The time for arguably golf’s biggest week has arrived. The Masters are here, and the storylines are swirling around. The biggest names in golf will compete at Augusta National for the green jacket, which only 54 players have ever won. From the world number one in Scottie Scheffler, to the reigning champion and now LIV golfer Jon Rahm, to a veteran Tiger Woods, here are three questions I have leading up to this year’s Masters.
Where does Tiger stand with his health?
The legend of the game will play in only his second tournament of the 2024 season, following a withdrawal at the Genesis Invitational. Woods shot a one-over 72 on the first day, but withdrew after completing because of flu-like symptoms. By no means did Woods play poorly, and fans were more than excited to see him back in action.
Woods has been in Augusta practicing for a couple of days, and reports say he has played well so far.
The 48-year-old Woods told reporters, “If everything comes together, I think I can get one more.”
That sounds about right. Woods will have to play near-perfect, not including the potential weather threats and his overall health. Woods’ health will be the big question heading in, as it is not incredibly clear how he is feeling. He previously said that he is always in pain, but that he still has his competitive edge. We know he can still swing a club and generate speed regardless of his injuries, so whether he can do that consistently this weekend will determine his end result.
Can Scottie stay hot?
Saying Scottie Scheffler has been on a hot-streak this year might be an understatement. He picked up two back-to-back wins at the Arnold Palmer and Players, and one more slipped through the cracks at the Houston Open. His worst finish of the season was at The American Express, finishing at a tie for 17th.
Scheffler is the clear-cut world number one, and no one contests that. He has a Masters win under his belt already, and with the improvements in his putting and his ball-striking better than ever, not seeing Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard would be a surprise.
Who will break through?
There are many major tournament winners competing at The Masters this year, but some certainly need this win more than others. A big name who is without a win at Augusta is Rory McIlroy, who is coming off his best finish of the season last week with a tie for third at the Texas Open. It was nice to see McIlroy back at the top of the leaderboard, but something just feels different with him. It never felt like he was actually going to win. Maybe that was because of Akshay Bhatia’s dominant three-day performance or Denny McCarthy’s nine-under whirlwind on the final day, but it never felt like McIlroy’s play warranted a victory.
That being said, he still played well. He took second in strokes gained with approach shots and overall, as well as fifth in strokes gained: tee-to-green. He shot a 66 on the final day to secure himself a top-five spot on the leaderboard. He can still hit the ball far, which no one ever doubted. His main struggles with his wedges and irons still remain, but his game is not far off from being able to win a tournament as big as this week.
Another name who could use the breakthrough is Xander Schauffele. He has multiple top-ten finishes this season, but it still seems like he struggles to win when it matters the most. He also lacks a signature win, unless you fit his 2017 Tour Championship win in that category.
Jordan Spieth has been all over the place this year, providing plenty of highlights and lowlights for fans. He showed signs of promise last weekend, but he just can’t stay consistent day-to-day. It’s hard to determine which version of Spieth will show up each round. This win wouldn’t necessarily be a breakthrough, but a reminder that he can still win major tournaments.