When the calendar turns to April, a barrage of casual golf fans set their sights on Augusta National and the Masters. It’s the first major championship of the season, and it’s the only major played at the same iconic course every year.
Few tournaments, if any, carry the same prestige as the Masters. With the marquee event just a few days from starting — the first tee times arrive Thursday morning — let’s take a look at 25 golfers with the best chances (on paper) of winning this year’s tournament.
25. Sepp Straka
The Austrian played college golf at the University of Georgia, and he finished 16th in last year’s Masters. Straka has three PGA Tour wins and the game to contend in any major.
24. Denny McCarthy
The Maryland native is still searching for his first PGA Tour victory, and he’s come close in the past two years with a pair of runner-up finishes. One of the best putters on the PGA Tour, McCarthy finished in a tie for 45th in his first appearance at August National in 2024. He’s yet to miss a cut this season, as he’s playing perhaps the best golf of his life.
23. Tyrell Hatton
Known as one of the most emotionally volatile golfers in the world, there’s always the concern that Hatton loses his head in big moments. His talent is superb, so he lands inside the top 25. Hatton finished in a tie for ninth at last year’s Masters.
22. Corey Conners
Regarded as one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour, Conners has three top-10 finishes at the Masters. If he ever wins a major, this is likely the venue where it happens.
21. Russell Henley
The Georgia native has five career PGA Tour wins and three top-15 finishes at the Masters. He’s yet to miss a cut this season, finishing inside the top 10 at four events and winning one PGA Tour start this year.
20. Patrick Reed
Reed adores Augusta National, winning here in 2018 and finishing in the top 15 in four of the past five years.
19. Viktor Hovland
Hovland hasn’t been pleased with the state of his game, changing instructors and swing feels on a whim in recent years. Regardless of his neurotic tendencies, Hovland won last month and finished seventh at the 2023 Masters.
18. Patrick Cantlay
The eight-time PGA Tour winner rarely contends in major championships. Cantlay’s talent is undeniable, but he’s struggled to turn that talent into success in the sport’s biggest events. Will 2025 be any different?
17. Joaquinn Niemann
Niemann has won four LIV events, including a pair of victories this season. Somehow the 26-year-old has yet to finish in the top 15 at a major, however. He needs to break that streak before entering a major in the top 15 of any power rankings.
16. Akshay Bhatia
The two-time PGA Tour winner who turned professional out of high school finished 35th in last year’s Masters, his first appearance at the tournament. With experience at the course under his belt, it’s only a matter of time until the 23-year-old contends at Augusta National.
15. Jordan Spieth
Spieth and Augusta National are a match made in heaven. The imaginative golfer has six top-five finishes at the Masters, including a victory in 2025. He’s capable of winning this event every year, although his current form isn’t great compared to his peers.
14. Will Zalatoris
He’s played in the Masters three times, and he’s never finished outside the top 10. He doesn’t have a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour this year, but his game suits major championships.
13. Shane Lowry
Lowry holds four straight top-20 finishes on the PGA Tour, and he’s made five straight cuts at Augusta National. He finished third here in 2022. Don’t count out the Irishman, who holds one major championship.
12. Hideki Matsuyama
He won this tournament in 2021, and he has a whopping eight top-20 finishes at Augusta National. He’s a world-class player who loves the course.
11. Bryson DeChambeau
In eight Masters starts, DeChambeau has missed more cuts (two) than he has top 10s (one). Still, he’s a two-time U.S. Open champion and finished sixth in last year’s Masters. His length off the tee and reliable putting make him a threat at every major championship, but his power has previously proved more valuable in U.S. Opens and PGA Championships.
10. Cameron Smith
He’s an ideal course fit, as his creativity around the greens seemingly translates well to Augusta National. Smith has finished in the top 10 here in four of the last five years.
9. Justin Thomas
He’s missed the cut at his past two Masters, but the two-time major champion has four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, including a second-place result in his most recent start. He’s in elite form and holds a pair of top 10s at the Masters in his career.
8. Tommy Fleetwood
Despite not having any PGA Tour wins, Fleetwood makes the top 10. Why? He’s won seven times in Europe since 2013, and he finished third in last year’s Masters. This season, Fleetwood hasn’t finished outside the top 25 in any of his PGA Tour starts. He’s capable of winning every week he tees it up, even if he’s come up just short so many times before in the U.S.
7. Brooks Koepka
Nobody loves major championships as much as Brooks Koepka. He’s won five of them, although he’s yet to capture a green jacket. He’s finished runner-up here twice, making him a top contender.
6. Xander Schauffele
Schauffele missed time earlier this year with a ribs muscle injury — Orioles superstar Gunnar Henderson feels his pain — but he’s back and always a contender in major championships. He’s won two of the past three majors, and he’s finished inside the top 10 at the Masters in four of the last six years. Lingering rust from the injury keeps him outside the top five.
