With the calendar now flipped to April and traces of spring filling the air, the sporting world’s consideration turns to Augusta Nationwide for this yr’s Masters Match.
The most important storyline for this yr’s Masters Match revolves round the most effective two gamers on the planet: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
The query is that this: will you are taking Scheffler or McIlroy to win? Or will you place your chips on the remainder of the sector?
Scheffler, after all, has gained two of the final three Inexperienced Jackets, which incorporates his overcome the likes of Ludvig Åberg, Collin Morikawa, and Max Homa a yr in the past. In 2022, Scheffler coasted to a three-shot victory for his first main title, however that margin would have been increased had it not been for his four-putt on the 18th inexperienced.
He stays the most effective participant on the planet regardless of not coming into the winner’s circle in 2025.
McIlroy, in the meantime, arrives in Augusta in hopes of finishing the profession Grand Slam for the eleventh time. This magical place has not been too type to McIlroy, with no better heartbreak than how he closed out the 2011 Masters. On the tenth tee, McIlroy, who held a four-shot benefit on the 54-hole mark, now led Tiger Woods, Angel Cabrera, and ultimately winner Charl Schwartzel by one. However McIlroy’s hopes of profitable his first main title died proper then and there. He hooked his tee-shot out of bounds on the tenth and made a triple bogey seven. A four-putt double-bogey on the par-3 twelfth solely worsened issues as McIlroy stumbled into the clubhouse and signed for an 8-over 80. He completed 10 strokes behind Schwartzel. McIlroy has completed among the many top-10 at Augusta seven instances since, and gained 4 majors, however has by no means actually threatened to win The Masters.
However now McIlroy arrives with maybe his finest probability ever to slide right into a Inexperienced Jacket. He gained at Pebble Seashore in February after which beat J.J. Spaun in a playoff at The Gamers, proving he can win elite occasions with out his ‘A-game.’
These developments led ESPN’s Curtis Unusual to label this yr’s Masters because the “Rory-Scottie present.”
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“As soon as once more, we’ve Scottie and Rory enjoying properly,” Unusual mentioned on a name with reporters that previewed ESPN’s protection of this yr’s Masters.
“Rory appears to be hitting on all cylinders, which is an effective factor for the Slam. Scottie going for 3 [Green Jackets].”
Unusual then picked Scottie and Rory to win after Andy North, ESPN’s lead analyst, requested him this query: “Scottie and Rory or the sector?”
Then, on Tuesday, Golf Channel hosted a name to preview the 89th enjoying of The Masters. SB Nation posed the identical query to Brandel Chamblee and Paul McGinley, the 2 commentators who break down all of the motion on Golf Channel’s Reside From The Masters.
“Good query,” McGinley mentioned.
“I might go together with Rory and Scottie. I do. If Rory beats Scottie, he has a fantastic probability of placing on the Inexperienced Jacket.”
Chamblee agreed.
“I might agree with Paul there, sure,” Chamblee mentioned.
This yr’s subject options 96 gamers, which incorporates many previous champions and beginner stars who hope to change into stars sometime.
However loads of different stars are additionally vying for his or her first profession Inexperienced Jacket. Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, and Xander Schauffele instantly come to thoughts. However so do previous winners Jon Rahm, Hideki Matsuyama, and Jordan Spieth.
2025 has been the yr of the worldwide too. Might a world participant emerge victorious at Augusta? Perhaps it’s Cameron Smith, Sepp Straka, or Corey Conners. Or can Tommy Fleetwood lastly win on American soil?
The probabilities are limitless, which is what makes this train enjoyable.
However proper now, to proceed to piggyback on Unusual’s motif, it’s the Scottie and Rory present. So who’s your choose? The highest two? Or everybody else?
We are going to quickly discover out.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.
