The weather for the 2026 Masters looks just about perfect, and that could end up being a big factor in how things play out. For the first time in a while, rain isn’t in the forecast, which should leave the course firm and fast all week. From what we usually see, that makes the course a lot tougher. Players have to be really precise, especially with their iron shots, because the greens can be hard to hold. Even small mistakes can turn into bigger problems pretty quickly. It seems like these conditions usually favor the players who are hitting the ball the cleanest, so it wouldn’t be surprising if one of the top guys separates from the field.

Scottie Scheffler comes into the week as the world No. 1, but there’s at least a little uncertainty around him. His recent finishes (T-22, T-24 and T-12) are still good, just not as dominant as people are used to seeing from him. He also hasn’t played in about a month and recently welcomed his second child, so it’s fair to wonder how sharp he’ll be. At the same time, it’s hard to count him out. He’s already won the Masters twice and has been really consistent at Augusta over the past few years. Even if he doesn’t look quite as unbeatable, he still feels like one of the safest picks to be near the top.

There’s also a lot of attention on players coming from LIV Golf, especially Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. Since they aren’t playing as often against the rest of the PGA Tour field, it’s a little harder to know exactly where their games are at. That makes tournaments like the Masters feel even more important for them. Rahm seems to be playing well coming in and has the kind of all-around game that should work at Augusta. DeChambeau is a bit harder to predict, but he’s shown he can at least be in contention here. It seems like a lot will come down to how well he handles the short game, which can be really important on this course.

There are also plenty of other players worth paying attention to. Rory McIlroy is trying to win back-to-back Masters, which isn’t easy, but he might be playing a little more relaxed this time. Xander Schauffele has been really steady in major tournament and Ludvig Aberg keeps putting himself in good positions even if he hasn’t always finished it off.

Overall, with the weather looking this good and so many strong players in the field, it should be a really competitive tournament. If the course plays as firm and fast as expected, it feels like the winner will be someone who can stay consistent and avoid mistakes over the weekend.