Ode to a Wide-Open Masters

As the final group strolled down the 18th fairway at TPC San Anton– ok, ok, fine. I’ll put my affinity for the Valero Texas Open aside and acknowledge that the results aren’t particularly important right now. Because we’ve made it. To the one week each year that transcends the golf bubble, whose theme song floods every fan with serotonin, and whose commercials fill every golf soul with unfettered glee. 

NBA superstar LeBron James appeared on an episode of Bob Does Sports a few days ago, showcasing and discussing his newfound passion for golf. James said this will be the first year he will be invested in watching the Masters. No word on his interest level in the Valero. 

LeBron James isn’t a perfect proxy for fan interest, but it’s clear that with each passing year, the Masters climbs higher and higher on the list of the world’s greatest sporting events. It is the connective tissue, singular in its gravitational pull, that brings together hardcore fans, casual viewers, and even those with very little interest in golf. And after a long 11-month wait, it is finally on our doorstep. 

You may already feel overwhelmed by the avalanche of content to chew through between now and Thursday. But if you are in the market for something to get you in the Masters spirit, Every Hole with Rory McIlroy on the Masters YouTube channel receives my highest recommendation. Watching McIlroy recount one of the wildest final rounds in tournament history is soup for the golf nut’s soul. The perfect table-setter for the week. 

The prevailing narrative entering this year’s tournament is that it’s as wide open as any in the past few years — a narrative that’s well-founded. At the risk of overstating Scottie Scheffler’s recent struggles, it’s fair to say the form at the top of the world rankings is flatter than in years past. In the world No. 1’s last three starts, he lost his streak of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes at the Genesis Invitational (T-12), followed by a T-24 at the Arnold Palmer Inviational, and a T-22 at the Players Championship. Three straight underwhelming results — relative to his standards — plus the recent birth of his second child make for a less-than-ideal lead-in to a tournament he typically dominates when firing on all cylinders. 

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The last time we saw Rory McIlroy, he was questionable to tee it up at the Players due to a back injury sustained the prior week at Bay Hill. He finished T-46 and hasn’t competed since. He looked sharp in his starts preceding Bay Hill, but there are more questions surrounding his form and health than there were 12 months ago, when entered the Masters on the heels of two high-profile wins. 

Jon Rahm hasn’t finished outside the top five in his five LIV Golf appearances in 2026 and will be one of the trendiest picks in the field. There’s a strong case that the 2023 champion is playing as well as anyone, and a stout track record at Augusta National only emboldens the case for Rahm. 

Bryson DeChambeau hasn’t been beaten in his last two events, a pair of LIV Golf wins in Singapore and South Africa. Accordingly, his Masters odds have shortened significantly while Scheffler’s odds have drifted towards the pack. Xander Schauffele is coming off his first consecutive top-five finishes since 2024 — a season in which he won two major championships. Ludvig Aberg contended late again at the Valero, his third straight event in the mix. With a top-10 finish this week, the Swede would become just the fifth player ever to record top 10s in each of his first three Masters starts. Players champion Cameron Young, Valspar champion Matt Fitzpatrick, the list of legitimate contenders goes on. 

The 2026 Masters winner will likely be a top player who arrives in Augusta striping the golf ball, someone who probably has already won or contended multiple times this year. Not because it checks a box of recent Masters winning trends (can we put a moratorium on those?), but because it reflects the sharpness of players’ games. If you haven’t been sharp leading into this tournament, the odds of finding it here are slim. As 1935 Masters champion Gene Sarazen once said, “You don’t come to Augusta to find your game. You come here because you’ve got one.” 

This week, we’re going to find out who does. This week, we’ll watch the best players in the world attempt to conquer one of the most volatile back nines in golf under the heaviest pressure the sport can summon. A mostly dry forecast calls for a potentially firm and fast Augusta National, arguably the greatest canvas in the game. All signs point towards a compelling, competitive tournament to kick off the major season. 

It only comes around once a year. And now, it’s here. Welcome to Masters week.