will he be a factor again?

The Numbers Game

Referring to his own struggles to understand figures, Mark Twain popularized the adage that numbers can be misleading, saying, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” The thought pointed to the idea that statistics can be persuasive, even if used inappropriately.

So, which statistics are the most meaningful in looking at this year’s Masters?

Is a fast start a requirement to don the green jacket on Sunday? Well, one statistic making the rounds points out that the champion in recent years has averaged being in the top six after the opening 18 holes. Does that eliminate the rest of the field?

Is a player’s title hopes doomed by a double bogey? This one comes from Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, who says his research shows the champions over the past 25 Masters have made a total of six double bogeys. That’s six doubles in more than 1,800 holes, and the figure Chamblee believes will doom two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.

“His big miss ... gets him in trouble at Augusta National,” the analyst predicted.

What is the nationality of the champion? Before the quick and natural USA answer, consider the PGA Tour’s tournament results this year. In 15 events, only fiver U.S. players had hoisted the winner’s trophy — and none of them are named Scheffler, Schauffele, Thomas or Morikawa. Countries represented ranged from Austria to Australia, including six with European roots. And that means?

The impact of a hurricane

Hurricane Helene raced through the Augusta area and into the Carolinas in September, leaving unimaginable damage in its wake. And Augusta National Golf Club did not escape the storm’s wrath.

Long-time patrons will note some of the missing trees and perhaps try to figure out how many are gone. Otherwise, the landscape will be in its usual picture-perfect form.

Augusta National officials are good about that. Anything less would not be in keeping with the club’s traditions.

But will there be some unexpected nuances? There are four new greens — same contours, same grasses, etc. — but new greens take time to mature.

Will approach shots to the same places have the same results? Probably, if the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is an indication. Tee shots on the par-3 16th that landed on the correct plateau curled back to the “Sunday pin,” just like always. But perhaps there’s doubt.

The only difference McIlroy found in a practice round centered on fewer trees creating different shadow patterns on putts on No. 16.

Still, is there reason to wonder?

The Freshman Class

Well, every golf fan knows that experience is foremost at Augusta National. Only three players — Horton Smith in the inaugural Masters in 1934, Gene Sarazen a year later and Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 — have prevailed in their first start.

But there will be 21 newcomers to the tournament who hope to defy tradition. Ludvig Aberg darn near did last year, finishing second. Seven others, including Jason Day in 2011 and Jordan Spieth in 2014, have done the same through the years.

The most likely to make noise among the new guys are Maverick McNealy, 16th in the world ranking, Thomas Detry (No. 26) and perhaps Taylor Pendrith (No. 39).

Are there others?

And ...

Debate about the most important stretch of holes, 1-5 or the back nine. Remember, if things do not go well early, late won’t matter. ... And can Jordan Spieth, coming off wrist surgery, regain his masterful Masters magic. ... And consider the course’s length and wonder if a “short” hitter can win. ... And ponder why the tee shot on the par-3 12th creates such a riddle.

So many questions. So few answers. Whatever, excitement is in the air, and that’s the beauty of the Masters.

Masters TV, stream schedule

• Wednesday: Par 3 contest, noon, ESPN Plus; 2 p.m., ESPN
• Thursday: Round one, 3-7 p.m., ESPN
• Friday: Round two, 3-7 p.m., ESPN
• Saturday: Round three, noon to 2 p.m., Paramount Plus; 2-7 p.m., CBS
• Sunday: Round four, noon to 2 p.m., Paramount Plus; 2-7 p.m., CBS

This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.