Masters week snapshot

Masters week snapshot Augusta National opens the 90th Masters on Thursday, April 9, with a 91-player field that is small by major-championship standards and packed with the game’s biggest names. Scottie Scheffler enters the week as the betting favorite, Rory McIlroy arrives as the defending champion, and Xander Schauffele is one of the most prominent expert picks if you are tracking contenders before the first tee shot. (golfweek.usatoday.com) The headline number is 91 because the Masters does not fill its field the way the United States Open or the Open Championship does. Augusta National uses invitation categories tied to past Masters wins, recent major champions, top amateur results, world ranking positions, and select tour achievements, which keeps the field smaller and usually stronger from top to bottom. (golfweek.usatoday.com) That smaller field changes the feel of the week. Fewer players means fewer long shots, more star pairings, and a tournament that can turn quickly once the leaders reach the back nine on Sunday at Augusta National. (golfweek.usatoday.com) Scheffler sits at the center of the pre-tournament market. Yahoo Sports reported on April 7 that BetMGM listed him at +550 to win, making him the clear favorite heading into the year’s first men’s major championship. (sports.yahoo.com) Those odds tell you how bookmakers see the field. At +550, a $100 winning bet would return $550 in profit, and the number also signals that Scheffler is priced ahead of the chasing group rather than in a dead heat with several rivals. (sports.yahoo.com) The case for Scheffler starts with his Augusta record. He already owns two Masters titles, and Yahoo’s preview noted that he won the 2024 tournament by four shots before finishing fourth in 2025, which is why the market still treats him as the man to beat even after a less dominant stretch. (uk.sports.yahoo.com) McIlroy brings a different kind of storyline because he is no longer chasing his first green jacket. He returns to Augusta National as the defending champion after winning the 2025 Masters at 11 under par in a playoff over Justin Rose, a result that changed the tone of every conversation around his career. (uk.sports.yahoo.com) That title also changes the rhythm of Masters week for McIlroy himself. Golfweek reported that he arrived at Augusta feeling “unburdened” as defending champion, and USA Today’s coverage of Tuesday’s Champions Dinner showed him stepping into the traditional host role reserved for the previous year’s winner. (golfweek.usatoday.com) If Scheffler is the market favorite and McIlroy is the emotional center of the week, Schauffele is the name showing up in prediction columns. CBS Sports’ expert panel published April 8 picks that included golf writer Patrick McDonald backing Schauffele at 18-1, citing improved form through the Florida Swing and his reputation for peaking in major championships. (cbssports.com) Schauffele’s Augusta history gives that pick some shape. The PGA Tour’s betting profile notes that he finished tied for eighth at the 2025 Masters and tied for third in 2021, which helps explain why analysts see him as more than a trendy outsider. (pgatour.com) For viewers, those three names frame the week in different ways. Scheffler is the standard betting play, McIlroy is the defending champion everyone will watch on the first page of the leaderboard, and Schauffele is the kind of 18-1 selection that can look sharp if you want a contender outside the shortest odds. (sports.yahoo.com) The practical part of Masters week is simple: follow the tee times, watch how the favorites open on Thursday, and keep an eye on whether the market shifts after one round. In a 91-player field at Augusta National, a fast start from Scheffler, McIlroy, or Schauffele can move the whole tournament into focus almost immediately. (golfweek.usatoday.com)