Augusta, Ga. — We’re just 18 holes away from the 90th playing of the Masters, and the tournament is already performing at a high level.
The week’s favorable forecast has set the stage for a strong and fast Augusta National, which is poised to take out the contenders from among the contenders and potentially deliver one of the best editions of this major championship.
Through one round, the leaderboard is already filled with some of the best golfers in the world as well as players who have had recent success here. Five of the top 10 finishers at last year’s event find themselves in the top 10 again, and according to Data Golf, four of the top five in the world (as well as five of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking), are part of a group of just 18 players.
With a golf course that will get even more difficult over the next three days, what are we looking at in the second round.
Which players have the best shot at staying on top of this crowded leaderboard?
Paolo Ughetti: There has been no proper defense of the green jacket since Tiger Woods Won in 2001, a year after winning his second Masters.
After an opening round 67 – enough to maintain a share of the lead at 5-under – Rory McIlroy Also prepared to attempt to complete one repetition.
Thursday’s score is one that McIlroy thought was almost undeserved. He hit only five of 14 fairways and said he probably should have dropped to 2 under. That he was able to score well regardless is an example of the kind of confidence the five-time major winner has in his game right now and the kind of freedom he has after achieving a Grand Slam last year.
“When I came in Tuesday I said this: I think winning the Masters makes it easier to win your second Masters. I do that,” McIlroy said. “I think it’s easier for me to make those swings when I know I can go into the Champions locker room and wear my green jacket and have a Coke Zero at the end of the day and I’m not worried about where it’s going to go.”
Should be good. More than his energy, McIlroy enjoys this difficult style of golf, which requires shot shaping, spin control and the perfect combination of aggression and patience. As this tournament gets tougher, it would be shocking to see him not compete over the weekend. He is not the only person who thinks so.
“By the way, Rory will never lose this thing again after last year.” fred couple Said on Thursday. “I told my caddy this about the 12th hole.”
the same goes for Scotty SchefflerWho played his C game on Thursday and still scored 2 under justin roseWho also followed close to his Masters victory last year with a round of 70. Both know exactly what it takes to win here and are unlikely to fade.
patrick reed He already has the green jacket and has been playing some of the best golf in the world this year, and has two wins on the DP World Tour. Reed made it to the top-10 last year too and he will have no shortage of experience or anything to surpass himself.
“When I won in ’18, it was the first year I was really ready to take it day-by-day and shot-by-shot,” Reed said. “I think that’s my recipe, because when you first arrive, you always put a lot of pressure on yourself, you always try a little bit harder.”
Finally, a cool round of 70 from a two-time major winner xander schaufele Should not be ignored. Schauffele has fallen off the radar a bit after a disappointing 2025, but he has three top-10 finishes in 2026 and his performances here at Augusta have been incredible. In eight starts, he has five top 10 finishes.
“Just hang in there,” Schauffele said. “Anything can happen on this property, especially with the way it’s going.”
How did the course play on Thursday and what can we see from the rest of the tournament?
Mark Schlabach: During the opening round, 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed broke a tee while trying to fix a ball mark on the 17th green.
jason dayPlaying in his 15th Masters, he noticed a “violet tint” on the No. 1 fairway, a sign that the Augusta National course was starting to become firm, bouncy and fast.
chris gotterupJoe, who is making his debut in his first major of the season, averaged 363 yards off the tee as the ball continued to swing on firm fairways.
High temperatures on Saturday and Sunday are predicted to reach the mid-80s, and relative humidity is dropping to 20-30% each afternoon, meaning it will remain dry.
“You already know it’s going to be bad,” said Reed, who opened with a 3-under 69. “You know it’s going to be fast, and it’s going to require a lot of patience. You have to hit the ball solid and put the ball in the right spots. When you do that, be patient and try to minimize errors.”
shane lowrywho played a card of 2-under 70 on Thursday, predicted it could be “the toughest Masters we have played in some time.”
“You look at the forecast,” Lowry said. “They can do whatever they want with the golf course this weekend. I think over the last few years, we’ve had one day every year where it rains or it rains heavily. That’s helped us a little bit, but I think before the week is out, it’s going to be very, very bad here.”
Day said Augusta National can make the course as difficult as it wants under current conditions.
“If they want [single] Points to win, it’s going to be drawn out fast, and guys are going to have a little fun on themselves out there,” said Day, who posted a 3-under 69. “Be really tough.”
Ughetti: A perfect example of what the players are talking about above is what happened today on the 13th green. Earlier in the day, McIlroy had to layup on the par-5 par-5 and launch himself onto a 60-yard pitch sloping down to the hole. McIlroy was able to generate enough spin to put the ball past the hole and keep it on the green. He made the ensuing birdie putt, making it three consecutive birdies.
A few hours later, Scheffler and gary woodland Played the hole and left distances of 62 and 39 yards for his pitches respectively. But when he hit his shots farther away from the turf, the greens became firmer and less receptive. Instead of holding, both of his balls rolled left behind the green and suddenly a birdie hole turned into a grind for par.
“When the greens get so firm, you really have to think about where the best misses are, and distance control is very important, but also, different – miss it to the left, miss it to the right,” McIlroy said. “So when the greenlight becomes firm like this, it makes it more of a tactical test, and you really have to think about things.”
McIlroy said the wind will remain relatively controlled for the rest of the week, but golf courses? It’s only getting harder. buckle up.
Who had the most disappointing first round?
Ughetti: there was a lot of noise all around john rahm Entering this week, and with good reason. The Spaniard had one win and five top-5 finishes in five events at LIV. He was finding form just in time to compete for a second green jacket and after taking a proper offseason to work on “bad habits” he spoke with great positivity about his game.
Yet Rahm had another disappointing performance on Thursday, shooting a 6-over 78 and leaving himself 11 shots behind the first-round leaders.
It would be easy to attribute Rahm’s mediocre play in major competitions in recent years to his decision to move to LIV. And while there’s probably an element of truth there, it’s also a crutch. The bottom line is that Rahm doesn’t belong in the conversation with Scheffler and McIlroy as one of the game’s top players.
His game is not fast enough to compete at Augusta which is becoming firmer, faster and tougher. Rahm himself noted earlier this week that his victory at the Masters in 2023 came during an edition of the tournament that was wet and soft where surviving the elements was more important than hitting the types of shots that will be required this week.
“If I had to say what was really good in 2023, hopefully he’s getting back to that level,” Rahm said Tuesday. “I hit my irons very well.”
On Thursday, a frustrated Rahm lost a shocking 3.62 shots on the field with those irons along with one stroke on the field with his putting – he made three of four putts! – Third worst mark in the entire region. Even though he could have bounced back on Friday and made the cut, he effectively knocked himself out of the tournament after just 18 holes.
Schlabach: after Winning back-to-back tournaments In LIV Golf League, Bryson DeChambeau Was a popular pick to win his first green jacket this week.
Last year, DeChambeau paired with McIlroy in the final round and finished tied for fifth at 7 under. This was his second consecutive top-10 at the Masters. It seemed he had finally cracked the code to Augusta National.
This was not the case on Thursday. He carded a 4-over 76 and is already nine strokes behind the leader.
After making the turn at par, things fell apart for DeChambeau on the par-4 11th. He hit his approach shot into the right greenside bunker. He needed three swings to get out, resulting in a triple-bogey 7.
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Bryson DeChambeau hits a devastating 11th hole in the bunker
Bryson DeChambeau needed three shots to get out of the bunker before recording a triple bogey on hole 11 at the Masters.
DeChambeau said he hit his second shot 12 yards farther than he intended. He also said that the bunker was softer than he expected.
The Crushers GC captain will have to go short on Friday. He hit eight of 18 greens and nine of 14 fairways.
It was his worst opening round since he carded a 7-over 78 in the first round of The Open at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland in July 2025. His score in the last 54 holes was 16 under and he finished 10th at 9 under.
“I’m just going to take what the golf course gives me,” DeChambeau said. “I have to try to hit my irons better. I drove it left a few times. You know, everyone has the ability to have weird things happen, and today I didn’t have control of my irons, which is weird. It’s been good to come in.” [the week].
What do other golfers need to do on Friday to make the cut?
It’s a packed leaderboard with many of the world’s best golfers within striking distance.
But there are more than a handful of familiar names who are in danger of missing the 36-hole cut, with projections at 4 or better (38.4%). data golf.
two-time masters champion bubba watson, singjae im, nikolai hojgaard And DeChambeau is right on the projected cut line. patrick cantlay, harry hall And Maverick McNally 5 are over, and min woo lee, fred couple And Rahm is 6 overs.
After falling 37–40 in his first Masters round, Hall planned to make sweeping changes.
He said, “I’m going to change my driver.” “I’ll put two drivers in play tomorrow, different drivers. I’ll put a new putter in play and find out [it] out of range. I don’t think I swing my irons enough. I went to a spinner ball this week, but I still can’t get it to turn on a dime as much as I should. So, I probably need to enhance my talent or do something to compete in these major competitions.”
former open championship winner brian herman It’s 7 o’clock, and Robert McIntyre It’s 8 o’clock.
