We’re already closing in on the first major championship of 2026.
Golf’s elite will descend on Augusta National in the second week of April seeking to add to their career achievements – or kick off their major-winning with a brand new Green Jacket.
How are the favourites for victory faring after two months of the year?
Let’s take a look.
Scottie Scheffler
The World No. 1 is a two-time Masters champion and he likes an even year having won in 2022 and 2024. He hasn’t done too bad in the odd years, either, finishing T10 in 2023 and fourth last year.
His major championship record is rather outstanding, too. In his last 22 starts in them, he has recorded 16 top 10 finishes and last year he won both the PGA Championship and Open to take his career total of wins to four.
So what of his form? His putting frailties have always been most apparent on Californian Poa Annua greens and so it has proved again in recent weeks. He’s also found himself tripped up on Thursdays – in his last three starts he was outside the 60 after the first round before improving to inside the top 12 by the end of the week.
He’ll need to rid himself of that habit to land a third Green Jacket.
Rory McIlroy
Only three golfers have ever successfully defended the Masters and it makes complete sense. Returning to the scene of any victory is time consuming in all sorts of way – dealing with the media, sponsors and other officials – but Augusta adds all sorts of pre-tournament functions that drain the energy, limit practice time and add distractions.
The best known of these is the Champions Dinner which requires the defending champion to first create the menu and then become the focus of attention.
His form has been so-so, improving when he stopped tinkering with his irons, returned to his old favourites and was then second in the Genesis Invitational. Better form in the coming weeks is to be expected, but the defending champion jinx is likely to continue. The weight of history is heavy.
Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau has impressively transformed his Augusta National record in the last two years. Before then he had recorded one excellent first round effort (a 66 in 2019 that briefly earned him a share of the lead) but had failed to record a top 20 finish in seven visits.
It didn’t help that he had told the world that the par for him was probably 66 yet he broke the actual par of 72 just four times in his first 24 laps of the course.
Then he was tied sixth in 2024 and tied fifth last year, on both occasions taking a genuine run at the title. But will memories of how he grabbed the lead on the second green of the final round last year and then promptly imploded linger?
His form had a boost at LIV Adelaide when he went into the final round in a top-of-the-leaderboard head-to-head duel with Jon Rahm. The pair were then caught and passed by a resurgent Anthony Kim.
He eventually finished third, his first top 10 anywhere since the Open last July. The next month should tell us much about his Green jacket aspirations.
Jon Rahm
There’s not doubting the consistency of the Spaniard – he’s logged 27 top 10 finishes in 28 starts at LIV Golf in the last two years and a bit.
But he’s lost the knack of winning there. In fact, you’d say it’s almost downright weird that four of his last five finishes on the rebel circuit have been second places.
Then there’s the matter of his efforts in the majors. Since winning the 2023 Masters he hasn’t added to his total and two majors doesn’t feel enough for a player of his quality.
To all this we can also add that he spurned the chance to build bridges with the DP World Tour last week. We don’t yet know why he rejected a recent offer from them (which Tyrrell Hatton, for example, took).
He might have good reasons, but he will also likely face questions about that relationship in the lead up to the first round at Augusta. If it’s not cleared up before then it’s a potential irritant.
The flipside is that he wouldn’t be the first Masters champion to use unwanted press questions to motivate him to victory.
Ludvig Aberg
The Swede has played in two Masters tournaments and impressed in both of them finishing second and seventh. His long driving, draw shape and towering irons have proved a neat fit with the requirements of Augusta National.
Long-term there is every reason to think that he will be a regular contender for the Green Jacket.
But in the short term he needs to show more than he has done so far this season. Illness has effected his performance but he’ll need to get over it and sharpen up between now and the start of April.
Tommy Fleetwood
The Englishman’s tied third in the 2024 Masters was his first top 10 finish at Augusta National and his eighth in all majors.
It is also the last time he contended in a major which is too long for a golfer of his quality. Following on from his victory in last year’s Tour Championship he ought to start contending again and he’s made a solid enough start to 2026 with top 10s at Pebble Beach and Riviera.
Xander Schauffele
With five top 10 finishes in his last seven starts at Augusta National Schauffle has proved he can play the Masters course. But last year he experienced something of a let down campaign after the glory of his two major wins the year before.
He’s been rebuilding the confidence and will seek to do so again between now and April.
It’s also hard to look past his astounding top 10 rate in the American majors: 14 of them in 26 starts.
Patrick Reed
Ahead of the 2018 Masters Reed had a best of T22 from four starts at Augusta National.
But in recent times he has rubber stamped his course suitability time and time again. In fact, he has finished T12 in five of his last six starts there.
He’s also opened 2026 in blistering style winning the Dubai Desert Classic and Qatar Masters either side of losing a play off in the Bahrain Championship.
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Article Link: Masters 2026: Ranking the top early contenders at August National