The 89th Masters begins Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club with defending champ and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler headlining the 95-player field. Post-Gazette golf writer Gerry Dulac ranks the contenders, players to watch and predicts the winner of golf’s first major.
Contenders
Scottie Scheffler — Won the green jacket two of the previous three years
Rory McIlroy — This is his best shot at completing golf’s Grand Slam
Ludvig Aberg — Runner-up last year in Masters debut, winner this year?
Jon Rahm — Former Masters champ back playing where he desires
Shane Lowry — Strokes gained numbers are great; putting is not
Jordan Spieth — Nobody has a better career scoring average at the Masters
Justin Thomas — Getting close to regaining his old form
Collin Morikawa — Two-time major champ was third here last year
Bryson DeChambeau — Reigning U.S. Open champ was sixth in 2024
Patrick Cantlay — Best to never win a major?
Brooks Koepka — Do not forget: five majors, two Masters runners-up
Xander Schauffele — Two-time 2024 major champ trying to find his way back
Viktor Hovland — Four top 10s in his last nine major starts
Robert MacIntyre — Scotland’s only Masters winner was Sandy Lyle in 1988
Hideki Matsuyama — 2021 Masters champ has eight top 20s at Augusta
Russell Henley — Bay Hill victory among his four top 10s in 2025
Tyrrell Hatton — His temper overshadows his No. 8 world rank
Tommy Fleetwood — If the Englishman could only putt when it matters
Players to watch
Joaquin Niemann — No. 1-ranked LIV player with two wins in five events
Sepp Straka — Second behind McIlroy on FedEx Cup points list
Min Woo Lee — Finally a PGA Tour winner
Akshay Bhatia — Second Masters appearance; tied for third at Players
Corey Conners — Three top 10s in seven Masters starts
And the winner is ...
Rory McIlroy. This is the first time he enters the Masters with two wins on the season already. A Rory-Scheffler duel is what everyone wants to see — and could get.
First Published: April 9, 2025, 8:00 a.m.
Updated: April 10, 2025, 4:03 p.m.
