LEADERBOARD
-5 Burns (F), McIlroy (16)
-3 Day (F), Scheffler (6), Reed (F), Rai (10), Aberg (8), Kitayama (F)
Irish others:
-2 Lowry (F)
+1 McKibbin (14)
Watch Shane Lowry’s eagle hole-out on the 13th:
Shane Lowry speaking on Sky Sports:
“I felt in control. I got off to a great start, then I had a disaster at the 4th. I thought I did to compose myself and move on. I plotted my way around the course, I feel it’s crusty enough already. I’m happy with that.
“It’s a golf course you can’t be perfect around. You have to commit to your shots and hope that leads to a good results. It did today and hopefully can over the next few rounds.”
On the hole out on 13: “It’s a shot I’ve been working on a lot, so I’m happy to see it go in, I knew it was going close.”
Another good approach by McIlroy at the 17th, fairway, greens and birdie chances. Was a sketchy start but this back 9 has been exceptional so far.
“I’m hooking it, every time!” shouts DeChambeau (+3) as he hits his shot well left from the fairway bunker on 18. Even for a player of his quality, a player from that far back generally does not win the Masters after the first day.
Tommy Fleetwood bogeys his final hole to sign for a 71, four bogeys on his back nine after a good start.
Another fine drive by McIlroy on the 17th as he looks to press on and take the clubhouse lead ahead of Burns.
Check out this shot from Si Woo Kim, driver from the pine straw onto the green.
McIlroy (-5) with a good lag putt up the green for a safe par at the 16th.
Alan Shipnuck, who wrote the biography of McIlroy that came out just before the tournament, said that he thought McIlroy would either win by eight shots or miss the cut given his changed attitude with the monkey off his back. Looking more like the former so far, given that he usually struggles in the opening round here.
McIlroy’s tee shot on the 16th is another great strike, but it goes down the wrong side of the slope to leave a long putt.
Birdie for McIlroy! Oh wow, another stunning putt down the hill at 15, tracked all the way into the hole. He joins the lead.
Lowry (-2) goes right at the pin at 18 and nearly pitches it in, but goes through the green at the back. Still in good shape, a chance for birdie to finish.
Shane Lowry finishes with a round of 70. Good work by Lowry, tied 9th position and should be around the top 10 by the end of the day.
Some of the favourites that are struggling - Jon Rahm is +3 after 6 surprisingly, a lot of people tipped him this week. Bryson DeChambeau is +4 in what is a poor showing by LIV’s premier players.
No shot at all for McIlroy at 15 then, even for him, and he hits a low dunt under the trees to lay up at the 15th. Tricky wedge ahead.
McIlroy does what was needed, to the back of the green and needs to get down in two for par.
Ludvig Aberg gets to -3 and has looked in superb form to start. He was one of the best for the betting trends before this tournament for a reason - a good record on this course, good form and really you just have to watch him play to see why. Fantastic swing. No birdie for Scheffler (-3) at 4.
McIlroy (-4) at the 15th has done what he did famously last year with his drive, pulled it slightly left and will be blocked out for his approach, or so you’d think but then we saw how he constructed a shot last year to close for eagle. Never doubt the man.
Bogey for Lowry! He takes two-putts and it’s not the worst result ever after that awful second shot at the 17th. He drops to tied 9th on -2 which includes players like Fleetwood, Schauffele, Rose, Thomas, Woodland and the veteran Fred Couples.
Birdie for McIlroy! Back-to-back and another excellent putt to go second on his own on -4.
Lowry (-3) has a tough chip and he leaves it well short, could be looking at a bogey at the 17th.
Here was McIlroy’s birdie putt on the 13th:
Unfortunately a very poor approach by Lowry (-3) on the 17th as he pulls it miles left, a wild shot, headed straight for the stands which aren’t particularly close to the green.
Could be an all-time great start by Scheffler (-3) at Augusta after he hits another stunning approach at the 4th to have a chance to be four under after four.
Scheffler’s drive actually got onto the middle of the green in one at the 3rd, a rare enough sight. He goes to -3 after 3, ominous stuff.
Sam Burns in the house for a five under 67. He posts the number for them all to catch.
Another cracker of an approach by McIlroy at the 14th. What a start to his defence this is turning out to be. Inside 10 feet for birdie there.
Massive drive by McIlroy down the middle on 14, this is seriously impressive stuff. Meanwhile, his rival Scheffler (-2) has made the fringe of the par 4 third in two and should have another good chance of birdie.
Scheffler’s best friend on tour Sam Burns (-5) lags up to fairly close at the 18th and looks set to sign for a 67.
Par for Lowry. Solid and now he’s up to tied 2nd as Reed has dropped a shot at the 15th after hitting in the water.
Birdie for McIlroy! He joins Lowry in that group for second with an excellent birdie putt after being in the pine straw off the tee. Holes from decent length, looking comfortable and relaxed today.
Justin Rose (-2) starting like he finished last year. Hits a beautiful flop to inches at the 2nd for birdie, then holes a great putt for birdie at the 3rd.
Eagle for Scheffler! The favourite eagles the 2nd after an excellent approach and then holes from 20 feet to get to -2. Ideal start.
Lowry (-3) is on the green at the 16th, but a long putt left which he leaves well short. His playing partner Jason Day (-2) hits it close on the same hole and a chance to join him at -3.
Lowry (-3) gets a par at the 15th after getting a two-putt on a seriously quick surface. He’ll take that after Reed went in the water at the back, showing the danger.
McIlroy (-2) decides to lay up on the 13th from the pine straw, he’s got that shot from last year again. Easier pin this time though.
Kurt Kitayama is the clubhouse leader after a three-under 69, check out this scorecard. Eight birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey, only six pars.
Par for McIlroy (-2) at the 12th, good short game again and two par 5s to come.
On the 13th hole, he doesn’t get the hook he wanted with the drive and he’s way into the trees and pine straw there.
More short game magic by Reed (-4) to chip it to a couple of inches at the 14th, one of the best in the world at that.
Birdie for Tommy Fleetwood (-3) at the 14th hole from down the hill, a good rebound after two recent bogeys.
McIlroy elects to putt from just off the green and it’s a great effort to three feet or so, should make par.
Excellent shot by Schauffele (-2) at the 13th gives him an eagle chance and could get amongst the leaders. Reed (-4) makes another approach error at the 14th as he spins off the green.
Just a par for McIlroy (-2) at the 11th, but a solid score on one of the hardest holes on the course. Wedge for him at the par 3 12th and he hates it, sighs loudly after pulling it well left. Doesn’t go into the flowers at the back, but will have to get up and down for par.
Here’s that eagle for Shane Lowry on the 13th:
No birdie for Lowry (-3) at the 14th hole, but another par in the board and anything under 70 will be looking fine at the end of the day.
Sam Burns (-5) hits it on the par 5 15th in two and two-putts for birdie to take the lead, as Reed (-4) makes a good par on the 13th up the hill after making a slight hames of his approach play.
Birdie for McKibbin! The Irish are having a nice hour at Augusta and he birdies the ninth to turn in 36, level par. Not bad for his first ever Masters nine holes.
World number one Scottie Scheffler is under way on the first, looking for his third green jacket.
Reed (-4) is making a mess of the 13th after laying up, wedged it over the green and then chipped it far too far down the slope, long putt left for par.
McIlroy (-2) with another towering drive at the 11th and then he was a bit worried about his short iron approach but it got over the water and has a decent birdie chance coming up.
A magic moment for Lowry (-3) on the 13th, if his mate Rory did that last year, it would have saved a lot of potential heart attacks...
Right in the middle of the fairway on the 14th and hits another brilliant iron shot to 15 feet. He’s in the zone.
Eagle for Lowry! Shane storms into contention with a big moment on 13. He holes from 99 yards on the par 5 13th, up to -3!
Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau’s (+3) woes at the 11th continue, with a triple bogey 7. He took three from the bunker, wow.
McIlroy (-2) hits the fairway on the 10th and from 189 yards he just about hangs onto the green, which continue to dry out. Long putt and realistically will be looking to lag for par.
2015 champion Jordan Spieth is under way and on the fairway, as is last year’s runner-up Justin Rose. Jon Rahm is on the first green and has a tester to make par.
They say you can’t win a golf tournament on the first day, but you can lose it. Which runners have hit the hurdle and fallen over so far?
Young long-hitting South African Aldrich Potgieter began his round by blading a chip way through the green at the 1st, a killer for your confidence at any level of golf. It didn’t get any better en route to a 12-over-par 84. Carlos Ortiz went 7 over through the first five holes, more reminiscent of my golf in my home course, but got the show on the road eventually to shoot an 80.
Ryder Cupper Rasmus Hojgaard is +6, McIlroy’s playing partner Cameron Young is the worst of the pre-tournament favourites on +4 through 9.
Birdie for McIlroy! He holes the putt after an excellent approach. What a finish to the nine to get to -2 and the ideal start really, any errors earlier forgotten now.
No birdie for Lowry (-1) at the 12th, but four pars on that hole all week and you will be satisfied. Two par 5s to come in the next three holes.
McIlroy (-1) hits a superb wedge shot into the 9th with a delicate shot needed with its famous sloped green. Hits to the edge of the green and the contours bring it to inside 10 feet for birdie.
Bogey for McKibbin at the 6th unfortunately to fall to +1, while Sam Burns joins Reed in the lead at -4 after a birdie at the 13th.
Lowry (-1) on the famous par 3 12th is successfully over the water and on the middle of the green with another birdie chance.
Birdie for McIlroy! He cleans up to go under par for the day after eight, which is up to tied 10th. Great grind so far.
Lowry misses! Sadly his putt hits the hole and comes out from 10 feet for a rare birdie on 11. He stays at -1.
A fine drive on the 9th for McIlroy, well down there for his approach.
Hello, David Gorman here, taking over for the morning after John’s strong round this afternoon.
Been some quality shots by Irish players in the past few minutes, McIlroy is battling away despite not having his A-game but hit a beautiful fairway wood into the heart of the 8th green to leave himself 24 foot for eagle... but unfortunately left it four foot short. Still work to do.
Lowry has more than bounced back from the double bogey earlier after a four-putt from the edge of the green and hit a fantastic iron into the tough 11th to give himself a chance of birdie and getting to -2.
BIRDIE. Fleetwood (-4) moves to within one of the lead as he turns for home.
David Gorman has almost finished his warm-up and stretching and he will take you through to the rest of the first round. He’s a plus six golf blogger.
Lowry (-1), started with two birdies, dropped three shots at the par threes on the front nine, birdied eight and nine.
McIlroy (level) has see more trees than Robin Hood in his first eight holes. One birdie, one bogey for the defending champion. Gold standard scrambling.
Tom McKibbin level through five, a bogey on the first and a birdie on the second.
Everyone chasing the former champion Patrick Reed (-5) a couple of eagles on two and eight boosting his crystal collection.
Thanks for our company. See you tomorrow.
Cam Young (+4) has been much straighter off the tee than his playing partner, McIlroy (level) but he’s managed to make four bogeys in seven holes with a series of weak iron shots. Hovland (+3), Cantlay (+2) and Fitzpatrick (+1) are all struggling in various guises.
BIRDIE: A superb finish to the front nine for Lowry (-1) with back to back birdies. That’s a tonic going to Amen Corner. McIlroy (level) in the trees again off the tee on the seventh but again manages to recover with another chip and putt par after missing the green.
Olazabal (+1) makes a double bogey at the par five, 15th, three shots gone in two holes for the 60-year-old Spaniard and two-time Masters champion.
DOUBLE BOGEY. Kitiyama makes a mess of the 12th and ends up dropping two shots after a poor tee shot and worse chip.
EAGLE: Reed rams home an eagle putt from distance on eight. He’s eagled the two par fives and takes a two shot lead over Kitayama who dropped a shot on 11 and Fleetwood.
BIRDIE: Lowry (level) gets a shot back on the par five, eighth. McIlroy (level) overshoots the par three, sixth. That’s a tricky up and down. The defending champion goes with the putter through the fringe and down to a foot. Superb.
McIlroy (level) is in the trees again on five but conjures a brilliant hooked recovery that ends up scampering up onto the green. Stunning. He two putts for par. Through five holes.
McKibbin (level) birdies the second.
NEW LEADER Kurt Kitayama (-4) birdies 10 to take the outright lead. Young (+2) watches another shot slip away on five.
McIlroy (level) scrambles successfully, a long range, two putt par, including a slippery, downhill, left to right par putt on the fourth.
Schauffele (-1) birdies five. Tom McKibbin (+1) bogeys the first.
McIlroy (level) has made a mess of the ‘driveable’ par four, third. A thinned chip shot ended up on the top tier and rightly wary of the slick downhill putt, he left it eight feet short. BOGEY. He leaves it on the lip. Pitch killed him.
Lowry (+1) started with two birdies but the brace of par threes, the fourth and sixth holes have cost him three shots.
Homa (+1) with a double bogey on 12.
Olazabal (-2) is two third of the way through Amen Corner and just one behind the joint leaders Reed and Fleetwood. Remarkable from the 60-year-old Spaniard.
BIRDIE: McIlroy (-1) makes his first birdie on the second. Two tee shots that have ended up in the trees and he’s scrambled a par, birdie start.
DeChambeau (level) watches in horror as his birdie putt slides past the hole on the fourth.
Brilliant from Bryson (level), as he follows a birdie on three with a dart at the fourth. Super tee shot into six feet.
McIlroy with a wonderful pitch, played to perfection, using the slope to nudge his ball down to three feet at the second. He will have that for birdie.
McIlroy (level) hits his recovery over the patrons at the back of the par five, second. He’s scrambling big style.
Schauffele (-1) holes a fine seven foot putt to save par on the fourth.
Fleetwood (-3) joins Reed at the top of the leaderboard after holing out from the apron for a third straight birdie at the fourth.
DOUBLE BOGEY: Lowry (level) hands back his good start with a double bogey on the par three, fourth (187 yards). His tee shot shoots through to the back apron about two yards though the putting surface but he takes four to get down. Most unlike him to be fair, given his stellar shot game.
McIlroy (level) finds the trees with his drive on the second, a push. He’s going to be in a bit of trouble. Tree stump and stymied to go forward.
McIlroy plays a lovely recovery to just shy of the front of the first green. He chips up to about five feet or thereabouts. Smooth roll on the putt and he saves par.
DeChambeau (+1) makes bogey on the second after a wild tee shot that cost him a penalty stroke. PLAYERS champion Cameron Young (+1) drops a shot at the first after a sloppy pitch.
Lowry (-2) with his first par, at the third, after the birdie, birdie start.
EAGLE: Reed (-3) is the new leader at Augusta after picking up a couple of shots on the par five, to follow a birdie at the opening hole.
DeChambeau (level) loses his tee shot left on the second and has had to take a penalty drop. Wild wouldn’t describe it. He gets it back in play.
Rory McIlroy is about to open the defence of his title. Fore please. He pulls his drive left and it’s gone into the trees. He’ll need a bit of luck.
Lowry (-2) joins Olazabal and Burns at the top of the leaderboard. Birdie, birdie start for the Offaly golfer. He watched his eagle putt slide by four feet but holed the return. A superb opening salvo.
Lowry (-1) pipes his drive down the second, 345 yards and his second from 244 finishes on the apron 21 feet from the hole. He’ll have an eagle putt.
Homa (-1) is the first player to make it to the turn under par.
Rory McIlroy will be heading to the first tee shortly. Lovely moment with Jack Nicklaus, as the 18-time Major champion wished the Northern Ireland golfer well.
Another former Masters champion Patrick Reed birdies the first.
LEADERBOARD
-2 Olazabal (7), Burns (2)
-1 Lowry (1), Homa (8), Kitayama (2), Kitayama (4), Knapp (2), Taylor (2)
Matt Fitzpatrick in trouble at the first Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele hit it straight down the middle as Bing Crosby once sang.
Sam Burns (-2) with an eagle at the second joins two-time Masters champion, Olazabal at the top of the leaderboard.
BIRDIE: Stunning from Lowry (-1). Bisects the fairway and from 154 yards almost holes his second shot to the first. Taps in from two feet. Brilliant start.
Shane Lowry is making his way to the first tee.
LEADERBOARD
-2 Olazabal (5)
-1 Greyserman (4), Herrington, Am (4), Kitayama (2)
I’ve done worse.
At least Jack has a genuine excuse.
Spare a thought for Mexican Carlos Ortiz. He has started 5, 7, 5, 4, 6, which equates to bogey, double bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey.
He is making his second Masters start and first since 2021. Earlier this year, he finished sixth in Hong Kong and eighth in South Africa. Last June, he finished T-4 in the U.S. Open at Oakmont after closing with rounds of 67-73. He also won an Asian Tour event in Macao, China and finished T-8 in the Australian Open at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
Ryan Fox is two over after two holes. He lost his drive (OB) on two with what looked like a snap hook.
Jose Maria Olazabal leads the Masters on two under through three holes with birdies on two and three.
Olazábal is making his 37th Masters start in 2026. He is one of four Spaniards to win the Masters with fellow two-time champion Seve Ballesteros, Sergio García and Jon Rahm. In 14 starts at Augusta National between 1989 and 2003, he finished inside the top 15 a total of 12 times. The World Golf Hall of Fame member has represented Europe in seven Ryder Cups and his worldwide wins include the DP World Tour’s flagship event in England and the national opens of Ireland, France and Hong Kong. Before turning professional, he won both the 1983 R&A Boys’ Amateur and 1984 Amateur Championship and represented his country in the Eisenhower Trophy.
45 mins or so until this man tees it up at Augusta.
A little humour. Part 2
My favourite player, the incomporable Seve Ballesteros.
Katoaka makes the first birdie of the 90th Masters, at the par five, second.
Find your favourite here.
Masters Tee times
12.40pm (3.51pm) John Keefer, Haotong Li (Chi)
12.50pm (4.03pm) Naoyuki Kataoka (Jpn), Max Homa, Carlos Ortiz (Mex)
1.02pm (4.15pm) Jose Maria Olazabal (Esp), Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (Den), Aldrich Potgieter (SA)
1.14pm (4.27pm) Angel Cabrera (Arg), Sami Valimaki (Fin)*, Jackson Herrington
1.26pm (4.39pm) Charl Schwartzel (SA), Max Greyserman, Ryan Fox (NZ)
1.38pm (4.51pm) Vijay Singh (Fiji), Matt McCarty, Rasmus Hojgaard (Den)
1.50pm (5.04pm) Kurt Kitayama, Kristoffer Reitan (Nor), Casey Jarvis (SA)
2.02pm (5.15pm) Bubba Watson, Nicolas Echavarria (Col), Brandon Holtz*
2.19pm (5.32pm) Cameron Smith (Aus), Sam Burns, Jake Knapp
2.31pm (5.44pm) Keegan Bradley, Ryan Gerard, Nick Taylor (Can)
2.43pm (5.56pm) Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry (Ire), Jason Day (Aus)
2.55pm (6.08pm) Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Akshay Bhatia
3.07pm (6.20pm) Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng), Xander Schauffele
3.19pm (6.32pm) Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Collin Morikawa, Russell Henley
3.31pm (6.44pm) Rory McIlroy (N Ire), Cameron Young, Mason Howell*
3.43pm (6.56pm) Viktor Hovland (Nor), Patrick Cantlay, Alex Noren (Swe)
4.03pm (12.40pm) Samuel Stevens, Sungjae Im (Kor)
4.15pm (12.50pm) Andrew Novak, Tom McKibbin (N Ire), Brian Campbell
4.27pm (1.02pm) Mike Weir (Can), Wyndham Clark, Mateo Pulcini (Arg)*
4.39pm (1.14pm) Zach Johnson, Michael Kim, Nicolai Hojgaard (Den)
4.51pm (1.26pm) Danny Willett (Eng), Davis Riley, Ethan Fang*
5.03pm (1.38pm) Adam Scott (Aus), Daniel Berger, Brian Harman
5.15pm (1.50pm) Fred Couples, Min Woo Lee (Aus), Fifa Laopakdee (Tha)*
5.27pm (2.02pm) Sergio Garcia (Esp), Aaron Rai (Eng), Jacob Bridgeman
5.44pm (2.19pm) Harry Hall (Eng), Corey Conners (Can), Michael Brennan
5.56pm (2.31pm) JJ Spaun, Maverick McNealy, Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)
6.08pm (2.43pm) Jon Rahm (Esp), Chris Gotterup, Ludvig Aberg (Swe)
6.20pm (2.55pm) Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose (Eng), Brooks Koepka
6.32pm (3.07pm) Sepp Straka (Aut), Ben Griffin, Justin Thomas
6.44pm (3.19pm) Scottie Scheffler, Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Gary Woodland
6.56pm (3.31pm) Harris English, Marco Penge (Eng), Woo Kim (Kor)
*denotes amateur
Eight players on the course, no birdies yet.
More dinner tales.
A lighter look at the Masters. Part 1.
Max Homa has parred the first. He is carrying small percentage of my money as an each way wager. I hope it doesn’t prove too troublesome. Haotong Li is also level par after one as is Naoyuki Kataoka. Carlos Ortiz and John Keefer both bogeyed the first hole.
We are going to rush through a little more nostalgia before I bring you live to the course. There’s not a great deal happening scoring wise.
You got to love a rivalry!
A lot of new faces for 2026 Masters
The record for most first-year players in the Masters field (outside of the inaugural tournament in 1934) is 26 in 2020, the famous November tournament. While this year won’t break that record, there are still 22 first-time starters to watch this week.
- Michael Brennan
- Jacob Bridgeman
- Ethan Fang (a)
- Ryan Gerard
- Chris Gotterup
- Ben Griffin
- Harry Hall
- Jackson Herrington (a)
- Brandon Holtz (a)
- Mason Howell (a)
- Casey Jarvis
- Naoyuki Kataoka
- John Keefer
- Fifa Laopakdee (a)
- Tom McKibbin
- Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
- Andrew Novak
- Marco Penge
- Mateo Pulcini (a)
- Kristoffer Reitan
- Samuel Stevens
- Sami Valimaki
LIV Golf players in 2026 Masters field
There are nine members of LIV Golf in the 2026 Masters Tournament. Absent from that list are Brooks Koepka and 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, who both announced they had left the league ahead of the 2026 season and are working toward a full return to the PGA TOUR. They are both playing at Augusta.
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Sergio Garcia
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Dustin Johnson
- Tom McKibbin
- Jon Rahm
- Charl Schwartzel
- Cameron Smith
Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson hit ceremonial tee shots down the first fairway at Augusta National to officially open 90th Masters as the honorary starters for the fourth successive year.
Just 11 golfers have fulfilled the role of honorary starters. Nicklaus — with a record six green jackets to his name — has served since 2010, the longest of today’s three champions. Player, with three titles, joined Nicklaus two years later and Watson entered the fold in 2022.
The practice was originated in an unofficial sense in 1941, when amateur Francis Ouimet played the first round before withdrawing at the urging of tournament co-founder Bobby Jones. This sparked the idea for a tradition that would be formalised 22 years later.
Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod became the first official honorary starters when they took the first shots of the 1963 Masters.
Those 11 golfers who’ve been honorary starters at the Masters, along with the years they filled the role:
- Jock Hutchison: 1963-1973
- Fred McLeod: 1963-1976
- Byron Nelson: 1981-2001 (non-consecutive)
- Gene Sarazen: 1981-1999
- Ken Venturi: 1983
- Sam Snead: 1984-2002
- Arnold Palmer: 2007-2016
- Jack Nicklaus: 2010-present
- Gary Player: 2012-present
- Lee Elder: 202
- Tom Watson: 2022-present
Who doesn’t appreciate a little nostalgia for the day that’s in it.
But thankfully for McIlroy the issue has been successfully treated, with the lack of game time perhaps the greater concern. Still, McIlroy has looked in fine fettle in his carefully mapped out practice rounds and is poised to bring a strong defence of the green jacket.
Warning for any diabetics the following content may exceed safe saccharine levels.
Hello and welcome to the Masters. John O’Sullivan here and along with David Gorman later we’ll be taking you through the first round of the first Major of the season. Rory McIlroy is the defending champion, the Northern Ireland golfer prevailing in a nerve shredding playoff victory over Justin Rose last year to become only the sixth player to claim a Grand Slam across the four Majors: Masters, US PGA Championship, US Open, British Open.
There is no Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson for the first time since 1994. Woods has had a much-publicised fallout from a car crash and driving under influence arrest from two weeks ago, which led to his withdrawal, while Mickelson is attending to a family health matter.
The 35-year-old McIlroy will be bidding to become the first back-to-back Masters champion since Woods achieved the feat in 2001 and 2002. It’s happened on two other occasions in the tournament’s history, with Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) and Nick Faldo (1989-90).
The Irish contingent at Augusta is bolstered by Shane Lowry and Tom McKibbin. There is an old golfing adage about beware the injured golfer. McIlroy has had to deal with a back muscle injury which forced his withdrawal from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, disrupting his preparations.
Masters 2026 preview
The guard has truly changed. Rory McIlroy’s return down Magnolia Lane as champion and Scottie Scheffler’s long-standing position atop the world rankings has the two men firmly, and rightly, installed as the headline acts headed into this 90th edition of the Masters, writes Philip Reid.
For the first time in forever – well, since 1994 – neither one of Phil Mickelson nor Tiger Woods are in the field and, although their fiercely competitive days are behind them, their absence seems almost like a side note to the main drama that will play out over four days on the pristine turf in ideal weather conditions.
McIlroy’s bid to defend the title he won in a playoff against Justin Rose last year has the Northern Irishman bidding to become just the fourth player to go back-to-back, last achieved by Woods in 2002, but with absolutely none of the baggage that accompanied him for a decade in his pursuit of the career Grand Slam.
