The 2026 Masters finally arrives on Thursday. So far, the week at Augusta National has been low on tension now that Rory McIlroy has gotten the monkey off his back. So, we asked our staff: What’s the best storyline heading into the 2026 Masters?
Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): The best storyline at the Masters is if the most famous (active) golfer in the world can somehow become more famous with a green jacket over his shoulders. Can Bryson DeChambeau — who has broken the game at times — crack the code of Augusta National? I presume he contends, but winning is such a different animal. As he knows too well…
Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): Bryson is a good call in what is otherwise a Masters without a dramatic central story. Next, I’d probably add the question: How serious is Scottie Scheffler’s slump? No doubt he’s off to a slow start to 2026 by his standards. But how far off is he really? How stubborn are the issues? There’s no better litmus test than this.
Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): Umm…can’t Rory still be the best storyline? Now that he has the green-jacketed monkey off his back, I’m fascinated to see how he plays. History is not on his side — in the last 19 Masters, just three defending champs have finished top-10 the following year — but McIlroy has been saying all the right things and appears at ease. I fully expect him to be in the mix again.
Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@schrock_and_awe): Agree with Alan. For me, it’s now that Rory has won, does it actually free him up at Augusta, as we all have assumed for years? If I were picking an Option B, it would be the wide-openness of this Masters. For the last handful of years, the Masters has arrived with one or two of the best players in the world firing on all cylinders. This year, we have questions about Scottie’s iron play, how to gauge Bryson and Rahm’s good play on LIV and what to expect from Rory with the monkey off his back. Patrick Reed said there could be 10-12 players who could win. The real number might be higher.
Josh Berhow, managing editor (@josh_berhow): I’m interested to see if Scottie finds that extra gear for the first major of the season and picks up right where he left off last year. He could have three Masters and five major titles before turning 30, which would set up a fun summer to see how deep he can take it. Other than that? I’m curious to see who joins the Tuesday Champions Dinner first. JT? Bryson? Xander? Lots of good players still without this on their resume.
