The Official Barstool 2025 Masters Tournament Preview (Featuring The Entire Field Of 95 Players)

David Cannon. Getty Images.

It's the best time of year baby. 

Welcome to the official 2025 Barstool Masters Tournament preview. Please take a moment and press play on the video below and enjoy the smooth, sultry sounds of Augusta while you read the finest piece of golf blogging this side of ever.

Hello friends. 

We're back at the crowned jewel of the golf world, Augusta National Golf Club. It really doesn't get any better than this. We spend weeks and months counting down the days for the Masters to arrive and it's finally here. And better yet, it comes at a time when the golf world continues to be fractured… but this week? Not so much. Whole gang is back together. What a blessing.

Scottie was the man in 2024, slipping on the Green Jacket for the 2nd time. He went tit for tat with the likes of Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, and debutant Ludvig Aberg on Sunday, with each of them being deadlocked at one point at -6 late on the First Nine. Morikawa and Scottie each birdied the par 5 8th, while up ahead Aberg buried a bomb at #9 to match them at -7. Scottie sent a huge message by hitting a dart to a foot on #9 to get to -8 at the turn, while Morikawa made double on that same hole. 

Scottie never looked back. Morikawa followed up his double at 9 with a rinsed shot on 11 to fall out of it. Aberg also made double on 11. Homa sailed his tee shot on 12 by just a smidge but got a rock hard bounce into the bushes behind the green, also leading to double. And Scottie did what Scottie does. Rock solid consistent golf featuring birdies on 10, 13, 14, and 16 and a minor blip on the tough 11th for bogey to coast to a Second Nine 33 and a stress-free 4 shot victory.

Last year's leaderboard and recent winners of The Masters Tournament. 

2024 Leaderboard

Recent Masters Champions

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The Course

Come on y'all. We know what this course is all about. It's the only major that's played at the same course every single year. That's what makes this such a treat. It's a course that measures about 7,555 yards depending on the tee boxes on a given day, but can play a lot longer due to the massive elevation changes around the course. It's a course that rewards distance off the tee, but does not penalize accuracy as much as some others. There's no 2nd cut of rough anywhere on this course. You can find yourself in plenty of trouble in the trees, but a little creativity and patience can help you avoid a big number. Water is the one place where you can find yourself in trouble, and that exists over in Amen Corner and on the par 3 16th. We all saw what kind of role Rae's Creek can play a few years ago when everybody but Tiger put one in the drink on 12, and then we saw it bite Tiger himself in the ass the next year when he made a 10.

The thing that makes Augusta National what it is is the undulating nature of the entire place. Without any gnarly rough, the bumps and slopes are one of the few ways this place protects itself, which it's done pretty well for itself going on 86 years now. The greens are traditionally some of the fastest and most challenging on Tour. And the hills aren't just obstacles around the greens. There's hardly an even lie on the entire course that isn't a teebox. So these guys are going to be dealing with all sorts of side lies, downhill lies, uphill lies, and everything in between. Ton of shelves on this golf course so making sure you put the ball in the right spot is absolutely key here.

Most years there are a handful of tweaks to the course. That's not really the case this year. Still 7,555 on the card like last year. With that said, Hurricane Helene in September did take out some trees and damage a few greens that had to be repaired. Rory mentioned at some point 4 greens had been altered, while not mentioning which.

If you're looking for some historical data on the holes themselves, here ya go.

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The Format

95 golfers at this year's edition with a 36 hole cut for the Top 50 and ties. For a long time this Tournament had a rule where anyone outside the Top 50 that were within 10 strokes of the leader would also make the cut. They ditched it for the COVID-delayed Fall Masters a couple years ago (presumably due to daylight issues) and haven't brought it back since. Kinda a shame, sometimes it was fun to see how far out in front a leader could get on Friday and effectively boot guys out of the Tournament. Regardless, barring inclement weather, everybody goes off of 1 at Augusta National. No split tees. 

The Conditions 

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A little bit cool temperature-wise, but one of the better forecasts we've seen in recent years. It feels like recent tournaments have been decimated by rain and thunderstorms, including that scary windstorm in 2023 that brought down a bunch of trees. We might get a little bit of a rinse on Friday morning, but nothing that I would expect to hold up play. Subair should handle that just fine. Obviously tons of rain on Monday might have the course playing a little soft, which makes it play a bit longer but obviously can help to make the greens more receptive. All in all, should make for a great tournament.

By the way, rain has been experienced during 48 of the 87 previous Masters Tournaments. The Media Guide literally has a round by round detail of how weather has affected the Masters. Incredible. 

TV Coverage 

Courtesy of the Masters website, below is your schedule for wall to wall coverage the Masters Tournament. Basically, anything listed below as Live Coverage Online (other than "On The Range") is also available on ESPN+. 

Short version for main broadcast - ESPN for Thursday/Friday, CBS for Nantz's 40th Masters on the weekend.

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

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Saturday

Sunday

The Field

Thursday and Friday Tee Times

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The Board (as of Monday night)

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Every year I compile a nice little cheatsheet with the entire field's career results at ANGC. I haven't seen this type of thing anywhere on the internet (or at least not behind a paywall), so you're welcome. 

We're back to categorizing every single damn player in the field. Without further ado:

The Former Champs

David Cannon. Getty Images.

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Legends, ghosts, and one guy who just got out of prison. They aren’t winning. They know it. We know it. Let them soak in the love and reminisce. 

We do get one last ride for Bernhard Langer. It may feel like he makes the cut every year, but he hasn't played the weekend since he beat beefed up Bryson's brains in at the 2020 Fall edition… would make for a great story this week but I wouldn't count on it.

The Amateurs (Pronounced "Am-A-Toors")

David Berding. Getty Images.

Bless their hearts. They’re here to chase the Silver Cup, soak up the vibes, and maybe get a handshake from Fred Couples. If one makes the cut, it’s a minor miracle. Appreciate the Crow's Nest, boys. 

The Debutants

Kevin C. Cox. Getty Images.

These guys are Augusta virgins — talented, but about to find out that AGNC doesn't care how good your strokes gained numbers look on paper. A couple may flirt with contention (Ludvig Aberg certainly did that last year) but only one debutant has ever won here (Fuzzy Zoeller) and it's been nearly 50 years since that happened. 

If there's one guy to look out for here, it's Mav McNealy. Guy has always had a ton of potential and is finally starting to realize it. Soared up the world rankings list to 10th and actually won the same event (the RSM Classic) as Ludvig did to initially punch his ticket in.

Thanks For Coming Out

Andrew Redington. Getty Images.

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The “happy to be here” crowd. Solid pros. Most got back here by winning a one-off Tour event over the past year, much like many of the debutants. 

Not winning. Probably not contending. Just soaking up Augusta and hoping to make the weekend for a sweet check. These are guys that could make or break your DFS teams if that's your bag.

The Veterans

Harry How. Getty Images.

This is a mish mash of guys that have certainly been around the block, but I just can't see winning this year. A few of these were tough to categorize - namely the LIV guys who have won here before, but just haven't shown any sort of form over there and aren't quite washed enough yet to simply throw into the ceremonial former Champs bucket. 

Phil is teetering here… but did contend last week on LIV. DJ probably has the most upside of anyone in this group that could flip a switch, but I thought the same thing last year and he fell on his face. Reed is trending a little but his best result on LIV this year is a T-7 and he continues to be winless on that tour.

I'm sure a couple of these will be on the first page of the leaderboard Sunday, but they'll be on the peripheral when its all said and done.

The Veterans With A Chance

David Cannon. Getty Images.

We're getting a little closer now. Loooot of major champions on this list below, but only Fitzy and Harman have in recent years. 

Fitzy is as lost as anyone with his game right now. Harman, on the other hand, just won last week and its well known that lefties tend to thrive here. Yet I can't help but think this course is a little too long for his liking. He's missed his last 3 cuts here.

We're at such an interesting juncture with Spieth and Augusta National. He's missed the cut 2 of the last 3 years, but sandwiched a T-4 between them. The rest of his track record speaks for itself - 6 Top 5's in 11 starts. He certainly knows the place and knows it well, but the conditions this week look like one where you're going to need to go low, and I just don't see his current form as being where it needs to be to do that. Sad.

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Sergio is another interesting one here. He's been playing out of his mind on LIV, having won and contended most weeks and sitting at 2nd in their standings.

Fleetwood is a guy whose game would seem to match up well here and it finally showed with a T-3 last year.

I'm excited to see Jason Day's fits for the week, even if Augusta National asked for a sneak peek to give their stamp of approval.

Corey Conners is lowkey very solid around this place. 

Hatton v ANGC is always fireworks.

Sepp Straka has been playing sneaky good golf this year too.

Maybe one of these guys steal the whole thing, but it's a longshot.

The Young Guns

Jamie Squire. Getty Images.

I'd say it'd be surprising if any of these guys won this year's Masters, but wouldn't surprise me if they get there some day. It's been said a million times before, this is a course that's generally learned over the years and a few of these guys I would even say they could win a major this year. 

If I had to pick one to roll with, it would be Bhatia. Had the Top 3 at THE PLAYERS and a few other solid finishes and has the lefty factor going for him. Min Woo and Theegala would be next up based on recent form and Sahith simply having some good seasoning in big time events already in his young career.

The 2nd Tier

Ross Kinnaird. Getty Images.

These guys are certified horses - and many of them would be thrown in the next bucket if they weren't coming in with such horrible form this year.

Cameron Smith has always played incredible golf here, but has been totally mediocre since winning the Open and jumping to LIV. 

Will Z is also here based purely on his Augusta pedigree, but he still hasn't found any level of consistency since the injury bug got him a couple years ago. 

Homa is lost at sea and just broke up with his bagman. 

Cantlay, Finau, Clark, Young, Burns have all played better golf than they have this year and deep down in there there's a golfer would is capable of winning this week, but it just doesn't feel like the timing aligns.

Russell Henley is the oddball in here… how in the heck did this guy get up to 7th in the world? Winning the API goes a long way and he T-4'd here a couple years ago. Also made 7 straight cuts at Augusta. One to keep an eye on.

The Heavyweights

Christian Petersen. Getty Images.

I can almost guarantee the winner is going to come out of this group or the 2 names that follow. Augusta National is simply not a course where some sort of longshot is going to have a magical week and steal this thing. Your Zach Johnson and Charl Schwartzels are a thing of the past. It's a brutally tough and long golf course that requires a complete game. Over the course of 72 holes, the cream is going to rise. 

Rahm has been a little lost in the shuffle but he may be as dangerous as ever. His move to LIV has been panned and I think there's a misconception that he hasn't played great golf over there. He's Top 10'd in all 17 LIV events he's played and won twice. Still a weapon.

X and the Hov have also been among those who haven't played their best to kick off 2025, but then the Hov snuck a win in a couple weeks ago out of nowhere. I like X here more and he's obviously stamped himself as a bona fide major winner.

JT is a guy I have always thought would thrive and eventually win here, but he's missed the cut the last 2 years. He's also coming into this tournament playing better than he did in those 2 years, so he's certainly one to keep an eye on.

Koepka and Bryson are each multiple time major winners who also aren't lighting LIV on fire, but can turn it on at any point.

Hideki Matsuyama has quietly maintained his spot at #6 in the world and by no means was he playing well coming into the 2021 Masters that he did win. He's missed his last two cuts coming into the week but can't count him out.

The 3 most dangerous guys here in my mind are Aberg, Niemann, and Morikawa.

Aberg and Morikawa obviously both had a green jacket in their sights last year before faltering. Aberg won earlier this year at the Genesis version of Torrey Pines and comes in with even more confidence than he did last year. Morikawa has the multiple major winning pedigree of Koepka and Bryson, but he's coming in playing really good golf too. He's steadily improved both on the greens and around the property as a whole, and he sounds like a guy who is as comfortable as ever with the challenge that is Augusta National. There are a ton of signs pointing towards Collin. 

Niemann is a really interesting one too. Phil made headlines claiming him to be the #1 player on the planet ahead of Scottie, which is patently absurd… but he is #1 on that Tour and won 2 of the first 4 events this year. His T-33 (out of 54) at LIV Miami last week doesn't scream #1 in the world (Scottie has had a result worse than that just one time since October of 2022 and it came at last year's US Open) and he has yet to notch a top 10 in 5 tries at ANGC, so I'm not convinced he's going to make a splash here. But it'd be a helluva story if he did.

The "Is This The Year"?

Andrew Redington. Getty Images.

Probably not.

But maybe….????

But probably not.

The Favorite and Defending Champ

Warren Little. Getty Images.

Yeah it mean why try to make this into anything more than what it is. It's Scottie vs. the field. He's yet to win this calendar year, which is a stark difference from 2022 and 2024 when he was winning everything in sight before taking down this one… but I really don't think that matters. He is still playing phenomenally good golf week in and week out and has been in the mix far more often than not.

He's the benchmark everyone's been chasing. Anyone who jumps out to a lead is not so much going to be looking for the name directly below them, but rather where Scheffler's name is and how large the gap might be. He's always going to be weighing on everyone's mind. That's territory reserved for the true greats.

His game here speaks for itself. This course requires shot-making, and he has all the shots. High, low, draw, fade… he can hit them all, even if his swing on right to lefters look ridiculous. He's sharp around the greens, especially playing chips and pitches on the ground. Just like Alister McKenzie drew it up. If he can just make putts, he's going to be extremely hard to beat. Plain and simple.

The Card

Outrights

Scottie Scheffler +400

Collin Morikawa +1700

Hideki Matsuyama +3000

Cameron Smith +6000

Akshay Bhatia +7500

Max Homa +30000

Top Finishes

Morikawa Top 5 +280/Top 10 +130

Justin Thomas Top 10 +180

Cam Smith Top 10 +360

Corey Conners Top 10 +330

Mav McNealy Top 10 +750

Bhatia Top 5 +1000/Top 10 +400

Phil Top 20 +280

Max Homa Top 20 +450

Props

Scottie Scheffler or Collin Morikawa To Win (Double Chance) +320

Angel Cabrera To Make The Cut +260

Cut Score Under 146.5 (-125)

Total Players Under Par - Over 26.5 +135

Total Tournament Birdies Over 1000.5 +140

Top LIV Player Cam Smith +900

Top LIV Player Sergio Garcia +1100

Enjoy… the 2025 Masters Tournament.