The Masters 2026 Preview: Analytics, Course Changes, and the Field's Five Favorites

The 90th Masters Tournament tees off at Augusta National on April 9, with the course playing at a record 7,555 yards after offseason changes to the 13th hole. The par-five at Azalea has been lengthened by 35 yards, matching the 2023 extension of the 11th hole at White Dogwood. Course superintendent Marsh Benson said at a media event in February that the longer 13th "will reward players who drive the ball more than 310 yards and penalize those who don't."

The field for the 2026 Masters includes 89 players, with 18 LIV Golf tour members invited through qualification or past-champion exemptions. Scottie Scheffler enters as the betting favorite at 7-to-1, followed by Rory McIlroy (10-to-1) and Jon Rahm (12-to-1). Ludvig Aberg, who finished second to Scheffler in the 2024 Masters, opens at 16-to-1.

Scottie Scheffler's Approach

Scheffler enters Augusta having won the PGA Tour's first two tournaments of 2026, at Pebble Beach and Bay Hill. His strokes-gained-tee-to-green leads the tour at +2.31 per round, and his approach shots from 175 to 225 yards rank first on tour in proximity to the hole. Augusta's second-shot scoring tendency — with approaches typically 175 to 215 yards — aligns with his statistical strength.

Scheffler's caddie Ted Scott told Golf Digest that the two have been working specifically on par-five scoring, an area where Scheffler ranked 81st in 2024 despite leading the tour in overall strokes-gained. "We're trying to make sure the par-fives at Augusta become birdie opportunities and not just par-saves," Scott said.

Rory McIlroy and the Grand Slam Pursuit

Rory McIlroy enters the 2026 Masters seeking to complete the career Grand Slam, a goal that has eluded him since his 2014 PGA Championship win. The Northern Irishman has finished in the top 10 at Augusta seven times, including a runner-up finish in 2022, but has struggled in final rounds — his Sunday scoring average at Augusta is 71.6, compared with 70.1 across the first three rounds.

McIlroy has worked with sports psychologist Bob Rotella since 2023 specifically on Masters-Sunday pressure, according to a Golf Channel interview published March 2. McIlroy told the network: "I've reached the point where the Masters is not the mountain it was. I've climbed in many ways already. That actually frees me up." The statement reflects a change in tone from his more angst-ridden comments in recent years.

LIV Golf's Growing Influence

Eighteen LIV Golf players qualified for the 2026 Masters, up from 13 in 2024. Included are Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton and Sergio Garcia. Augusta National's invitation policy has softened since 2023, when chairman Fred Ridley publicly expressed concern about the breakaway tour's impact on "the competitive integrity of the major championship schedule."

DeChambeau, the 2024 U.S. Open champion, enters Augusta after finishing sixth in LIV's February Mayakoba event. His tour-best driving distance — 328 yards in 2025 — positions him well for the course's new length, though his short-game strokes-gained remains his weakest statistical area.

Course Condition Changes

Augusta National's greens have undergone agronomic changes designed to maintain pace despite warmer early-April weather. The club replaced sections of A4 bentgrass on the 6th, 9th and 14th greens during the 2025 closure, using a new Kingdom hybrid bentgrass variety that holds pace in higher soil temperatures. Chairman Ridley has also authorized extended afternoon watering on Monday and Tuesday practice rounds.

Weather forecasts for the tournament week call for temperatures in the mid-70s Fahrenheit on Thursday, rising to the low 80s by Sunday. Precipitation is unlikely through Saturday, with a 30 percent chance of afternoon thunderstorms on Sunday. Previous Masters finals played in warm, dry conditions have typically favored ball-strikers over putters, per strokes-gained historical data.

The Amateur Field and First-Timers

Six amateurs comprise the 2026 field, including U.S. Amateur champion Evan Beck, U.S. Mid-Amateur winner Stewart Hagestad, and Augusta National Women's Amateur champion Megha Ganne. The amateur minimum cut has historically been plus-1 or better at the midpoint of the tournament; only two amateurs have made the cut since 2020.

Twelve first-time Masters competitors round out the field, including PGA Tour rookie Luke Clanton and recent Korn Ferry Tour promotion Karl Vilips. The tradition of awarding the Silver Cup to the low-scoring amateur who makes the cut has not produced a winner since Sepp Straka in 2019.

Broadcast and Viewership

CBS Sports retains Saturday and Sunday coverage of the Masters, with ESPN broadcasting Thursday and Friday rounds. The tournament's Masters.com streaming product, introduced in 2009, has expanded international distribution to 185 countries, per Augusta National data. Paramount+ carries the tournament on streaming in the U.S., with Prime Video distributing in the UK, Germany and Japan.

The 2024 Masters final round, won by Scheffler, drew 9.7 million U.S. viewers, up 4 percent from 2023, according to Nielsen. The figure remains below the 14 million mark of the 2019 Tiger Woods victory but is the second-highest since 2020.