masters 2026 begins with a familiar question and a new layer of pressure: can Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy keep the game’s biggest stage from opening up to someone else? In Augusta, where recent history has often belonged to those two, the conversation is no longer only about who can win, but who can resist the weight of expectation.
Why does masters 2026 start with Scheffler and McIlroy?
The short answer is that their recent record makes them the players everyone else is chasing. Scheffler and McIlroy have won three of the last four Masters between them, with Scheffler taking the Green Jacket in 2022 and again in 2024, before McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam in last year’s contest.
Scheffler arrives as the pre-tournament favourite for a fifth major title in as many years. That status sits alongside a rare patch of form that is less dominant than usual: he finished outside the top 10 in his last three PGA Tour starts, his worst run in four years, even though he has already won this season at the American Express. At Augusta National, his record still carries weight, with top-20 finishes in every appearance there so far.
McIlroy’s task is different, but no lighter. He is trying to become the first player since Tiger Woods to win back-to-back editions of The Masters. Last year’s dramatic play-off win over Justin Rose ended an 11-year wait for a fifth major title and made him only the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam. That achievement has now turned into a new test: repeating it.
Which challengers are being backed for Masters 2026?
The wider field is not being treated as an afterthought. Ahead of the opening major of the year, the Sky Sports Golf team were asked to pick a winner and a possible under-the-radar contender, and the answers pointed toward players with form, experience and patience rather than noise.
Nick Dougherty, a Sky Sports Golf pundit, backed Justin Rose to win. He pointed to Rose’s form this season, his win already on the board, and his performance on a big golf course at Torrey Pines. Dougherty also stressed Rose’s age, his fitness work and the value of experience at Augusta, where Rose has finished runner-up three times, including against McIlroy last year.
Andrew Coltart, a Sky Sports Golf pundit, chose Matt Fitzpatrick, saying his numbers are strong, he is on form and he “likes it here. ” Coltart added that Fitzpatrick has the temperament and patience required, and that he is getting better after last year’s resurgence. Cameron Young was also mentioned in the wider discussion as a player looking to join Scheffler and McIlroy in following victory at Augusta National.
What does Sir Nick Faldo say about Rory McIlroy’s next step?
Sir Nick Faldo, the three-time Masters champion, has framed McIlroy’s challenge as something bigger than simply defending a title. Faldo believes McIlroy must reset completely and treat the week as a new project, starting fresh on Thursday morning. He said the work must be physical, technical, mental and emotional, because nobody can simply carry last year’s emotion into a new tournament and expect the same result.
Faldo, one of only three players alongside Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to successfully defend his Masters title, suggested McIlroy may already be looking beyond a repeat win and toward a second career Grand Slam. He noted that such a goal would mean six major victories, the same total as his own, but made clear that he sees no concern in being matched or surpassed. For Faldo, the bigger point is the scale of what McIlroy could chase next.
That message fits the mood around Augusta: the stars at the top are still the main attraction, but masters 2026 is being shaped by whether they can keep evolving while others close the gap. For Scheffler, that means proving his recent slip in PGA Tour results is only temporary. For McIlroy, it means trying to repeat the hardest thing in golf while carrying the memory of the most emotional win of his career.
The opening round will not settle every question, but it will show whether Augusta remains a two-man conversation or becomes something more open. Until then, masters 2026 is defined by a simple tension: the comfort of familiar champions, and the uncertainty that always waits behind them.
