McIlroy Defends Title as Scheffler Targets Third Green Jacket in 91-Man Field

Rory McIlroy enters Augusta National as the defending champion after a sudden-death playoff win over Justin Rose, while Scottie Scheffler leads the field at 101-under par in majors.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Rory McIlroy returns to Augusta National Golf Club as the defending champion after securing his career Grand Slam with a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to defeat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff. McIlroy, who became the sixth golfer to achieve the milestone, faces a 91-man field while managing a back injury that previously forced him out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Despite a three-week layoff, he enters the week ranking 104th in strokes gained: putting at -.148, a significant drop from his ninth-place ranking prior to the 2025 Masters. He aims to become the first back-to-back winner since Tiger Woods achieved the feat in 2001 and 2002.

Scottie Scheffler enters as the betting favorite despite ranking 80th in strokes gained: approach at .080. The world No. 1 has not recorded a top-10 finish since a tie for fourth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Feb. 12, marking his longest drought in nearly four years. However, Scheffler holds the all-time major championship record at 101-under par, including a mark of 111-under since 2020. This performance is 45 strokes better than any other competitor in that timeframe. A victory this week would make him only the ninth golfer in history to earn three or more green jackets.

LIV Golf Stars and Major Contenders

Bryson DeChambeau arrives following back-to-back wins in the LIV Golf League. During last year’s tournament, he played in the final Sunday pairing with McIlroy but carded a 3-over 75 to finish tied for fifth at 7-under. DeChambeau and Scheffler are the only two players to remain inside the top 10 of the leaderboard after every round of the last two Masters. Meanwhile, 2023 champion Jon Rahm seeks his second jacket after winning a LIV event in Hong Kong on March 8. Rahm has recorded 13 rounds in the 60s since 2018, the most of any player in the field.

Xander Schauffele has secured five top-10 finishes in his last seven starts at Augusta. He recently placed solo third at the Players and tied for fourth at the Valspar Championship following a rib injury. Cameron Young enters with momentum after winning the Players, while 2018 winner Patrick Reed returns to the course where he is 39-under par since 2018, trailing only Scheffler’s 40-under mark. Ludvig Åberg, the 2024 runner-up, looks to rebound from a late collapse at the Players where he lost a three-stroke lead with nine holes remaining. Last year, Åberg was tied for the lead with two holes left before finishing bogey-triple bogey to fall five shots back.

Statistical Leaders and Injury Updates

Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open winner, currently ranks fourth on tour by hitting 69% of fairways. He recently ended a three-year winless drought at the Valspar Championship on March 22. Jordan Spieth maintains the lowest career scoring average in tournament history at 70.98 for players with at least 25 rounds. Although he hasn't won since the 2022 RBC Heritage, Spieth has finished in the top five in six of his 12 starts at this venue. Brooks Koepka, a two-time runner-up, ranks third on tour in strokes gained: approach at .913 but struggles on the greens, ranking 140th in putting at -.529.

Collin Morikawa’s status is impacted by a back injury that prevented him from competing in the Valero Texas Open. Since 2020, Morikawa has hit 264 fairways, the highest total in the field, and 291 greens, trailing only Scheffler. Defending FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood tied for third in 2024 and holds eight career top-10 finishes in majors, the most of any player in the field without a major title. Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 champion, has not recorded a top-10 finish at Augusta since his victory, though he recently tied for eighth at Pebble Beach.

Rising Stars and First-Time Participants

Akshay Bhatia, who turned 24 on Jan. 31, enters with three career wins including a recent playoff victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Robert MacIntyre, currently 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking, comes off a solo fourth at the Players. Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman are both making their Masters debuts after securing wins this season. Gotterup leads the field in driving distance at 319.9 yards, while Bridgeman leads the tour in strokes gained: putting at 1.339. They join a group of first-timers including Ryan Gerard, Harry Hall, Casey Jarvis, and Andrew Novak, attempting to become the first debut winner since 1979.

Justin Thomas is searching for form after missing the cut in seven of his last 12 major starts, though he recently tied for eighth at the Players following November back surgery. Conversely, Min Woo Lee has secured four top-12 finishes in his last five starts, ranking 10th on tour in strokes gained: total at 1.693. Past champion Zach Johnson, 49, recently won on the PGA Champions Tour and tied for eighth at Augusta last year with a third-round 66. In contrast, reigning U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun has missed four cuts in seven starts this season, ranking 159th in putting at -.875.