The Masters 2025: Can Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy embrace favourites tag at Augusta Nationwide?

Can anybody cease Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy battling for victory at The Masters? Which of the world’s prime two will declare bragging rights and might certainly one of them safe the Inexperienced Jacket? We take a better look…

Why are these two the favourites?

Fairly merely, these are the world’s greatest two gamers and – between them – have been the 2 constant stars of world golf in current seasons.

Xander Schauffele registered two main titles final season and Bryson DeChambeau snatched US Open glory from McIlroy final June, however it’s Scheffler and McIlroy who’ve usually loved extra success than anybody else.

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Scheffler claimed NINE worldwide victories in 2024, together with The Masters, FedExCup glory and Olympic gold, whereas McIlroy’s Gamers Championship win final month was his sixth worldwide title in a 14-month stretch.

“I am trying ahead to the Rory-Scottie present,” former US Open champion Curtis Unusual stated in a pre-tournament media name. “This yr, as soon as once more, we have now Scottie and Rory enjoying nicely.

“Rory appears to be hitting on all cylinders, which is an effective factor for the [Grand] Slam. It is arduous to get previous the primary two or three [in the world rankings], however we’ll should see the way it performs out. “

How has McIlroy began the yr?

McIlroy hasn’t even produced his full A-game but this season and is already a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, closing the hole on Scheffler on the prime of the world rankings within the course of.

The 35-year-old fell brief in his bid for a historic threepeat on the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Traditional however began his PGA Tour marketing campaign with a win, ending two strokes clear of excellent good friend Shane Lowry on the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am.

McIlroy has completed no decrease than seventeenth in his 4 PGA Tour begins since, regardless of failing to contend on the Genesis Invitational and making a mid-tournament tools change through the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

His dramatic win at The Gamers noticed him flip a four-stroke deficit right into a three-shot lead through the ultimate spherical, solely to let slip his benefit and wish a Monday play-off to defeat JJ Spaun.

McIlroy elected to play the Texas Kids’s Houston Open in between his TPC Sawgrass success and The Masters, his first look on the occasion since 2014, the place he recovered from a sluggish begin to mount a final-round cost and finish the week tied-fifth.

Can Scheffler defy historical past once more?

No participant has gained back-to-back editions on The Masters since Tiger Woods in 2002, however Scheffler is seeking to change that and be part of Jack Nicklaus (1963-66) as the one participant to say three victories in 4 years at Augusta Nationwide.

Scheffler has by no means completed outdoors the top-20 at Augusta in 5 earlier begins and is absolutely anticipated to proceed that development this week, having maintained the consistency that has seen him stay world No 1 since Could 2023.

He might not have gained but in 2025 however is the epitome of the “trending” analogy overuse in golf, having marked his return from a freak Christmas hand damage to put up top-25 finishes in every of his first 5 appearances this yr.

Scheffler’s final begin was his closest but to returning to the winner’s circle, ending tied-second in Houston for the second successive yr as Min Woo Lee held for victory. Coming into The Masters off the again of a runner-up end served him nicely 12 months in the past and will do once more.

How spectacular have they each been?

That is the primary time in McIlroy’s profession he heads into The Masters with a number of wins within the calendar yr, whereas he presently leads the PGA Tour’s strokes gained desk forward of Collin Morikawa and Scheffler.

McIlroy’s additionally inside the highest 20 for strokes gained strategy and SG placing, which is able to each be attributes wanted at Augusta, though he stated after his spectacular week in Houston that he nonetheless had “work to do”.

Scheffler hasn’t been fairly the identical tee-to-green dominant power however remains to be inside the highest three for that metric, with the American rising in kind as they head into the primary main of the yr.

What’s McIlroy’s document within the majors?

You most likely do not want reminding that McIlroy has had 21 top-10 finishes in majors since his 2014 PGA Championship success – greater than another participant through the previous decade, with out claiming a fifth main title.

Eight of these have been within the final three seasons, with McIlroy narrowly lacking out in The Open at St Andrews in 2022 earlier than posting back-to-back runner-up finishes on the US Open the previous two years.

McIlroy completed a shot behind Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst No 2 final June, having been two forward with 5 to play in his greatest likelihood but so as to add to his main tally, then missed the minimize at The Open a month later.

How has McIlroy beforehand performed at Augusta?

McIlroy squandered a four-shot lead through the ultimate spherical of the 2011 contest – taking pictures a closing 80 and ending tied-Fifteenth – however arrived as defending US Open champion the next season and has been among the many favourites nearly yearly since.

His Masters document was beforehand remarkably constant, with 5 consecutive top-10s from 2014, though his runner-up end to Scheffler in 2022 has been his solely top-20 at Augusta Nationwide in his final 4 begins.

McIlroy missed the minimize within the years both aspect of that runner-up end, nonetheless his greatest lead to at The Masters, whereas final yr noticed him slip out of competition with a second-round 77 and finish 15 strokes again in tied-Twenty second.

And what about Scheffler?

Scheffler began 2022 with no PGA Tour title however cruised to a maiden main title at The Masters that April, his fourth win in six begins, the place he claimed a three-shot victory over McIlroy regardless of four-putting his ultimate gap.

He didn’t construct on a quick begin to his title defence a yr later, the place he ended tied-Tenth as Jon Rahm gained, though Scheffler returned to profitable methods with an excellent show final season.

Scheffler held a share of the midway lead and took a one-shot benefit over Morikawa into the ultimate day, the place he cruised to a four-shot victory and third PGA Tour title in 4 begins.

Does historical past give McIlroy an opportunity?

McIlroy makes his seventeenth look at Augusta, which is 2 fewer than Sergio Garcia reached earlier than profitable the Inexperienced Jacket, whereas an 11-year hole between majors matches that of Woods from his 14th and Fifteenth main titles.

Woods has beforehand stated that McIlroy profitable the Grand Slam would ‘positively occur’ in his lifetime, with the bid to affix golf’s unique main membership now getting into an eleventh season

McIlroy would turn into simply the sixth participant within the trendy period – because the inception of The Masters in 1934 – to finish the profession Grand Slam, with Woods the one different participant to take action because the Nineteen Sixties.

Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Participant and Jack Nicklaus are the one different gamers to have gained all 4 majors of their profession, with McIlroy having one other alternative in 2025 so as to add his title to that record.

“What do you say to a man who has extra expertise in his little finger and simply hasn’t carried out at one match that he desperately desires to win?” Unusual added. “It does not make him a failure. That does not make him an underachiever by any stretch. It is simply he hasn’t come via at this one explicit week of the yr.”

Can anybody cease the world’s prime two?

Schauffele is the closest challenger on this planet rankings and is chasing a 3rd main win in 4 begins, having adopted his history-making PGA Championship title by securing The Open at Royal Troon.

The world No 3’s runner-up end to Woods in 2019 is certainly one of 4 top-10s at Augusta, together with every of the final two years, whereas Scheffler has completed no decrease than 18th in every of his final 11 main appearances.

Ludvig Åberg will hope to go one higher than his second-place end on debut final yr, having gained the Genesis Invitational this season, whereas two-time main winner Morikawa performed alongside Scheffler within the ultimate group final yr and has completed runner-up twice on the PGA Tour in 2025.

DeChambeau and 2017 Masters champion Garcia are a part of 12 gamers from the LIV Golf League within the area and trying to find extra main success, whereas Tommy Fleetwood and Patrick Cantlay are amongst these chasing a maiden main title.

When is The Masters dwell on Sky Sports activities?

Sky Sports activities Golf will probably be displaying document hours of dwell protection from the 2025 contest, the place Scottie Scheffler returns as defending champion, together with extra motion over the ultimate two rounds than earlier years.

Wall-to-wall protection from the match begins at 2pm on Thursday, with Featured Group motion and common updates from across the course obtainable to take pleasure in on Sky Sports activities Golf till the worldwide broadcast window begins at 8pm.

The identical timings will apply on Friday, whereas a brand new addition to this yr’s protection sees a Masters build-up present dwell from 3pm over the weekend forward of full protection beginning at 5pm, overlaying all of the motion till after the shut of play.

Sky+, Sky Q and Sky Glass will present loads of bonus feeds and mean you can observe gamers’ progress via numerous components of Augusta’s well-known structure, together with Amen Nook and extra.

Who will win The Masters? Watch from April 10-13 dwell on Sky Sports activities. Dwell protection of the opening spherical begins with Featured Teams on Thursday April 10, from 2pm on Sky Sports activities Golf. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with no contract on NOW.