Rory McIlroy is looking to defend The Masters – here are five players who can stop him | Football

If Rory McIlroy found winning The Masters a difficult feat, then perhaps the Northern Irishman won’t like the challenge in store for him this time around.

Twelve months on from his nail-biting play-off victory over Justin Rose, McIlroy must surely have arrived on Augusta National with a spring in his step, nevermind the Green Jacket back around his shoulders.

But while the wait for McIlroy to end his decade-long major drought is over, the 36-year-old now has a fresh opportunity to entrench his name further into the golfing history books.

Only Jack Nicklaus (1965 and 1966), Nick Faldo (1989 and 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001 and 2002) have managed to successfully defend their Masters title in the tournament’s 89-year history.

McIlroy will have his eyes firmly fixed on adding his name to that historic list, but an understated start to the year and a long cast of in-form players will make that task just that little bit more difficult.

Ahead of the first round, here are five players primed to deny McIlroy and take the Green Jacket off his shoulders on Sunday evening.

Bryson DeChambeau

After finishing inside the top 30 just once in his first six Masters appearances as a professional, a T6 and T5 finish in his last two years is evidence that Bryson DeChambeau has left his ego at the door when trying to tackle golf’s most unique courses.

The big-hitting American wilted under the bright lights when paired with McIlroy in the final round last year, but he will surely have learned from that experience.

And with two wins from his last two starts over on LIV Golf, the two-time major champion is bang in form to redeem himself this time around.

DeChambeau may lack the touch and finesse of an archetypal Masters champion, but the 32-year-old’s brutal power off the tee and eye for the big moment will surely have him in and around the action come Sunday afternoon.

Justin Rose

A three-time runner-up at The Masters, Justin Rose’s brilliant Sunday charge last year, only to be denied by McIlroy, shows that he still has all the fundamentals to contend at majors despite his age.

The 45-year-old has seven top-ten finishes at the Masters, and it appears his experience last year has only hardened his belief that a second major could be just around the corner.

‘I’m very aware that I’ve had tough, tough losses here,’ he said. ‘But I also am aware that I enjoy this place. So I don’t need to create a different sort of feeling for me.

‘I hope it only boosts my belief that I can go ahead and do it. I feel like I’ve pretty much done what it takes to win. I just haven’t walked over the line.’

Robert MacIntyre

A disappointing finish at last week’s Texas Open will sting for Robert MacIntyre, but the Scot has plenty of cause for optimism heading into his fourth Masters appearance.

A fourth-place finish at last month’s Players Championship, combined with a runner-up in last year’s US Open, shows that the 29-year-old is more than capable of putting it together on the big stage.

Augusta is a course that left-handers have tended to enjoy too, with Paul McGinley noting earlier this week: ‘Getting it around the corner on holes like 10 and 13 is a lot easier to do with a cut as a left-hander and than it is with a draw.

‘There’s definitely a correlation between left-handers having more success around there than they do on any other golf course or any other venue.’

MacIntyre will certainly hope that remains the case this week.

Scottie Scheffler

Finishes outside the top 20 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship last month were perhaps the first signs in a while that the otherwise imperious World No1 may be human after all.

But Augusta National, where Scottie Scheffler has a superb track record, could well be the course to get the American back to his best.

The 29-year-old is already on the hunt for a third Green Jacket after wins in 2022 and 2024, and his remarkable ball-striking, combined with exquisite touch around the green, will surely have him in contention once again.

Ludvig Aberg

Ludvig Aberg has found major championship golf a tough nut to crack, with the distinct exception of The Masters.

The Swede has four missed cuts in eight major starts, but has finished second and seventh in his two visits to Augusta National.

Razor-sharp off the tee and with his irons, the 26-year-old clearly has the game to suit this tournament, and a recent near miss at last month’s Players may only make him hungrier to get over the line this time around.

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