The Green Jacket Race Begins

With the azaleas in bloom and Augusta National polished to its annual perfection, the 2026 Masters Tournament kicks off on April 9 — and for the first time in years, the top of the world rankings is exactly where most expect the winner to come from. Scottie Scheffler arrives as the clear favourite at 5/1, the consensus world No. 1 and a man who has made Augusta his second home.

His nearest rival in the betting and on the course? Rory McIlroy, the 2025 Masters champion and a player who now carries his Green Jacket with the ease of someone who always knew it was coming.

Scheffler: The Man to Beat

Scheffler withdrew from the Texas Children's Houston Open this week — the final full-field event before the Masters — ahead of the birth of his second child. He does not need a Houston tune-up. He will arrive at Augusta rested, healthy, and fully dialled in.

The Texan has been the dominant force in world golf for two years running. His ball-striking is virtually peerless, and Augusta's demands of precise iron play into elevated greens suit him perfectly. He won here as recently as 2024 and knows every undulation on those bent-grass putting surfaces.

McIlroy: Champion With Nothing Left to Prove

For most of his career, Rory McIlroy's Augusta story was one of near-misses, Sunday collapses, and what-ifs. That changed in 2025. The Northern Irishman's Masters victory completed the career Grand Slam and lifted a weight that had bent him for over a decade. He arrives in 2026 as defending champion — loose, liberated, and dangerous.

The Chasing Pack

Cameron Young is riding the form wave of his career. His victory at The Players Championship last week — a closing 68 that included a 375-yard bomb on the 72nd hole — announced him as a genuine contender on the biggest stage. Matt Fitzpatrick, runner-up at Sawgrass, bounced back immediately to win the Valspar Championship at -11 (273), confirming the Englishman's Augusta suitability: precise, methodical, and ice-cold under pressure.

The Tiger Question

No Masters preview in 2026 is complete without the uncomfortable footnote of Tiger Woods. On March 27, the 50-year-old was arrested on suspicion of DUI on Jupiter Island, three days after competing in the TGL Finals. A breathalyzer returned 0.00 — no alcohol — with authorities believing medication was the cause. No statement has been issued. Whether Woods will attempt Augusta, as he has done against all physical logic in recent years, remains unanswered. This year, that silence feels heavier than usual.