Augusta (United States) (AFP) – World number one Scottie Scheffler launches his Masters title defense Thursday focused on tackling the intricacies of Augusta National rather than the chance to join a select band of back-to-back champions. Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods are the only players to win two straight Masters titles, but Scheffler — who also won in 2022 — says thoughts of joining them are the furthest thing from his mind.
“When I think about getting ready for this week, when I step on the first tee on Thursday, I’m going to remind myself that I’ve done what I needed to do to play well, and it’s all about going out and competing now,” Scheffler said.
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World number two Rory McIlroy has a similar mindset as he tries to join Nicklaus, Woods, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen in completing a career Grand Slam — something he’s been unable to do in 10 prior attempts. “It’s just narratives. It’s noise,” said McIlroy, who won the most recent of his four major titles in 2014 but arrived at Augusta with two PGA Tour victories in 2025. McIlroy, too, was laser-focused on the task at hand, saying that after a solid build-up he was “looking forward to getting this thing going on Thursday.”
Scheffler and McIlroy have dominated the pre-tournament conversation, but the first major of the year features a raft of contenders that includes world number three Xander Schauffele — winner of the PGA Championship and Open Championship last year — and reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau is among the dozen LIV Golf tour members in the field whose form can’t be gauged by world ranking since the rankings system doesn’t recognize events on the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit. Seven of them are past Masters champions, including 2023 winner Jon Rahm of Spain.
Rahm harbors fond memories of Augusta National, but he said the familiar glories of the course take a back seat to business during tournament week. “It’s a golf course that you need to think a lot about where you’re putting the ball off the tee and on the green,” Rahm said. “You’re thinking about where to put the ball to give yourself the best chance to make a par, hopefully a birdie. Definitely not caught up on the flowers or the beauty of the golf course or anything like that.”
The iconic landscape has been noticeably altered by the battering from deadly Hurricane Helene in September, losing a number of the towering pine trees that guard the fairways. It makes for a less-imposing prospect on many tee shots — with the trees to the left on 10 among those noticeably thinned out. “Ten, for example, if you are feeling extremely dangerous, there’s a little gap on the left side of the trees where you can kind of hit it through,” Schauffele said. “I think it’s a little risky, but in the past, your ball would hit a tree there and fall 90 feet from the tee box.”
Most thought the loss of trees — and a winnowing of branches on some that remain — made little material difference in how to attack the course. “It just visually changes some holes,” Ireland’s Shane Lowry said. “The tall trees is what they have lost and you can see some stuff that you were never able to see, but I don’t think it changes the golf course one bit.”
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