2026 Masters Preview: Players, Storylines to Watch at Augusta National

A Clean Championship Canvas

By Andy Johnson

The weather for the 2026 Masters is idyllic. I don’t want to jinx it, but for the first time in years, rain is not a part of the forecast, and the dry week will allow the green jackets to dial Augusta National up to their exact preference.

In recent years, we have seen the Masters favor a firm setup whenever the weather cooperates. Augusta National delivers supreme cinema under these conditions because it makes the golf course extremely exacting. A skill that comes to the forefront is the ability to hit towering iron shots. The precision required to find the small pockets and shelves on Augusta’s greens will be immense. Expect the cream to rise to the top and one of the PGA Tour’s top-tier iron players to separate from the pack this week.

Scottie vs. Uncertainty

By Joseph LaMagna

Scottie Scheffler enters this year’s Masters with more uncertainty surrounding the state of his game than in recent trips. “I don't know. I try not to look too far in the past, I try not to look too far in the future. For me to think about that, that would take a little bit of work, which I don't want to do right now,” Scheffler joked when asked how his form compares to previous Masters lead-ins. Quintessential Scheffler simplicity.

The world No. 1 has many strengths, but one of his biggest superpowers is maintaining as uncluttered a mind as one of the best golfers in the world can have. Well, that and club face control. But despite what Scheffler might say from behind a microphone, you’d have to imagine that his mind is a little more cluttered than it has been historically. The clubface control has been a little shakier, too.

His last three starts — T-22, T-24, T-12 — have shown less dominance than we’ve come to expect. In earlier starts this season he was uncharacteristically prone to mistakes. He also hasn’t played in competition in nearly a month and welcomed his second child during that time.

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And yet, it’s still Scottie Scheffler. A two-time Masters champion. A two-time major winner last season. The only player to record a top-10 finish in each of the last four Masters. Augusta National suits him perfectly, especially in forecasted firm, fast conditions that identify the best ball-strikers and short-game specialists. Perhaps by the time Sunday evening rolls around, he’ll have proven any skepticism foolish. But for a player we’ve grown accustomed to calling inevitable, the sense of inevitability doesn’t feel quite as strong this week as it has before.

LIV Golf, Present and Accounted For

By Brendan Porath

Speaking of his decision to leave LIV Golf, Patrick Reed said on Monday at the Masters that he “wanted to get back to the traditional way of golf,” and that he “wanted that adrenaline back, and those feelings.”

There is no more traditional way of golf than the Masters. There’s even a slogan about it on the broadcast. If LIV was not approximating that for Reed, that only makes the arrival of two of the league’s heavyweights, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, back to a main event stage all the more interesting.

With the Rory question resolved in 2025, the two most important case studies for this Masters center on players who aren’t even on the PGA Tour. A few years ago, the thought would have been enough to have many at the PGA Tour crying into the moat surrounding its HQ.

But what do we make of DeChambeau and Rahm, who smart money has coalesced around at the Masters? The recent injury to Rory and the recent un-Scottie-like (still very good, not great) run by Scheffler have opened up even slightly more room for these two elite talents. We have some data from their global jaunt so far on LIV, but it’s not much of a measuring stick against the majority of players in this field. These players are essentially off the stage, winning events in far-flung corners of the world that wow the crowds on the ground and their base on the internet. But it leaves us with little else, making these major weeks so critical and pressurized.

Rahm enters this week in much better form than last year, and maybe extra motivated by irritation from his spat with the DP World Tour. Bryson’s never-ending pursuit of perfect equipment notwithstanding, he seems to have cracked an Augusta code in recent years to at least be in contention as opposed to cut. But the last time we saw him at the Masters, he was a mess trying to control his distance to get across the line, and real questions about his short game, a must around Augusta, relative to his elite peers remain.

DeChambeau is the most recognized, and maybe even popular, possibility for a new green jacket winner. Rahm seems to be the most common pick to win, for very good reasons. It seems likely that one, if not both, will be present and accounted for late on Sunday.

Whiparound Stoylines to Watch

By PJ Clark

Rory McIlroy

“I think for the past 17 years I just could not wait for the tournament to start, and this year I wouldn't care if the tournament never started,” McIlroy said on Tuesday. Unfortunately for him, the tournament is starting Thursday. He’ll attempt to go back-to-back, perhaps free as he’s ever been at Augusta.

Scottie Scheffler

The world No. 1 could become the ninth player to win three green jackets and the first to do so since Phil Mickelson in 2010.

Jon Rahm

Rahm seemed to question his own 2023 Masters win on Tuesday, citing the rainy and cold weather that week as something of a different golf course. Now comes his elite talent on a firm golf course, which will be must-see.

Bryson DeChambeau

The Most Interesting Man in the Field is at it again, saying it’s all about the equipment this week for him. After sputtering in last year’s final pairing, will Bryson have his biggest Augusta moment since playing frisbee with Dude Perfect on YouTube?

‍Patrick Reed

Reed is teeing it up (competitively) in the United States for the first time since August! Already a two-time winner on the DP World Tour in 2026, the 2018 Masters champion is back on home soil and looking to make a statement ahead of a 2027 return to the PGA Tour. His skill set is extremely well-suited for display at ANGC.

Xander Schauffele

Scheffler may not be the only player gunning for the career Grand Slam at Shinnecock later this year. Schauffele enters the Masters off back-to-back top-four finishes and has three straight top 10s at Augusta National. For one of the best major players in recent memory, this could be the week he finally checks off the third box.

Ludvig Aberg

As Andy mentioned on the Fried Egg Golf Podcast with Brad Faxon, four players have finished in the top 10 in each of their first three Masters appearances. After finishes of second and seventh, Aberg seeks to become the fifth name on that list. It hasn’t been pretty as of late with the lead on weekends, but he continues to find himself in positions to win tournaments. That counts for something.

Cameron Young

Speaking of an Aberg collapse with the lead on a weekend, Young enters the 2026 Masters as the number three-ranked player in the world. He hasn’t played since his win at TPC Sawgrass, but Young has two top 10s in four Masters appearances, and his six major top 10s since 2022 are the most for a player without a win. Can the PGA Tour’s Mr. 1,000 become the 58th player to win the Masters?

Brooks Koepka

Koepka has five major championships, but a green jacket eluded him throughout his dominant 2017-2019 run. He came close in 2019, losing out to Tiger Woods, and blew a two-shot lead entering Sunday in 2023. Now back on the PGA Tour after a stint as the captain of Smash GC, Koepka finds himself in a tie with McIlroy on the all-important major championship leaderboard.

Tommy Fleetwood

Fleetwood arrives at the 2026 Masters with a few new notches on his belt. He has won a PGA Tour event*. He played a key part in a road Ryder Cup victory for Team Europe. And to top it all off, Fleetwood even has a brand new hat sponsor! He’s finished in the top 10 four times this year but hasn’t put four rounds together to secure a second victory in America. Winning the Masters would put any remaining questions about Fleetwood’s ability to win to bed.

*This event was against 28 other players with no cut.

Justin Rose

A two-time Masters playoff loser, Rose is playing some of the best golf of his storied career at age 45. He ran away with the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines earlier this year and seems to be saving the remaining gas in his tank for the big events on the calendar. A top ten at the Players was a sign that the old lion is still licking his chops (and his wounds), ready to add a second major championship to his already impressive resume.

Matt Fitzpatrick

At this time last year, things seemed bleak for Fitzpatrick. Perhaps motivated by the threat of missing out on the Ryder Cup, he rallied late in the summer to secure a captain’s pick, won at Bethpage, and has continued that momentum into 2026. Fresh off a win at the Valspar and a close call at the Players, Fitzpatrick brings major-winning experience to his 12th Masters.

Jordan Spieth

Could you believe that Jordan Spieth did not have a formal press conference at Augusta this week? According to the man himself, he wasn’t even asked. Quite the fall from being oh-so-close to back-to-back wins at the Masters 10 years ago. He knows this course and he’ll linger around, but Spieth in contention would bring some serious juice to the grounds this weekend.

Collin Morikawa

After withdrawing from the Players with a back injury after his first hole of the tournament, Morikawa has not played a competitive round since. He walked the second nine with a star-studded group on Monday but would only chip and putt, declining to make any type of full swing. He says he’s taking things day by day and expects to give it a go this week.

No Tiger Roars

Tiger will not be in attendance at Augusta this week in any capacity, but that hasn’t stopped players from being asked about his absence. Some, such as Fred Couples and Jason Day, gave enlightening answers. Others, like 26-year-old Jacob Bridgeman, did their best in an odd situation.

First-Timers

Speaking of Bridgeman, the FedEx Cup No. 1 co-headlines an accomplished group of Masters debutants. Bridgeman and Chris Gotterup each have already won this season, Ben Griffin won three times last year and added two major top 10s before making the U.S. Ryder Cup team, and Marco Penge was a three-time winner on the DP World Tour in 2025.

Picture Perfect

There couldn't be a better weather forecast for this week in Augusta. With no rain projected, we should see the golf course in totally dry conditions for the first time since 2021. Those conditions are already impacting play and it’s only Wednesday. Things are firm and fast in the fairways, meaning the course should play shorter than its scorecard length. Expect more putters being used around the green than in recent years… or drivers, if you’re Aldrich Potgieter.