Masters favorites and snubs
Masters week is set and Scottie Scheffler is the early betting favorite while Rory McIlroy remains a headline name after a runner‑up at Genesis and mixed early‑season results — and two major draws, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, are officially out of the 2026 field. The absences change the narrative and fan experience for Augusta, where attendance and merchandise chatter are already trending up ( ).
Two of golf’s biggest names will not be at Augusta this year. (usnews.com) Tiger Woods announced he is stepping away from golf to seek treatment after a March car crash and an arrest on suspicion of DUI, and Augusta National confirmed he will not attend the Masters. (cbssports.com) Phil Mickelson said a personal family health matter will keep him out “for an extended period,” and he withdrew from the tournament in a social‑media statement. (usnews.com) Their absences are stark because both are tied to Augusta’s lore: Woods is a five‑time champion and Mickelson has three green jackets. The Masters will be the first edition since 1994 without either of them. (usnews.com) On the scoreboard and the betting boards, a different story is above the fold. Scottie Scheffler enters the week as the clear favorite, the world No. 1 and a two‑time Masters winner whose recent form and Augusta record have bookmakers trimming his price to the shortest in the field. (cbssports.com) Those odds are not just gut feelings. Modelers simulated the tournament thousands of times to weigh course history, recent results, and variance; the model highlighted Scheffler’s combination of tee‑to‑green consistency and past Augusta finishes. (cbssports.com) Rory McIlroy remains the tournament’s other headline name. He finished tied for second at the Genesis Invitational in February after a late birdie on 18, and his season otherwise shows a mix of strong weeks and uneven ones as he balances global starts and a title defense. (espn.com) (cbssports.com) What changes when Woods and Mickelson are absent is not that interest evaporates; it shifts. Television narratives move from legacy storylines to the chase for a green jacket among a deeper cluster of contenders, and social feeds and sportsbooks refocus on Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and younger names who now shoulder more of the headline weight. (cbssports.com) Fan behavior is tilting with that narrative shift. The Augusta Golf Shop and outside brands have rolled out limited‑edition drops for 2026, and fans have been lining up for the new gnome and specialty pieces—an indicator that merchandise excitement remains high even without the two icons. (augustachronicle.com) (variety.com) Ticket access still runs through a lottery and tightly controlled channels, so public attendance figures are not set by last‑minute star power as they might be at other events. But interest in tickets and tournament week experiences has been notable in the lead‑up. (golf.com) For television producers and on‑site fans, the practical effect is visible: fewer ceremonial moments tied to Woods and Mickelson, and more airtime for the contenders who might actually win this week. For bettors, the favorite’s shortened price means more money flowing to models that value recent form over nostalgia. (cbssports.com) The Masters begins Thursday, April 9, 2026, with a 91‑player field now set and Scheffler installed as the early favorite—an outcome shaped as much by recent performance and simulation models as by the absence of two of the game’s most famous figures. (usnews.com) (cbssports.com)
