Previews, predictions and how to watch as Rory McIlroy bids to make history at Augusta
Can Rory McIlroy make history and defend his Masters title? Here’s our full preview of the 2026 tournament at Augusta
Masters week is here again. The world’s best golfers prepare to navigate 72 holes of the most demanding, unforgiving and exciting course in the game.
The 90th Masters Tournament gets underway on Thursday, April 9, and for the first time in a very long time, the man who walks down Magnolia Lane as the defending champion is not steeped in history.
Rory McIlroy is the Masters champion. He is almost one year old. And now the question is whether he can repeat it.
The form suggests otherwise. Will players like Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick or Scottie Scheffler take his crown?
We’ve got answers to all your questions in our Masters 2026 preview, right here at 101GreatGoals.
McIlroy’s question
Twelve months ago, McIlroy completed a career Grand Slam.
After losing the lead on the 13th hole, he clawed his way back. He gave it again on the 18th. But he eventually won it in a sudden-death playoff, blasting a birdie putt to break Justin Rose’s heart in the process.
Now he’s back as the 36-year-old defending champion, and he’s chasing something only three men in Masters history have accomplished. Jack Nicklaus went back to back in 1965 and 1966. Nick Faldo repeated in 1989 and 1990. Tiger Woods did it in 2001 and 2002. No one has managed them since then.
McIlroy knows the script and went so far as to talk about it in the pre-tournament press conference.
“It will be my first time driving down Magnolia Lane and it will all be about enjoying my week, enjoying the benefits that come with being a Masters champion,” he said.
“I’ll be back in the Masters Tournament for the rest of my life, and that’s a great feeling.”
Anxiety, however, is form. McIlroy withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March with a back injury and tore through four rounds at The Players, finishing with a tied 46.
Since then he has not played. That three-week layoff heading into Augusta is tied for the longest of his career before the Masters.
His placement is also troubling. He is ranked 104th in career strokes gained. Last year, heading into his Masters victory, he was ninth in that field. You can’t win at Augusta without making putts.
Butch Harmon doesn’t panic. The coach who knows McIlroy better than most told Sky Sports he expects to see a more relaxed version of the Northern Irishman this week.
“I think because he won last year and got that off his back, I don’t think he’s going to be as strong as a lot of people think,” Harmon said. “He has the ability, the way he drives the ball, to take over the golf course.”
Scottie Scheffler is still the one to beat
Scottie Scheffler is a favorite. Almost always.
The world number one is a two-time Masters champion, having skated in the Blue Jacket in 2022 and 2024.
She missed the Houston Open entirely after the birth of her second child. He has not finished in the top 20 in his last three Tour appearances.
And yet the numbers still point to Scheffler at Augusta. His course history is exceptional, averaging 3.26 strokes per round at Augusta National throughout his career.
His short game and putting have really improved this season while his iron play has slowed down a bit. He won the American Express to open his 2026 campaign, turning a strong final round into a rout, as he is wont to do.
Rumors are growing that his game failed to reach a high level last season. But Woods had gone six tournaments without a win before his 2001 Tiger Slam. The best players have a habit of getting something when it matters most.
LIV Bill: DeChambeau and Rahm
A small piece that refuses to leave. LIV Golfers are unable to achieve world-class scores during their league events, yet two marquee names enter Augusta as true favorites alongside Scheffler.
Bryson DeChambeau is in frightening form. He won back-to-back LIV events in late March, including one in a playoff over Jon Rahm with a 3-wood from nearly 300 yards on a wet tee shot on the difficult 18th. Paul Casey described it as a shot almost no one in the world could pull off.
Rahm won in Hong Kong earlier this season and has pedigree, taking the Green Jacket in 2023. But history works a little against him.
That Augusta win is his only top-10 finish in his last four Masters. He was 45 in 2024 and 14 in 2025. A model that correctly predicted golf’s 16 majors gave Rahm a wide berth, suggesting he would not crack the top five.
No man has come close to winning a 72-hole stroke play event outside LIV in the three years since he joined the club’s tour.
Augusta is a different animal. The stress, the cutting, the weekend, the weight of it all, it’s unlike anything LIV can do.
Matt Fitzpatrick: Value Pick
If there’s a name being talked about in hushed but happy tones this week, it’s Matt Fitzpatrick.
The 2022 US Open champion born in Sheffield has had an amazing start to 2026. He started the year ranked 22nd in the world.
He is now fifth, the highest position in his career. He won the Valspar Championship in March, finishing with back-to-back rounds over the weekend. He was second in The Players. Seven cut from the beginning seven. Five top-25 finishes.
His batting is as clean as anyone in the game right now. Hits 69% of fairways, fourth on tour. On a course that rewards accuracy off the tee and requires accuracy with the irons, that’s very important.
All Forum
Xander Schauffele enters as a two-time major winner but hits badly. He missed the cut early in 2026, finishing 41st in his second event and ranked 76th in stroke: putting. He has missed more than the top five in his last four Augusta appearances.
Ludwig Aberg he finished second in the 2024 Masters debut. He is only 22 years old, hits the ball a long way and has the spirit to match. He’s a better bet than his relative obscurity among casual fans might suggest.
Tommy Fleetwood has been quietly leading the way in 2026, making 10 cuts in 10 starts as a pro at Augusta and posting top-10 finishes in all of the season’s signature events.
Justin Rose carries painful memories of last year’s playoff loss to McIlroy. The 45-year-old won at Torrey Pines earlier this season and is making his 21st Masters start. He is a three-time runner at Augusta and knows the course inside out.
Cameron Young he won The Players Championship at Sawgrass and enters Augusta with momentum and a growing belief that he can compete at the highest level in the majors.
It is also worth noting two that are missing. Tiger Woods will not play. He retired from golf following his car crash in Florida in January and a subsequent DUI charge.
It put a damper on what could have been another emotional Augusta week. Phil Mickelson also withdrew due to a personal family health issue.
How to watch Kings
The Masters starts on Thursday, April 9, and the final round will be held on Sunday, April 12.
UK viewers can watch all rounds live and only on Sky Sports Golf. Entries start at 2pm BST on Thursdays and Fridays, with a wider window opening from 6pm. Featured teams, Amen Corner and holes 4, 5 and 6 are all available on Sky Sports from Monday’s practice rounds onwards.
US viewers can be viewed on ESPN (Thursdays and Fridays) and CBS (Saturdays and Sundays). Masters.com hosts all tournament shots and is free to stream. Prime Video begins coverage early Thursday and Friday mornings. Paramount+ also broadcasts the action.
Masters 2026 Odds
(Odds accurate at time of publication, via Bet365)
| The player | Opportunities |
|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | 11/2 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 10/1 |
| Jon Rahm | 9/1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 11/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 14/1 |
| Ludwig Aberg | 14/1 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | 18/1 |
| Cameron Young | 18/1 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 20/1 |
| Justin Rose | 25/1 |
Prediction
Scheffler is a safe choice. You usually are. But the value is elsewhere.
Fitzpatrick enters this week in the shape of his life. His swing is world-class, his head is behind a year of rebuilding, and Augusta suits players who can shape the ball on both sides and attack the court with precision rather than brute force. It ticks all the boxes.
DeChambeau is a wildcard that can ruin anyone’s card. That back-to-back LIV victory was not against a soft field. When he’s in that gear on a Sunday afternoon, the leaderboard is tight and the pressure is high, he can do anything.
As for McIlroy, don’t dismiss him because his form seems to be faltering. He came to Augusta last year with back problems and questions hanging over him. He won. He is the defending champion. Now he drives down Magnolia Lane without the weight of history crushing him. That alone could be worth a shot or two.
Our pick: Bryson DeChambeau to win
