April is here, which means that the Masters season is upon us. Golf season is heating up with the first yearly major at Augusta National Golf Club in beautiful Augusta, G.A. Tournament play starts April 10 and concludes April 13. This year, there are a number of players and storylines to keep an eye on.
The first major player to keep an eye on heading into the tournament is the defending Masters, PGA Tour and Olympic champion Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler is currently the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world. Last season was historic for Scheffler, who won seven official PGA Tour events — the most since Tiger Woods in 2007. This year, he looks to claim his third green jacket and further cement his legacy.
Aside from the defending champion, four-time major champion Rory McIlroy is still in search of his first green jacket. McIlroy recently won the Players Championship—what some consider to be the fifth major in golf—and he is rounding into form as the event approaches, standing as a strong contender.
Other golfers in the hunt for the green jacket include reigning PGA Champion and Open Champion Xander Schaffale and reigning US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau. Ludvig Åberg, a young star on the PGA Tour, is coming off of a solo second-place finish last year at his first Masters appearance.
The Masters will be filled with attention surrounding the competition between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. As of late 2021, we have not seen all the best players in the world compete on the same stage outside the four major championships. Players like John Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, who play on the LIV Golf Tour, do not normally have the opportunity to go up against players like Scheffler and Mcilroy. This rare reunion is sure to draw increased attention from all sports fans and media alike.
One of the largest storylines of the event is the absence of a legend. Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon while practicing at his home in Florida in March, meaning a long road to recovery for Woods, which forced him to not participate in the event this year.
Wake Forest has a pair of alumni playing in the event, with Will Zalatoris and Cameron Young each set to play. Zalatoris has notably had success at Augusta in 2021, when he finished as a runner-up to Hideki Matsuyama. Young’s best finish was tied for seventh in 2023.
