Last year we enjoyed maybe the most popular first-time winner of the Jacket since Phil Mickelson in 2004.
Rory McIlroy’s play-off win over Justin Rose was certainly one for the ages, a final day packed with more drama than the rest of the season combined, and with it a career Grand Slam.
We look ahead to six possible first-time winners around Augusta National, some of them multiple Major winners already, and two who are yet to break through.
Ludvig Aberg
It still seems ridiculous to reiterate this but the Swede has only played in two Masters. The first was a second place, four back of Scottie Scheffler, while last year he was a very unflattering seventh.
With two holes to play he was right in it at 10-under but then finished 5-7 to drop four shots. He’s made for this place, we know this much already, and his uncomplicated style, welcome pace of play and lovely nature would make a fantastic champion.
Bryson DeChambeau
Let’s not forget that DeChambeau was playing alongside McIlroy in the final group last year. After three rounds in the 60s he surprisingly buckled with a closing 75 as all the drama on the day seemed to unsettle him more than his playing partner.
Back in the day he stupidly commented that this was a par 67 for him, given his new-found length, but it’s only the last two years that he’s shown what he’s capable of here.
Sungjae Im
In 2020 Im and Cam Smith both shot 15-under and finished five adrift of Dustin Johnson. Otherwise the 27-year-old Korean has finished inside the top in three of his six starts.
Nothing to like about his form but he knows how to play the course, has great memories of the place, had four rounds under par in 2025 and would make for a great Butler’s Cabin.
Brooks Koepka
It seems silly to stick a five-time Major winner in as an outside but his price should reflect that. The former LIV player led after the first three rounds in 2023 but then made a mess of the final round as Jon Rahm ran away with it. Koepka explained that he had mentally let that one slip and promptly won the PGA Championship.
Would make for another good story for the 35-year-old – incidentally the same age as Rory last year.
Collin Morikawa
This will be his seventh Masters and he’s yet to miss a cut and his last five efforts have been inside the top 20. In 2024 he looked fairly feeble alongside the winner, Scottie Scheffler, on the Sunday but these are all learning experiences.
The win at Pebble this year, including a 62 on day three, showed his game is in perfect shape and the back problem that forced him to WD at Sawgrass shouldn’t be a concern come Augusta.
Xander Schauffele
If you had a free bet, then this would be a great place to use it. Schauffele’s wikipedia page is a sea of yellow with top 10s all over the place – at Augusta he has five of them in his last seven outings.
His two Major wins in 2024 mean he’s probably just about on track for a player of his talents. Made a great mid-round run at the 2019 Masters before running out of steam and he could be coming back into top form just in time.
The post Who could win their very first Masters? Six contenders to watch out for appeared first on Golf365.
Article Link: Masters 2026 predictions: Six prime targets chasing first Green Jacket