PGA Tour Brunch | Masters Preview
PGA Tour Brunch Previews The Masters | Augusta National
By TERRY LYONS, EDITOR of Digital Sports Desk
AUGUSTA - The 90th edition of The Masters returns to Augusta National Golf Club this week (April 9–12, 2026). As the first major of the year, the tournament carries its usual prestige, but this year’s Masters will be dominated by a historic title defense, a bevy of top-notch challengers, including the World’s #1 player and a field of rising stars.
Top Storylines to Watch
McIlroy’s Encore: After finally capturing the Green Jacket in 2025, Rory McIlroy enters as the defending champion. He looks to become the first player since Tiger W
Rory McIlroy’s Major Victories
2011 - U.S. Open Congressional Country Club 8 strokes
2012 - PGA Championship Kiawah Island (Ocean Course) 8 strokes
2014 - The Open Championship Royal Liverpool 2 strokes
2014 - PGA Championship Valhalla Golf Club 1 stroke
2025 - The Masters Augusta National Golf Club in a Playoff
Scheffler’s Dominance: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler remains the betting favorite. With two Green Jackets already in his closet (2022, 2024), a third win would further cement his era of dominance.
The LIV Contenders: Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau arrive at Augusta in peak form. DeChambeau, in particular, is a focus after back-to-back top-10 finishes at Augusta and recent wins on the LIV circuit.
The 2026 Masters has issued 91 invitees and, they are represented by players from 22 different countries and territories outside the United States. Six of the last 10 major championships have been won by players who were ranked No. 3 or better in the Official World Golf Ranking heading into the major championship.
Preview | The Masters
COURSE: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
ARCHITECT: Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones Jr.; Perry Maxwell in 1937
YARDS/PAR: 7,565 yards/Par 72
PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: TBD
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy
OVERVIEW: (link)
PAST RESULTS: (link)
FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750
SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup The Intimacy Masters
Master’s Par Three Contest
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - (All Times Eastern (EDT)
12 Noon to 2:00pm - ESPN+ Streaming
2:00pm to 4:00pm - ESPN
Overall Schedule: Here’s the basic schedule for the entire week, as published by CBS Sports:
2026 Masters | The Basics:
Tournament site: The Masters
Tee Times: (PGATourCom)
Weather: Weather for today’s Par 3 forecast is set for partly cloudy skies, temperatures reaching 68-degrees but winds at 14 mph. Thursday’s forecast is for sunny skies with temperatures reaching 73-degrees but lesser wind (9mph).
PGA Tour Brunch to post at 7:00am (EDT) tomorrow, with 7:40am to 1:56pm tee times.
The Masters Begins on Prime this Thursday.
The Field w Update, Tee Times and Leaderboard
The Field: (link)
Update:
Thursday, April 2
Phil Mickelson / WD
Tee Times: (link)
Masters Leaderboard: (link)
CHAMPIONS’ DINNER MENU
Here’s what Rory McIlroy as in mind for Wednesday Night at Augusta National:
The Masters ‘26 | Tournament Odds
Odds Courtesy | Betting Hero
Scottie Scheffler +500
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Jon Rahm +1000
Rory McIlroy +1300
Xander Schauffele +1500
Matt Fitzpatrick +1800
Ludvig Åberg +1800
Cameron Young +2200
Tommy Fleetwood +2200
Hideki Matsuyama +2700
Justin Rose +2700
Robert MacIntyre +3000
Min Woo Lee +3300
Collin Morikawa +3500
Patrick Reed +4000
Brooks Koepka +4000
Chris Gotterup +4500
Russell Henley +4500
Si Woo Kim +4500
Jordan Spieth +4500
Viktor Hovland +5000
Shane Lowry +6000
Nicolai Højgaard +6000
Jake Knapp +6500
Justin Thomas +6500
Akshay Bhatia +6500
Maverick McNealy +6500
Adam Scott +7000
J.J. Spaun +7000
Patrick Cantlay +7000
Sepp Straka +8000
Tyrrell Hatton +8000
Jacob Bridgeman +8000
Jason Day +8000
Sungjae Im +10000
Sam Burns +10000
Harris English +10000
Corey Conners +10000
Cameron Smith +10000
Marco Penge +10000
Daniel Berger +12500
Kurt Kitayama +12500
Gary Woodland +12500
Rasmus Højgaard +15000
Ben Griffin +15000
Keegan Bradley +15000
Aaron Rai +15000
Alex Noren +15000
Ryan Gerard +15000
Sam Stevens +17500
Harry Hall +17500
Wyndham Clark +17500
Aldrich Potgieter +17500
Brian Harman +17500
Max Homa +17500
Ryan Fox +22500
Casey Jarvis +22500
Kristoffer Reitan +22500
Nick Taylor +25000
Dustin Johnson +25000
Nicolas Echavarria +25000
Carlos Ortiz +25000
Michael Kim +25000
Max Greyserman +35000
Sergio Garcia +35000
Haotong Li +35000
Matt McCarty +35000
Andrew Novak +35000
Tom McKibbin +35000
Sami Valimaki +50000
Michael Brennan +50000
Bubba Watson +50000
John Keefer +50000
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +50000
Charl Schwartzel +50000
Zach Johnson +50000
Davis Riley +75000
Angel Cabrera +100000
Mason Howell +100000
Fifa Laopakdee +100000
Ethan Fang +100000
Brian Campbell +100000
Vijay Singh +100000
Jose Maria Olazabal +100000
Brandon Holtz +100000
Naoyuki Kataoka +100000
Danny Willett +100000
Jackson Herrington +100000
Fred Couples +100000
Mateo Pulcini +100000
Mike Weir +100000
What They’re Sayin’ at Augusta
Top Storylines for The Masters (ESPN)
Crucial Time in Rahm’s Career (Yahoo)
Six Amateurs at The Masters (CBS Sports)
Sports Gambling, DFS and Golf Industry News
Best Bets (Covers)
Expert Picks for The Masters (PGATourCom)
Sleeper Picks for The Masters (CBS Sports)
PARTING PUTT: How about some sights and sounds from Augusta to start your Masters Week off just right:
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