SI:AM | Four Masters Storylines You Should Know

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I assume everyone already knows this, but I consider it a public service to tell people just how amazing the Masters app is. I wish every sporting event had such an easy and useful way to follow along. And for free!

In today’s SI:AM:
⛳ Masters Round 1
🏈 NFL’s best free-agent signings
⚾ MLB pitcher’s amazing comeback

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They’re underway at Augusta

For 99% of sports fans, the golf season begins today with the opening round of the Masters. The average fan can’t be expected to watch golf every weekend when other sports are going on. You need someone else to tell you what to look out for on the four weekends a year when you care about golf. Let me be that person and shout out four storylines to pay attention to in Augusta over the next four days.

Rory McIlroy’s title defense

Fan favorite Rory McIlroy finally got his elusive green jacket last year. Now he’ll look to add another.

Michael Rosenberg wrote earlier this week about how McIlroy seems more relaxed this time around. That makes perfect sense. Imagine the relief he must feel after completing the career grand slam following a decade-long wait. But while Rory may be feeling loose, he also isn’t exactly playing his best golf.

McIlroy entered last year’s Masters on a heater. He hadn’t finished lower than 17th in any of his five PGA Tour starts before Augusta. That included two tournament wins and a tie for fifth (plus a tie for fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic). This year, though, he’s only completed three PGA Tour events. He finished in a tie for 14th at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, then tied for second at the Genesis Invitational, one stroke behind winning Jacob Bridgeman. He pulled out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in early March after developing back spasms before the third round. At the Players Championship the following week, he finished at even par in a tie for 46th. Not exactly the kind of performance that inspires hope of an Augusta repeat.

The other fan favorite

McIlroy’s win was a big deal because of his popularity on tour, but there’s another player who’s extremely popular with a different type of fan and is also seeking an elusive Masters title: Bryson DeChambeau.

DeChambeau is as much an internet personality as he is a professional athlete. In fact, he identifies himself in his Instagram bio as a “Content Creator and Professional Golfer.” (Note which one comes first.) He has 4.4 million followers on Instagram and 2.7 million YouTube subscribers. Even though he competes on the less prominent LIV Golf tour, he may be the most famous active golfer in the world.

DeChambeau already has two major championships to his name (the 2020 and ’24 U.S. Opens), as well as several other close calls. He finished in second place in each of the past two PGA Championships and was in the top 10 at the two most recent Masters. Think of how many views his YouTube video about finally conquering Augusta would get.

DeChambeau is an interesting character. He’s constantly tinkering with his equipment and even his body to gain an edge on the course. Remember when he gained 50 pounds in 2020 and started looking more like a football player than a golfer? He’s also famous for using clubs that are all the same length. This week, he’s taking his tinkering to a new level, telling ESPN on Wednesday that he plans to use a 5-iron that he 3D-printed himself. The club would need to be approved by the USGA before DeChambeau can put it in his bag. It’s a bold and unconventional move, but it’d make for some great “content” for DeChambeau’s internet platforms.

The feel-good story

Gary Woodland isn’t likely to win this week, but he’ll have the most people rooting for him.

Woodland underwent surgery for a brain tumor in 2023 and has been open about the difficulties he’s faced in returning to competition. He was diagnosed with PTSD last year and has said he struggles with large crowds, which make him feel unsafe, although he credits PGA Tour security and his caddie, Brennan Little, with helping to ease his anxiety on the course. Still, there are moments where his mental health becomes an issue for him during competition, as it did during the second round of last month’s Houston Open. But get this: Woodland went on to win that tournament.

“I had a big battle Friday of Houston,” Woodland told reporters this week. “I got hypervigilant on the 9th hole, and I battled the last 10 holes thinking people were trying to kill me. I have security with me. The [PGA] Tour’s been amazing.

“But I talked to Tour security that night and I told them what I was going through, and every time I looked up on the weekend, my security team was behind me. Last year I didn’t talk to Tour security. I fought this on my own. It was awful. Turning around and knowing that I’m safe, having somebody there with me, it’s the only reason why I won two weeks ago.”

The win was Woodland’s first tournament victory since he won the 2019 U.S. Open. It also earned him a spot in this week’s Masters field. He didn’t play at Augusta last year because his five-year exemption for winning the U.S. Open had expired. Now he’s back and looking to build on that breakthrough in Houston.

Scheffler’s slump

Scottie Scheffler is finally starting to look human. After dominating the PGA Tour for the past few years, he’s been good but not great this season. He opened the season by winning the American Express tournament in late January, then finished in the top five in his next two starts. He tied for 12th at the Genesis Invitational in February, then finished tied for 24th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and tied for 22nd at the Players. Decent results, but far from the lofty standard he’d set for himself.

Scheffler led the PGA Tour in strokes gained last season, and while he ranks third in that statistic this season, there’s one clear deficiency in his game. He ranks 82nd in strokes gained on approach shots, a category in which he led all players last season.

The good news for Scheffler is that he has a fantastic track record at Augusta. In addition to his wins there in 2022 and ’24, he finished tied for 10th in ’23 and in fourth place last year. Seems like a good place for him to start dominating again.

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The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:
5. Shane Lowry’s evening relaxation method at Augusta. The Irish pro grabbed his hurley and a sliotar for a game of fetch with his dog. (For more on the Irish sport of hurling, check out our Stadium Wonders video on Croke Park.)
4. Athletics prospect Wei-En Lin’s quick reaction to snag a sharp grounder hit right back to him on the mound.
3. Mariners right fielder Rob Refsnyder’s leaping catch at the wall. (Maybe a home run robbery? Maybe not?)
2. Connor McDavid’s outrageous speed on this goal against the Sharks. (That’s one of three goals McDavid had as he posted his 15th career hat trick.)
1. Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s diving catch at second.