AUGUSTA, Ga. — We’re simply 18 holes into the ninetieth taking part in of the Masters, and the event is already delivering at a excessive stage.
A good forecast main into the week has set the stage for a agency and quick Augusta Nationwide, one which seems ready to weed out the pretenders from the contenders and doubtlessly ship the most effective variations of this main championship.
By way of one spherical, the leaderboard is already stacked with a few of the greatest golfers on this planet in addition to gamers who’ve had latest success right here. 5 of the highest 10 finishers in final yr’s occasion discover themselves inside the highest 10 once more, and 4 of the highest 5 on this planet, per Information Golf (in addition to 5 of the highest 10 within the Official World Golf Rating), are a part of the group of solely 18 gamers underneath par.
With a golf course that ought to solely get more durable over the subsequent three days, here is what we’re watching heading into the second spherical.
Which gamers have the very best shot at staying close to the highest of this loaded leaderboard?
Paolo Uggetti: There has not been a correct protection of the inexperienced jacket since Tiger Woods received in 2001, a yr after profitable his second Masters.
After an opening-round 67 — adequate to carry a share of the lead at 5-under — Rory McIlroy is able to attempt to accomplish a repeat as effectively.
The rating Thursday is one McIlroy thought was virtually undeserved. He hit solely 5 of 14 fairways and stated he in all probability ought to have landed at 2 underneath. That he was capable of rating in addition to he did regardless exemplified the type of confidence the five-time main winner has in his recreation proper now and the type of freedom he possesses after lastly securing the grand slam final yr.
“I stated this after I got here in on Tuesday: I believe profitable a Masters makes it simpler to win your second one. I do,” McIlroy stated. “I believe it is simpler for me to make these swings and never fear about the place it goes after I know that I can go to the Champions Locker Room and put my inexperienced jacket on and have a Coke Zero on the finish of the day.”
Should be good. Extra than simply his vitality, McIlroy has come to relish this powerful fashion of golf that requires shot shaping, spin management and the suitable mixture of aggression and endurance. As this event will get tougher, it might be stunning to see him not contend on the weekend. He is not the one one who thinks so.
“By the best way, Rory might by no means lose this factor once more after final yr,” Fred Couples stated Thursday. “I stated that on in regards to the twelfth gap to my caddie.”
The identical goes for Scottie Scheffler, who performed his C recreation Thursday and nonetheless shot 2 underneath, in addition to Justin Rose, who adopted up his close to Masters victory final yr with a spherical of 70. too. Each know precisely what it takes to win right here and are unlikely to fade.
Patrick Reed already has a inexperienced jacket and has been taking part in a few of the greatest golf on this planet this yr, notching two wins on the DP World Tour. Reed additionally had a top-10 end final yr, and there can be no lack of expertise or getting forward of himself.
“Once I received in ’18, it was the primary yr I really totally purchased into simply taking it day-to-day and shot by shot,” Reed stated. “I believe that is what my recipe is, as a result of once you get to the primary main, you are at all times going to place an excessive amount of strain on your self, you are at all times going to grind somewhat tougher.”
Lastly, a quiet spherical of 70 from two-time main winner Xander Schauffele shouldn’t be ignored. Schauffele has flown just below the radar after a disappointing 2025, however he has three top-10 finishes in 2026 and has had unimaginable type right here at Augusta. In eight begins, he has 5 finishes inside the highest 10.
“Sort of simply acquired to hold in there,” Schauffele stated. “Something can occur on this property, particularly the best way it is taking part in.”
How did the course play Thursday, and what might we see for the remainder of the event?
Mark Schlabach: Through the opening spherical, Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, broke a tee attempting to restore a ball mark on the seventeenth inexperienced.
Jason Day, taking part in in his fifteenth Masters, seen the “tinge of purple” on the No. 1 fairway, an indication that the Augusta Nationwide course is beginning to get agency, bouncy and quick.
Chris Gotterup, who’s making his debut within the first main of the season, averaged a whopping 363 yards off the tee as a result of the ball is rolling to this point on agency fairways.
Excessive temperatures are predicted to achieve the mid-80s on Saturday and Sunday, and relative humidity is dropping to 20-30% every afternoon, which implies it will keep dry.
“You already know it will get crusty,” stated Reed, who opened with a 3-under 69. “You understand it will get quick, and it will take loads of endurance. You are going to must hit the ball strong and put the ball in the suitable spots. While you do, be affected person and attempt to decrease errors.”
Shane Lowry, who carded a 2-under 70 on Thursday, predicted it is perhaps the “hardest Masters we have performed shortly.”
“You take a look at the forecast,” Lowry stated. “They’ll do no matter they need with the golf course this weekend. I believe over the previous couple of years, we have had a day yearly the place it has been raining or it has been heavy rains. It is type of helped us somewhat bit, however I believe earlier than the week is out, it will get very, very crusty round right here.”
Day stated Augusta Nationwide could make the course as troublesome because it needs within the present situations.
“If they need [single] digits to win, it’s going to be baked out and quick, and guys can be type of spewing on themselves on the market,” stated Day, who posted a 3-under 69. “Be actually troublesome.”
Uggetti: An ideal instance of what gamers are speaking about above is what occurred at present on the thirteenth inexperienced. Earlier within the day, McIlroy needed to lay up on the par-5 and left himself a 60-yard pitch on a downslope to the outlet. McIlroy was capable of generate sufficient spin to place the ball previous the outlet and maintain it on the inexperienced. He made the following birdie putt, which kicked off a run of three straight birdies.
A number of hours later, Scheffler and Gary Woodland performed the outlet and left themselves 62 and 39 yards respectively for his or her pitches. However whilst they clipped their photographs effectively off the turf, the greens had already gotten firmer and fewer receptive. As a substitute of holding, each of their balls rolled off the again left of the inexperienced and instantly a birdie gap had changed into a grind for par.
“When the greens get that agency, you actually have to consider the place the very best miss is, and distance management is essential, but in addition, like, totally different — lacking it left, lacking it proper,” McIlroy stated. “So when the greens do get agency like this, it makes it a way more tactical take a look at, and you actually have to consider issues.”
McIlroy identified that the wind can be comparatively tame the remainder of the week, however the golf course? That is solely getting more durable. Buckle up.
Who had essentially the most disappointing first spherical?
Uggetti: There was loads of hype surrounding Jon Rahm heading into this week, and with good cause. The Spaniard had notched a win and 5 top-5 finishes in 5 occasions on LIV. He seemed to be rounding into type at simply the suitable time to compete for a second inexperienced jacket and spoke with a lot positivity about his recreation after taking a correct offseason to work on “dangerous habits.”
But Rahm delivered one other dud Thursday, capturing a 6-over 78 and placing himself 11 photographs behind the first-round leaders.
It might be straightforward to attribute Rahm’s mediocre play on the majors lately to his determination to go away for LIV. And whereas perhaps there is a kernel of reality there, it is usually a crutch. The underside line is that Rahm doesn’t belong within the dialog with Scheffler and McIlroy as one of many high gamers within the recreation.
His recreation shouldn’t be sharp sufficient to compete at an Augusta that is agency, quick and getting tougher. Rahm himself famous earlier this week that his win on the Masters had come throughout a model of the event in 2023 that was moist and comfortable the place surviving the weather was extra vital than hitting the sorts of photographs that this week would require.
“If I needed to say what was actually good in 2023 that’s in all probability getting in the direction of that stage once more hopefully is my iron recreation,” Rahm stated Tuesday. “I hit my irons very well.”
On Thursday, a pissed off Rahm misplaced over a stroke to the sphere with these irons in addition to a stunning 3.62 photographs to the sphere together with his placing — he three-putted 4 instances! — the third-worst mark of the complete discipline. Despite the fact that he might bounce again Friday and make the minimize, he successfully shot himself out of the event after simply 18 holes.
Schlabach: After winning back-to-back tournaments within the LIV Golf League, Bryson DeChambeau was a well-liked decide to win his first inexperienced jacket this week.
Final yr, DeChambeau performed within the final pairing with McIlroy within the ultimate spherical and tied for fifth at 7 underneath. It was his second straight top-10 within the Masters. It appeared that he had lastly found out the code for Augusta Nationwide.
That wasn’t the case Thursday. He carded a 4-over 76 and is already 9 strokes behind the leaders.
After making the flip at even par, issues fell aside for DeChambeau on the par-4 eleventh. He hit his strategy shot into the suitable greenside bunker. He wanted three swings to get out, leading to a triple-bogey 7.
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Bryson DeChambeau has disastrous eleventh gap within the bunker
Bryson DeChambeau wants three photographs to get out of a bunker earlier than recording a triple bogey on Gap 11 on the Masters.
DeChambeau stated he hit his second shot 12 yards farther than he needed. He additionally stated the bunker was softer than he anticipated.
The Crushers GC captain should go low Friday. He hit eight of 18 greens and 9 of 14 fairways.
It was his worst opening spherical since he carded a 7-over 78 within the first spherical of The Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Eire in July 2025. He went 16 underneath over the ultimate 54 holes and tied for tenth at 9 underneath.
“Simply going to provide what the golf course offers me,” DeChambeau stated. “I’ve to attempt to hit my irons higher. I drove it left quite a few events. You understand, everyone has a capability for bizarre issues to occur, and at present I simply didn’t have my irons underneath management, which is bizarre. It has been good coming into it [the week].
What different golfers have work to do Friday to make the minimize?
It is a loaded leaderboard with most of the world’s greatest golfers inside hanging distance.
However there are greater than a handful of acquainted names who’re in peril of lacking the 36-hole minimize, which is projected at 4 over par or higher (38.4%) by Data Golf.
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, Sungjae Im, Nicolai Højgaard and DeChambeau are proper on the projected minimize line. Patrick Cantlay, Harry Hall and Maverick McNealy are 5 over, and Min Woo Lee, Fred Couples and Rahm are 6 over.
Corridor deliberate wholesale adjustments after going 37-40 in his first Masters spherical.
“I will change my driver,” he stated. “I will put two drivers in play tomorrow, totally different ones. I am placing a brand new putter in play and going to determine [it] out on the vary. I do not suppose I spin my irons sufficient both. I went right into a spinnier ball this week, however I nonetheless cannot cease it on a dime like I have to. So, I in all probability want so as to add to my irons or do one thing to compete in these majors.”
Former Open Championship winner Brian Harman is 7 over, and Robert MacIntyre is 8 over.
