Ninety one players convene at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday for the 90th playing of the Masters with only one guy emerging to put on the coveted Green Jacket on early Sunday evening. It’s as good as it gets in sports with Sunday at the Masters “a tradition unlike any other,” as the prolific Jim Nantz says. That’s one sports phrase that never gets old because it’s a unique and spectacular sporting event. So, who will be that stellar and fortunate player who earns the Green Jacket along with the $4+ million first place check and an exemption for life to the Masters and exemptions into the other three majors through the early 2030’s, and have his name etched in history as the Masters champion? Legacy still matters too. Here’s a look at the players, the details, and who I like to capture this one of a kind major championship; the greatest championship there is in all of sports for all golf fans.

The defending champion is Rory, who made it quite interesting on Sunday in 2025 as he hit several heroic shots and some not too stellar shots also. McIlroy’s shank into the water on 13 with a four shot lead that led to a double bogey was a critical miscue. But he persevered with a beautiful approach to three feet on the first playoff hole, number 18, to prevail over the savvy veteran Justin Rose and capture the 89th edition, completing the career Grand Slam. Rory had not won a major since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla, and had never won the Masters, falling apart many times while in contention or leading before last year’s breakthrough. So it was both elation and relief for McIlroy when he sank the three foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole. This year Rory is back to defend and squaring off with the 2022 and 2024 champion, the elite Scottie Scheffler, along with 2023 champion Jon Rahm, 2018 winner Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, a five time major winner, Collin Morikawa, a two time major winner at the Open Championship in 2021 and the PGA Championship in 2020, Cameron Young, on a roll after his Players Championship victory in March, Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, Rose, Xander Schauffele, a two time major winner at the 2024 PGA Championship and the 2024 Open Championship. The always dangerous Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 and 2024 U.S. Open champion, and the young stallion, Ludvig Aberg, among a terrific field of the world’s best. Here are odds for key players in this week’s Masters.

Scottie Scheffler: 4/1; Jon Rahm: 9/1; Rory: 10/1; DeChambeau: 11/1; Aberg: 18/1; Xander Schauffele: 19/1; Cameron Young: 24/1; Tommy Fleetwood: 25/1; Fitzpatrick: 26/1; Morikawa: 31/1; Rose: 36/1; Jordan Spieth: 38/1; Koepka: 38/1; Hideki Matsuyama: 39/1; Robert McIntyre: 40/1; Chris Gotterup: 43/1; Patrick Reed: 45/1; Viktor Hovland: 46/1; Justin Thomas: 55/1; Tyrrell Hatton: 69/1; Russell Henley: 42/1; Si Woo KIm: 47/1; Min Woo Lee: 54/1; Patrick Cantlay: 51/1; Akshay Bhatia: 66/1; Jason Day: 69/1; Corey Conners: 82/1; Ben Griffin; 100/1.

Those are several key contenders, and, typically, one of those guys will win.

Weather

Perfecto all weekend

Thursday: 74, Sunny, Wind NE 9 MPH

Friday: 79, sunny, Wind ENE 5

Saturday: Sunny, 86, Wind WNW 5

Sunday: 86, Sunny, SSE 10.

Wind will be a factor on Thursday and Sunday. The backside will be intense on Sunday with wind playing a big role on certain holes. The 155 yard, Par 3, 12th will be pressure packed, as will the par 5’s,13 and 15. No.18, a 465 yard par 4 with a chute like drive that on Sunday looks like you’re trying to throw a football through a tire from 20 feet away, always tests the contenders. And No.11 is the hardest hole on the course, a 520 yard, par 4. It’s the start of Amen Corner. Numbers 11, 12 and 13 has oftentimes sealed the fate of guys who didn’t win. Augusta National is a 7,565 yard, Par 72. The greens will be stimping at 13-15, lightning quick, and with the slopes and undulation on the Bentgrass surfaces, the players will be stressed out to the max several times this weekend.

Broadcast Coverage

Thursday/Friday, Rounds 1&2: 12-6:30 P.M CT/1-7:30 ET, Masters.com, Masters App. 12-2 P.M. CT/1-3 ET, Amazon Prime Video. 2-6:30 P.M. CT/3-7:30 ET, ESPN.

Saturday: Moving Day: 11 A.M.- 6 P.M. CT/12-7 ET, Masters.com, Masters app, Paramount+. 1-6 P.M. CT/2-7 ET, CBS.

Sunday, A lot of coverage from 9:15 A.M. CT/10:15 ET on the Masters app, the ESPN app, Paramount+ and Prime Video. 11 A.M.-1 P.M. CT/12-2 ET, Paramount+. 1-6 P.M. CT/2-7 ET, CBS.

Winner

Sometimes you out-think yourself trying to predict sports as I did Monday Night by picking UConn over Michigan. My final record in the college basketball postseason from the SEC Tournament on was SU: 11-15; ATS: 11-15; O/U: 15-11. As Coach Lombardi used to say: “We didn’t lose, we just ran out of time.” I’ll take the Great One’s advice on that.

I’ve been through a lot of possibilities with the talent off the charts at Augusta National. No Tiger Woods. He wouldn’t be a factor anyway, and he’s got a long way to go to get his life in order. But all the real contenders are at Augusta National this week. I was leaning towards going out on a limb and picking J.J. Spaun at the beginning of this week. The 2025 U.S. Open Champion at Oakmont is mentally built for any major track. Then I started getting more bullish on Cam Young. The last two Players Championship winners have gone on to win the Masters; Scheffler in 2024, and Rory in 2025. Ludvig Aberg is a popular choice, as is Matt Fitzpatrick. Don’t sleep on Justin Rose, either. A lot of people like Rahm, DeChambeau, and, of course, the defending champion, Rory. But I’m going to take the old reliable. Give me the 29 year old from Ridgewood, New Jersey by way of the University of Texas and now living in Dallas. He just had his second son over the weekend, Remy, to join his nearly two year old son, Bennett. The guy’s just so solid and stable on and off the course. He’s also extremely cool under pressure. I’ll take the two time champion at Augusta National and four time major winner, which also includes the 2025 PGA Championship played at Quail Hollow, and the 2025 Open Championship played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Give me:

Scottie Scheffler

Sleeper

Justin Rose

I like the 45 year old to have a shot at, as Excedrin Bates and I like to say, “circumventing” the field and capturing the Green Jacket after near misses in 2017 and 2025.