The 9 Golfers With The Best Chance To Become The Next Person To Win The Masters For The First Time

It took Rory McIlroy much longer than he would have preferred to win The Masters, but he finally completed the career grand slam after overcoming plenty of setbacks en route to beating Justin Rose in a playoff on Sunday. He may no longer be chasing the elusive green jacket, but there are plenty of other notable names who are still on the hunt.

Rory McIlroy’s win at The Masters has erased one of the biggest storylines that had surfaced ahead of the tournament for over a decade, and his inability to get it done at Augusta National will no longer be a topic of conversation after he finally got over the hump.

However, there’s little doubt that void will be filled by some of the other golfers who still haven’t been able to get the win at the hallowed major.

Bryson DeChambeau

Bryson DeChambeau trailed McIlroy by a couple of strokes heading into the final round in 2025 but ultimately finished in a tie for fifth after his aggressive approach led to him dropping three shots by the time he headed back to the clubhouse.

It was the best showing to date for the 31-year-old who was the low amateur in 2016 and kept the momentum going after finishing in a tie for sixth in 2024 after missing the cut two years in a row.

Things are certainly trending in the right direction, and the two-time U.S. Open winner is probably the top candidate to keep an eye on going forward.

Ludvig Åberg

Ludvig Åberg had never played in a major tournament before finishing in a tie for second at The Masters in 2024, and it seems like it’s only a matter of time until he dons the green jacket.

The 25-year-old Swede ended up alone in seventh place this year with the help of a couple of solid rounds on Thursday and Saturday, and based on what we’ve seen from him so far, he’s going to be in the mix for years to come.

Justin Rose

2025 marked the 20th time Justin Rose competed at The Masters, and it wasn’t the first year where he came painfully close to securing the win that’s evaded him for two decades; he lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2017 and also finished in a tie for second and four strokes behind Jordan Spieth in 2015.

Rose obviously benefits from his ample amount of experience at Augusta National, and while he showed he can still compete for a green jacket at the age of 44, you do have to wonder how long that will remain the case before time catches up to him.

Xander Schauffele

Xander Schauffele was never really in contention for the win at The Masters in 2025, but he put together a string of solid rounds to finish in eighth place for the second year in a row while shaving four strokes off of the previous year’s total.

The 31-year-old (who posted his best finish by tying for second in 2019) has finished in the Top 10 in five of his eight appearances, and it would be foolish to count him out based on how he’s fared at Augusta.

Collin Morikawa

Collin Morikawa had never missed the cut heading into his sixth appearance at The Masters in 2025, and he kept his record unblemished while finishing in a tie for 14th.

The 29-year-old did take a bit of a step back after tying for third in 2024, but he’s more than shown he knows how to deal with the pressure you have to deal with at the event and has plenty of time to get to the point where he’s able to win it all.

Corey Conners

Mike Weir is the only Canadian to win The Masters, and Corey Conners is currently the leading candidate to become the second based on how he’s played at The Masters.

The 33-year-old followed up a tie for tenth in 2020 with a tie for eighth in 2021 and a tie for sixth in 2022, and he bounced back in 2025 after a couple of rough showings with another eighth-place tie.

He still hasn’t gotten all of the pieces to fall together at the right time, but he’s shown plenty of potential during his eight attempts at a green jacket win.

Sungjae Im

Sungjae Im has been locked in at The Masters more often than not; he did miss the cut in 2021 and 2024, but he’s finished in the Top 10 three of the four times he’s punched his ticket to the weekend (including his tie for fifth this year).

That included a tie for second in 2020, and when you consider he’s 27 years old, all signs point to him continuing to remain in the hunt at Augusta for the foreseeable future.

Brooks Koepka

Brooks Koepka has become a bit of an afterthought since making the leap to LIV Golf, and he hasn’t inspired a ton of confidence at The Masters over the past couple of years; he missed the cut in 2025 after finishing in a tie for 45th in 2024.

With that said, we’re also talking about a man who finished in a tie for second in 2023 after previously doing the same in 2019.

The 34-year-old might be struggling to get his game clicking as things currently stand, but there’s plenty of evidence he still has what it takes to contend if he can sort things out.

Shane Lowry

Shane Lowry headed into the final round in a tie for sixth but saw the wheels fall off while shooting an 81 before finishing in a tie for 42nd at +4.

At this point, it does seem like the performance that led to him finishing in a tie for third in 2022 was a bit of a fluke when you consider his tie for 16th the following year was the only other time he’s cracked the Top 20 in ten attempts.

His best years are also behind him (he’ll be 39 when he heads to The Masters next year), but history has taught us age is never a reason to count a golfer out at the major.