The Masters 2026 preview, picks & analysis

Rory McIlroy returns to the scene of his greatest golfing triumph as he begins the defence of his Masters title this week. It was a hugely emotional victory that reduced many onlookers to tears 12 months ago.

The Northern Irishman had gone close so many times and he admitted that he was starting to wonder if he would ever win at Augusta.

So can he join a pretty elite club by successfully defending the title? The odds are heavily stacked against him. Only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have previously achieved it. And, in truth, his form thus far in 2026 has not been great. He also looks underprepared, having not competed since The Players.

It goes without saying that Scottie Scheffler will once again start the tournament as a warm favourite. Despite already ticking off one tournament success in 2026, the truth is that his form has been pretty patchy, but this is a golfer who is capable of winning majors with his B-game. Whether he can achieve that at Augusta National is open to question. This is a golf course where you simply must hit the ball in the right place on both fairways and greens. And nobody wins The Masters without putting well. 

After back-to-back LIV wins, there is also going to be a lot of noise around Bryson DeChambeau. That he is in form is beyond doubt but I seriously question whether the quality and difficulty of the courses he has won on this season are seriously going to help his preparation for The Masters. The big-hitting American is a big-time player but I question whether he has the patience to pick up a Green Jacket.

I don’t fancy either McIlroy or Scheffler this week and believe the winner is going to come from Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm or Jordan Spieth. 

I know that many of you will raise your eyebrows at the suggestion that Spieth could be a contender but he has been quietly going about his business this season and is finally driving the ball better. You don’t need me to tell you that when his putter is on fire he can hole outrageous putts for fun - and, crucially, he has a wonderful record at Augusta. 

Aberg is only playing here for the third time. He was second to Scheffler in 2024 and only finished seventh last year because of a final-hole disaster. There will be concerns about his final-round meltdown at The Players but if you put aside the four-hole stretch where he struggled there was a great deal to admire. He is a fabulous ball striker, has a wonderful temperament and is a superb putter. In other words, he is a Masters champion in waiting. He also arrives here in form after playing well at the Texas Open. And the same applies to Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who has also hit top form at exactly the right time - and is one of the best putters in the world.

By his own admission, Schauffele had a poor 2025. The previous year he took his game to a new level by winning the US PGA and The Open and climbed to second in the world rankings. Last year he had some injury problems and struggled for consistency. But after a sluggish start he is beginning to show some excellent form and was almost back to his very best at the Valspar. At his best, Schauffele is a player who doesn’t make mistakes and possesses patience in abundance - two prerequisites for success at Augusta. 

I remain disappointed with Rahm’s intransigent stance against the DP World Tour but there is no getting away from his level of consistency - he has yet to finish outside the top 10 in any LIV event. His recent major form has been poor but the signs are that he is back to his very best and he knows what it takes to win here. 

And then there is Fleetwood, Having finally won his first PGA Tour title, he now carries the moniker of best player not to have won a major. The Englishman has every shot in the book. If there is a weakness it is his putting but if he can put that right this week he is guaranteed to be in the mix.

Famously, the only debutant (since the first two editions of the tournament) to win is the late Fuzzy Zoeller but there are some first-timers who will head to Augusta with genuine hope this week, most notably Chris Gotterup, Casey Jarvis and Marco Penge.

Gotterup’s rise has been meteoric. He won the Scottish Open last July, contended at The Open and has already won twice this year. He is impressive in everything he does and is surely a live contender. And the same applies to Jarvis, a back-to-back winner on the DP World Tour this year and a golfer who is beginning to look like the real deal.

Penge is going to have to rein in his attacking instincts if he is to make an impression but he definitely has the game to do well here. The thing that may catch him out is Augusta’s notoriously fast greens. Masters veterans will confirm that you simply have to find the right places with your approach shots if you are to have any chance of scoring well.

After finishing second at The Players and then winning the Valspar the following week, England’s Matt Fitzpatrick will start as one of the favourites this week, and is full of confidence. He said: "I’m obviously very confident in my game right now but what it takes to win a major is very different to what it takes to win on the PGA Tour. Particularly the Masters, there’s extra pressure on the Masters, no matter who you are. It just has that standing above all the other events.

"There’s stuff that I still want to work on. I want to make sure that I’m ready for when I get to Augusta to be ready to play and be ready that Thursday morning. So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to that week."

Recent history augurs well for Fitzpatrick. Starting with Scheffler's first Green Jacket victory in 2022, each Augusta champion has brought winning form to the year’s first major.

Last year McIlroy claimed trophies at Pebble Beach and the Players Championship before adding a tie for fifth at the Houston Open in his last appearance before the Masters. A year earlier Scheffler won at Bay Hill, the Players and added a runner-up finish in Houston. Rahm was a three-time winner in the months prior to his Masters victory in 2023. And when he started the trend in 2022, Scheffler had won at Bay Hill and the WGC Match Play before dominating amid the famous cathedral pines of Georgia in the second week of April.

The Course:

Augusta National has been extended to 7,510 yards and is a par 72. It is one of the most beautiful golf courses on the planet, famous for its slopes, water hazards, well-placed bunkers and lightning-fast putting surfaces.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by Jordan Spieth, in 2016 by Danny Willett, in 2017 by Sergio Garcia, in 2018 by Patrick Reed, in 2019 by Tiger Woods, in 2020 by Dustin Johnson, in 2021 by Hideki Matsuyama, in 2022 and 2024 by Scottie Scheffler, in 2023 by Jon Rahm and last year by Rory McIlroy.

Form Guide:

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will start as favourites but they look undercooked to me. Tommy Fleetwood has been going quietly about his business and I have a feeling this could be his week.

Prize Money:

The total prize fund is $20m, with the winner collecting $3.6m and 600 FedEx Cup points, as well as a lifetime exemption into the Masters Tournament.

How to Watch:

Monday, April 6, On The Range, Sky Sports Golf, 5pm; Live from the Masters, Sky Sports Golf, 7pm; Tuesday, April 7, Live from The Masters, Sky Sports Golf, 2pm; Wednesday, April 8, Live from The Masters, 2pm, Sky Sports Golf, Par-3 tournament, Sky Sports Golf, 7pm; Masters Preview Show, Sky Sports Golf, 10pm; Thursday, April 9, Friday, April 10, Sky Sports Golf, 2pm; Saturday, April 11, Sunday, April 12, Sky Sports Golf,4.30pm.

To Win:

Tommy Fleetwood. Augusta is made for him

Each Way

Ludvig Aberg. Third time lucky?

Each Way:

Matt Fitzpatrick. Back to his very best

Five to Follow:

Tommy Fleetwood. Has every shot in the book

Ludvig Aberg. Wonderful temperament

Matt Fitzpatrick. Ready for second major win

Xander Schauffele. Finding top form again

Bryson DeChambeau. Impossible to ignore

Five Outsiders to Watch:

Casey Jarvis. Having a wonderful season

Marco Penge. Could be fun

Tom McKibbin. Wonderful temperament

Brian Campbell. Straight hitter

Chris Gotterup. Potential champion on debut