The US Masters Preview: Who Are The Contenders?

The US Masters is one of the most anticipated golf events of the year with even non-avid golf fans tuning in for the four days of action.

Steeped in tradition, the Masters takes place in Augusta National every year and has been one of golf’s major tournaments since 1934. The field comprises the top 50 qualifying golfers, alongside former winners. This limits the amount of people who are legitimate contenders, which adds to the tension of the competition.

This year's Masters tournament is shaping up to be an exciting one, with many of the world's top golfers in fine form heading into this showdown at Augusta National. Let’s have a look at some of the main contenders as well as some potential outsiders for the 2025 US Masters.

The Main Contenders

We will see some of the world’s best players in good form heading into the Masters. World number one and defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler finished second last week at the Houston Open, kick-starting his season after a slow start to the year.

World number two Rory McIlroy seems best placed heading into the Masters. He has won twice this season, including the Players Championship, which is often referred to as the 5th major. This seems like McIlroy’s best chance to end his major drought, having not won a major since 2014. He is also chasing his first Masters title and the elusive grand slam, which has eluded him for so long.

Other main contenders for the Masters are Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg, Xander Schauffele, and LIV golfers Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Brooks Koepka. These players all have a huge chance of wearing the green jacket come Sunday and many of the players mentioned have major pedigree with only Aberg yet to win a major championship.

Outside Chances

The Masters is a limited field in the sense that the number of players who can actually realistically win it is small. However, there are a few players who could be considered potential champions, whose odds wouldn’t be as low as those mentioned above.

One of these is Irishman Shane Lowry. Lowry is having a great year and is knocking on the door for a victory, having many strong finishes including a runner-up finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am to Rory McIlroy.

Russell Henley is another player who could be considered as a Masters champion. Henley has moved up to 7th in the world but is still going under the radar, and does have a victory in 2025, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

With regard to other LIV golfers who could have a chance, Joaquin Niemann is a player trending in the right direction as we approach the Masters tournament. The Chilean has two wins in the four LIV tournaments that have been played in 2025, winning LIV Golf Singapore and LIV Golf Adelaide.

Finishing off our list of players with an outside chance is Australian Min Woo Lee. Min Woo Lee is a player who has been showing his quality in recent months. This was proven at the Houston Open, where he held off both the world number 1 Scottie Scheffler and world number 2 Rory McIlroy to claim his maiden PGA Tour title. Lee will be full of confidence after this victory and has the momentum. We have seen in the past what momentum can do heading into the Masters, with last year's winner Scottie Scheffler winning both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship so close to his second Masters triumph.

Conclusion

This year's US Masters is shaping up to be a very exciting one. Many players are heading to Augusta National with confidence, which will hopefully lead to an exhilarating Masters, and, if I may be biased, an Irish winner!

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