📈 Masters tiers: Ranking favorites, contenders

06.04.2026, 16:56 espn.com

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- For the first time in his career, Rory McIlroy will drive down Magnolia Lane this week as a Masters champion.

And, for the first time, McIlroy won't be carrying the burden of having never won a green jacket as he prepares for the first major championship of the season at Augusta National Golf Club.

Nearly a year ago, McIlroy made a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to defeat England's Justin Rose on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

With his long-awaited Masters victory, McIlroy became only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam.

"No, this is going to be the first time I drive down Magnolia Lane, and it's all going to be about enjoying my week," McIlroy said. "You know, enjoying the perks that come along with being a Masters champion: having a parking space in the champions' car park to using the champions' locker room. You know, hosting the dinner on Tuesday night.

"The thing is, I know I get to go back to the Masters Tournament for the rest of my life, and that's quite a freeing feeling."

Can McIlroy do it again? Will Scottie Scheffler find his groove and slip on a green jacket for the third time in the past five years? Or will a couple of LIV Golf stars, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, come out on top?

Here's a look at the 91 golfers in the field, from the guys who can win to those who are simply trying to make the cut.

Some folks might have questions about Scheffler's game heading into the Masters, but he's already won two green jackets and is still the best golfer in the world. Back problems have put McIlroy's chances of a repeat in doubt. Collin Morikawa was playing like one of the best golfers in the world before he hurt his back. Can DeChambeau's success in the LIV Golf League carry over to the majors? Here are the golfers with the best chances to slip on a green jacket Sunday.

Scottie SchefflerThe world No. 1 golfer has been fighting his driver in recent weeks, and he ranks 80th in strokes gained: approach (.080). He hasn't had a top-10 finish since tying for fourth in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Feb. 12 -- his longest drought in nearly four years (three starts in a row!). He skipped a start in Texas because his wife, Meredith, was due with their second child. And yet, he's still the betting favorite and would become only the ninth golfer to win three jackets or more. Scheffler is 101-under par in his major championship career, the best all time, including 111 under since 2020. He's 45 strokes better than any other player during that span, according to ESPN Research.

Rory McIlroyMcIlroy's form had been solid this year until a back injury forced him out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March. He was touch-and-go to tee it up in the Players, but got through 72 holes and tied for 46th at even par. His three-week layoff is tied for the longest of his career entering the Masters, according to ESPN Research. Last year, he joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win all four majors during the Masters era. He'd be the first back-to-back winner since Woods in 2001 and 2002. He'll have to improve his putting to win again. He ranks 104th in strokes gained: putting (-.148); he was ninth in that stat entering the 2025 Masters.

Bryson DeChambeauThe long-hitting DeChambeau won back-to-back events in the LIV Golf League and is playing some of the best golf of his career. He played with McIlroy in the final Sunday pairing in last year's Masters and carded a 3-over 75. He finished tied for fifth at 7 under. He has unfinished business in Augusta. He was inside the top 10 of the leaderboard at the end of each round in the past two Masters -- Scheffler was the only other golfer who did it.

Xander SchauffeleThe two-time major winner finished in the top 10 in the Masters in five of his past seven starts. He looks like he's finally recovered from a rib injury that derailed his 2025 season with a solo third in the Players and tie for fourth in the Valspar Championship. Since his 2018 Masters debut, Schauffle is tied for the most top-10 finishes with five.

Cameron YoungYoung is going to be a popular pick for the green jacket after he won the Players for the biggest victory of his career. His tee-to-green game suits Augusta National, where he already has two top 10s in four starts.

Patrick ReedWith his return to the PGA Tour coming this fall, it will be interesting to see what kind of welcome the 2018 Masters winner gets in Augusta, where he played college golf. Augusta National still feels like home -- he finished in the top 12 in five of his past six starts. Did we mention Reed has already won twice on the DP World Tour this year? He's 39 under in the Masters since 2018, which trails only Scheffler (40 under).

Ludvig Aberg Åberg was runner-up in the 2024 Masters and was solo seventh last year. He will have to recover from his late collapse in the Players, in which he squandered a three-stroke lead with nine holes to play. In last year's Masters, he was tied with McIlroy and Rose with two holes to play in the final round. Åberg, 26, finished bogey-triple bogey to finish 5 shots back.

Jon RahmThe 2023 Masters champion picked up his third LIV Golf victory in Hong Kong on March 8. For all the talk about him not playing enough golf to contend in majors, he finished in the top 10 in five of the past nine. Since earning his first top-10 finish in the Masters in 2018, "Rahmbo" has recorded five top 10s in eight starts while recording the most rounds in the 60s (13) of any player, per ESPN Research.

Tommy FleetwoodThe reigning FedEx Cup champion finished in the top 25 in each of his past two Masters starts, tying for third in 2024. Even though Fleetwood finished in the top 10 in three of his four starts in signature events this season, his putting hasn't been great. Fleetwood's eight career top 10s in majors are the most among players in this year's Masters field without a major title to their name, per ESPN Research.

Here are the legitimate contenders other than the top nine. They have the games, guts and nerves to handle four pressure-packed rounds on one of the most treacherous golf courses in the world.

Matt FitzpatrickThe 2022 U.S. Open champion won again at the Valspar Championship on March 22, his first PGA Tour victory in nearly three years. His ballstriking is world-class again and he's hitting 69% of fairways, which is fourth on tour.

Justin RoseRose, 45, will carry some scars to Augusta National after his painful playoff loss to McIlroy in 2025. But it was also evidence that the English golfer is still capable of winning a major. He has been a Masters runner-up three times in 20 starts.

Jordan SpiethSure, Spieth hasn't won since the RBC Heritage in April 2022. But the 2015 Masters champion has put together a number of good rounds this season -- and a few that knocked him out of contention. He finished in the top five in half of his 12 Masters starts. Spieth's career scoring average (70.98) is the lowest of any player in Masters history with at least 25 rounds played.

Sepp StrakaStraka won twice on the PGA Tour last season and tied for second in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Feb. 12. His putter will have to heat up this week if he's going to contend for a green jacket.

Brooks KoepkaKoepka's form has been so-so since he returned to the PGA Tour in January, but few golfers show up for the majors like "Big-Game Brooks." The five-time major winner is a two-time Masters runner-up, most recently in 2023. He ranks third on tour in strokes gained: approach (.913), but 140th in strokes gained: putting (-.529).

Collin MorikawaThe two-time major champion would have been among the top five favorites to slip on a green jacket Sunday -- until a back injury knocked him out of action. Morikawa hoped to return in last week's Valero Texas Open but wasn't ready. He finished in the top 10 in the Masters in three of his past four starts. Since 2020, Morikawa has hit the most fairways of anyone (264), while hitting the second-most greens (291), which is only behind Scheffler.

Hideki MatsuyamaMatsuyama's form wasn't great in recent weeks, but he lost in a playoff in Phoenix and tied for eighth at Pebble Beach earlier this year. He has been fighting his driver for much of the season. Matsuyama hasn't finished in the top 10 since becoming the first Japanese golfer to win a green jacket in 2021.

Russell HenleyThe former University of Georgia golfer will get plenty of support from the galleries this week. He tied for fourth in 2023, his only top-10 finish in nine starts. He's been one of the best putters on tour and his ballstriking is solid.

Robert MacIntyreBobby Mac has climbed to 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking and just finished solo fourth in the Players. The Scottish golfer will be making his fourth start in Augusta; his best finish was a tie for 12th in 2021.

Akshay BhatiaBhatia has already won three times on tour -- and he just turned 24 on Jan. 31. His playoff victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational was the biggest of his career. He made the cut in his first two Masters starts. His iron play and putting have been sublime.

Tyrrell HattonHatton's love-and-hate relationship with Augusta National is trending toward the former. The LIV Golf star tied for ninth in 2024 and for 14th last season.

Viktor HovlandHovland has just one top-10 finish this season and has fallen to 22nd in the world rankings. Still, he's capable of putting it together this week if he figures out how to hit fairways. Hovland tied for seventh in 2023.

Harris EnglishEnglish has scuffled a bit to start the 2026 season -- he hasn't finished outside the top 30 in the seven tournaments in which he made the cut, but hasn't finished inside the top 20. He tied for 12th in last year's Masters, his best finish in the major. He was runner-up in the 2025 PGA Championship and The Open.

Here are the sleeper candidates to slip on a green jacket. The list features past ch