AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — A capsule look at 10 top contenders for the Masters on April 10-13. Players listed in order of the AP’s predicted finish:
Rory McIlroy
Age: 36.
Country: Northern Ireland.
World ranking: 2.
Worldwide victories: 39.
Majors: U.S. Open (2011), British Open (2014), PGA Championship (2012, 2014).
Masters appearances: 16.
Best finish: Runner-up in 2022.
Masters memory: Losing a four-shot lead in 2011 with an 80 in the final round.
Tap-ins: McIlroy has never looked better going into the Masters, with victories at Pebble Beach and The Players Championship. This is his 11th straight year coming to Augusta National knowing that only a green jacket is keeping him from the career Grand Slam.
Collin Morikawa
Age: 28.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 4.
Worldwide victories: 8.
Majors: PGA Championship (2020), British Open (2021).
Masters appearances: 5.
Best finish: Tie for third in 2024.
Masters memory: One shot behind as he was making the turn in 2024, he took two shots to get out of a bunker left of the ninth green and took double bogey.
Tap-ins: Morikawa played in the final group of two majors last year and already has played in the final group twice this year. Winning the Masters would give him the third leg of the career Grand Slam.
Scottie Scheffler
Age: 28.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 1.
Worldwide victories: 16.
Majors: Masters (2022, 2024).
Masters appearances: 5.
Best finish: Won in 2022 and 2024.
Masters memory: Dominating in 2022 to the point that he four-putted the 18th hole and still won by three shots.
Tap-ins: A victory would allow him to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as back-to-back Masters champions.
Ludvig Aberg
Age: 25.
Country: Sweden.
World ranking: 5.
Worldwide victories: 3.
Majors: None.
Masters appearances: 1.
Best finish: Runner-up in 2024.
Masters memory: Hitting in the water on No. 11 for double bogey when he was one shot behind in the final round.
Tap-ins: Aberg beat one of the strongest fields of the year at Torrey Pines. Last year he became the third player in the last five years to be runner-up in his Masters debut.
Jon Rahm
Age: 30.
Country: Spain.
World ranking: 75.
Worldwide victories: 21.
Majors: Masters (2023), U.S. Open (2021).
Masters appearances: 8.
Best finish: Won in 2023.
Masters memory: Winning the Masters in 2023 on the birthday of the late Seve Ballesteros.
Tap-ins: Rahm did not seriously contend in any of the three majors he played last year.
Xander Schauffele
Age: 31.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 3.
Worldwide victories: 10.
Majors: PGA Championship (2024), British Open (2024).
Masters appearances: 7.
Best finished: Tie for second in 2021.
Masters memory: Hitting 8-iron into the water on the 16th in 2021 when he had a chance to put pressure on Hideki Matsuyama.
Tap-ins: He missed nearly two months with a rib injury. A year ago he was without a major. A victory would put him one leg away from the career Grand Slam.
Justin Thomas
Age: 31.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 9.
Worldwide victories: 15.
Majors: PGA Championship (2017, 2022).
Masters appearances: 9.
Best finish: Tie for fourth in 2020.
Masters memory: Three shots out of the lead in the second round in 2023, he shot 42 on the back nine and missed the cut.
Tap-ins: He already has four top 10s in eight starts this year. But he hasn’t won since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills.
Bryson DeChambeau
Age: 31.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 19.
Worldwide victories: 12.
Majors: U.S. Open (2020, 2024).
Masters appearances: 8.
Best finish: Tie for sixth in 2024.
Masters memory: Saying in 2020 that Augusta National was a par 67 for him. His best score was a 69 in a tie for 34th.
Tap-ins: The U.S. Open champion shared the 18-hole lead at the Masters a year ago and then failed to break par the rest of the tournament.
Jordan Spieth
Age: 31.
Country: United States.
World ranking: 66.
Worldwide victories: 16.
Majors: Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), British Open (2017).
Masters appearances: 11.
Best finish: Won in 2015.
Masters memory: Never letting anyone within three shots of him over the last 54 holes when he went wire-to-wire to win in 2015.
Tap-ins: He had surgery on his left wrist last summer. Augusta National is the best measure of his game. He has a win, two runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes.
Joaquin Niemann
Age: 26.
Country: Chile.
World ranking: 84.
Worldwide victories: 8.
Majors: None.
Masters appearances: 6.
Best finish: Tie for 16th in 2023.
Masters memory: One round away from turning pro, he shot 63 to win the Latin American Amateur in 2018 and earn his first trip to the Masters.
Tap-ins: He is the only LIV player to get a special exemption to the Masters in the last two years.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
