Early Masters Storylines: What We’re Thinking About in the Countdown to Augusta

Please, try to remain calm while I say this: the Masters is just 50 days away.

I’ll give you a few moments to settle down…

The best players in the world will drive down Magnolia Lane in just over seven weeks for the opening round at Augusta National Golf Club, the first time golf will reunite since the Open at Royal Liverpool. PGA TOUR fans will once again be able to enjoy Bryson DeChambeau’s madness, Brooks Koepka’s stoic nature, and Jon Rahm’s fiery competitiveness.

For four days, all will be right in the golf world.

As the year’s first major draws closer, I started to think about what I’m looking forward to most come April 10. Here’s what I can't get out of my head.

Can Rory McIlroy finally get it done?

As a devoted member of the Rory McIlroy fan club, this is a tough time of year. The biggest storyline entering the last 10 Masters has been the same thing, and it’ll continue until the Northern Irishman slips the green jacket over his shoulders with a little assistance from the defending champion—can Rory finally complete the Career Grand Slam?

To his credit, he’s tried everything. Playing a lot, playing a little, being open with the media, being shut off, developing a conservative game plan, free-wheeling it.

Nothing’s worked.

However, if his early-season performance is any indication, the state of his game won’t be the problem.

Since the calendar flipped to 2025, McIlroy has tied for fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic, won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am—the TOUR's second signature event of the season—and grabbed a share of 17th at the Genesis Invitational.

He’ll play at least two more times before the Masters at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship and could add one of the Texas stops.

But what it’ll come down to is this: can he overcome the immense external and internal pressure that only continues to grow as the years go by?

I can’t wait to find out.

Will Jason Day’s style heater continue?

Yup, I’m not scared to admit that I’m already looking forward to what Jason Day will be wearing during the Masters.

He’s been on an absolute heater in the first few months of the season. A sweatsuit at Pebble, that unbelievable cardigan fit at Torrey Pines. The best part? Stephen Malbon of Malbon Golf told Skratch during the Farmers Insurance Open that Day has been dressing himself. Iconic.

That likely won’t be the case at the Masters, as all apparel brands script outfits for their players during major championship weeks. But that doesn’t mean we won’t get something awesome.

At last year’s Masters, a vest Day wore during the second round sent social media into a frenzy. Someone from the Club vibe checked him during the round.

Can he top what he’s worn so far this season? I have no doubt.

Scottie Scheffler’s gonna win again, isn’t he?

In his last four starts at the Masters, Scheffler’s won twice and hasn’t finished worse than T-18. His game couldn’t fit Augusta National more perfectly, and there’s nothing Scheffler loves more than dominating the world’s best on the game’s biggest stages.

So, will he ever not win the Masters?

Tongue in cheek aside, he’s going to be a factor at this tournament for the next 10-15 years and it’s not if he’ll win another one, but when and how many.

The last time a player won back-to-back green jackets was Tiger Woods—a shocker, I know—in 2001 and 2002. Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most Masters wins at six. With a win in April, Scheffler would be a back-to-back champion and move to three Masters wins—something only eight players in history have done—halfway to Jack.

He’s 28.

Considering he’s coming off hand surgery that kept him sidelined for the first month of the year, Scheffler has played some great golf. He tied for ninth in his 2025 debut at Pebble, for 25th at the WM Phoenix Open, and for third at the Genesis Invitational. Give him another two months of getting his game back in shape and it’s hard to see anyone beating him among the Georgia pines.

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