The world’s premier golfers are gearing up to pursue the prestigious green jacket and a slice of the $20 million prize purse. The 2025 Masters golf tournament will take place on the lush fairways of Augusta National, where golfers will have the opportunity to make history amid blooming azaleas and towering pines.
There will be no shortage of competition in the high-stakes affair, and plenty of storylines could take shape as the tournament unfolds over the coming days. Rory McIlroy is attempting to complete the career grand slam 11 years after his last major win, Xander Schauffele is pursuing his third major in four starts, Jon Rahm is hoping to become a multiple-time winner, and Ludvig Åberg is expected to firmly establish himself as a budding star.
While those would all be meaningful accolades, all eyes will be on defending champion Scottie Scheffler as he attempts to etch his name into the history books at Augusta National. Scheffler could become the fourth golfer to win the Masters in back-to-back years and join Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to win the Masters three times in a four-year span.
Scottie Scheffler could the become fourth golfer to win back-to-back Masters
Golfer | Back-to-Back Masters |
|---|---|
Jack Nicklaus | 1965 and 1966 |
Nick Faldo | 1989 and 1990 |
Tiger Woods | 2001 and 2002 |
In the 88 years of the tournament, only three golfers managed to win the Masters in consecutive years. Nicklaus, the first to accomplish the feat, won his second Masters in 1965 by nine shots, then defended the title in 1956 by taking a playoff over Tommy Jacobs and Gay Brewer. Nick Faldo, the only foreign-born back-to-back champion, won the 1989 and 1990 tournaments in playoffs over Scott Hoch and Raymond Floyd.
Tiger Woods was the last golfer to defend his championship with back-to-back wins in 2001 and 2002. Woods won all four major championships between the 2000 U.S. Open and the 2001 Masters, then defended his titles in the Masters and the U.S. Open a year later.
Jordan Spieth came close to joining the list in 2016, but he finished tied for second following a second nine collapse. In the nine years since then, there hasn’t been a defending champion that finished better than tied for 10th place. If anyone has a chance to break that streak, it’s Scheffler. The 28-year-old is the all-time tournament leader in scoring average (70.40) and strokes gained total per round (2.69) among players with at least 20 career rounds, per The Athletic. He’s picked up more than 15 strokes on the field on shots around the green since 2022, roughly five more than any other player in that span.
Scheffler finished last year with seven PGA tour titles, his second green jacket and an Olympic gold medal. He isn’t known to make many mistakes on the course, but that excellence doesn’t necessarily translate to the kitchen. Scheffler got off to a slow start while recovering from surgery on his right hand, which he injured while using a wine glass to make ravioli over Christmas. The 28-year-old is entering the tournament as the top-ranked player and remains favored to win the green jacket, but it won’t be easy. Augusta can be as perilous as it is beautiful, especially around Amen Corner.
McIlroy, the second-ranked player, has been playing some of his best golf this year, and he has already won The Players Championship and secured a top-five finish at the Houston Open. Collin Morikawa, who has the third-best odds to win, has finished in the top 10 in his past three trips to the Masters and ranks first on PGA Tour in strokes gained: tee-to-green this year. Jon Rahm, who won the Masters two years ago, and Bryson DeChambeau round out the top five.