As the 90th edition of the Masters — golf’s first major championship of the 2025 season — prepares to kick off this week at Augusta National Golf Club, the world’s best players have already taken to the iconic course for opening practice rounds, with firm, fast playing conditions shaping up as a defining challenge for the entire tournament.
World number one Scottie Scheffler and defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy were among the first big names to test their shots on Monday, joining dozens of top competitors in fine-tuning their games ahead of Thursday’s opening round. Forecasters are calling for zero rain across the tournament week, leaving the venue’s famous undulating greens primed to stay rock-hard and lightning-quick for all four rounds.
Cam Smith, the 2022 British Open champion from Australia, got an early look at the course during practice and shared his take on the playing conditions. “The course is in great shape, and it’s already pretty firm,” Smith explained. “It seems like there’s just a little bit more grass. It’s a little bit fuller… It will be firm and fast, I would assume.”
Practice unfolded under soft cloudy skies with only a light breeze drifting through the historic Georgia pines, as hundreds of spectators turned out to catch a glimpse of golf’s biggest names ahead of the competition. Two-time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain offered a key early prediction for how the week will play out: “You will see long hitters doing well here,” the Spaniard said.
McIlroy, who captured his first career Masters title last year to complete a career Grand Slam and become one of only six players in golf history to achieve the feat, started his practice rounds over the weekend to acclimate to the course. The 36-year-old Northern Irish world number two acknowledged that the early days of tournament week are about settling in, with the intensity ramping up as the first round approaches. “The first few days it’s all about enjoying the perks,” McIlroy said. “But once Tuesday night is over, the serious business begins. There’s a mental change where I’m focused on the play and hopefully winning another Masters.”
If McIlroy defends his title this week, he will join an elite group that only includes Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to claim back-to-back Masters championships.
For Scheffler, this week marks his return to competitive golf for the first time since he tied for 22nd at the Players Championship three weeks ago. The top-ranked American and his wife Meredith welcomed their second child, son Remy, on March 27, and the entire family has traveled to Augusta to join him for the tournament. “It has been fun,” Scheffler said of the new addition to his family ahead of his run at the green jacket.
Scheffler, a 29-year-old two-time Masters champion, has already posted an impressive season in 2025: he claimed his first win of the year at the American Express in January, and has stretched a remarkable run of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. Fresh off wins at last year’s British Open and PGA Championship, Scheffler is already on track to complete his own career Grand Slam if he claims the US Open title in June.
This year’s 91-player Masters field features 46 competitors from outside the United States, but two of the sport’s most iconic names will be absent from the tournament line-up: five-time winner Tiger Woods and three-time champion Phil Mickelson. It is the first time both players have missed the event since 1994: Mickelson is sidelined by unspecified family health issues, while Woods is taking a break from competition to receive treatment following his arrest on a DUI charge last month.
Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson opened up about Woods’ absence, saying he is rooting for the 15-time major champion off the course. “I’m pulling for him as a human being, forget his golf,” Watson said. “Anybody that’s struggling with anything, I feel for him because I’ve went through a lot of mental stuff. Nothing but love for him and hopefully he can come back stronger.”
Among the other top contenders vying for the green jacket this year is Bryson DeChambeau, the two-time US Open champion who claimed back-to-back LIV Golf titles in Singapore and South Africa last month. DeChambeau, who notched a sixth-place finish at the Masters in 2024 and a fifth-place finish in 2023, is making his 10th career start at Augusta this year, and said he has been working toward his first Masters win for more than a decade. “There’s always passion out here. I’ve been trying to win this event for a lot of years,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve learned a lot of lessons and hopefully my game is in the place where I can finally win it this year. My swing is in a great place. Putting is in a great place. Chipping is in a great place. I just want that iron play to be stellar this week.”
Another top LIV Golf contender in the field is Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion and 2021 US Open winner who claimed the 2024 and 2025 LIV Golf season titles. The 31-year-old Spaniard picked up his third LIV victory last month in Hong Kong, and has already notched three runner-up finishes this season in South Africa, Adelaide, and Riyadh. Rahm said he is eager to reconnect with the unique energy of Augusta National this week. “I have to get that ‘back to Augusta’ feeling. It’s important,” Rahm said. “I’m really happy with all areas of my game… I can be happy without being satisfied.”