US Masters 2025: Scheffler versus McIlroy or the great unknown?

The US Masters, the first major tournament of the golf season, is just around the corner. Bookmakers, fans and players are looking for the favorite in the run-up to the highlight. Here are some suggestions to consider in the battle for the Green Jacket.

Will Rory McIlroy finally win the US Masters?

With his victory at the Players Championship, Rory McIlroy has catapulted himself to the top of everyone's betting slips. To the top? Well... If the bookies in the USA have their way, he will have to give priority to Scottie Scheffler. But the Northern Irishman has been more convincing in sporting terms of late. Scheffler is still the number 1 in the world rankings by a wide margin, but McIlroy has already made up some ground in the first three months of the year. McIlroy, who only has the US Masters in his Major trophy collection, also underlined his strong form with a tie for fifth place at his dress rehearsal for the tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Scheffler even finished in a tie for second place at the dress rehearsal. Compared to McIlroy, however, he lacks a win for the season. On the other hand, the 28-year-old has already achieved three top tens in six starts, has also always finished in the top 25 and has already pocketed over three million dollars in prize money. There seems to be nothing to stop him defending his title.

Unless someone else is better this time. Last year, Scheffler didn't even let the police and his arrest stop him. The stoic used the short time in the cell to stretch before the round. On the other hand, his supposedly fiercest rival is struggling with minor injury problems. McIlroy mentioned problems with his right elbow after the end of the Texas Children's Houston Open.

Who are the favorites at the US Masters 2025?

And what if the two top favorites at the US Masters 2025 don't go it alone? The choice is difficult. On the one hand, nobody is really imposing themselves on the still young season. Xander Schauffele, for example, the only player to win two majors in 2024, made a slow start to the year. Only five of 16 rounds in the 60s (as well as an 81 at the Players Championship) don't make him a Masters favorite.

Secondly, there are the twelve LIV golfers who, like every golf major, bring a certain unknown into play at the US Masters. Four tournaments have been played on the Saudi circuit, Joaquin Niemann has already won twice and Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, also added his name to the list of winners in Hong Kong. Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are also a force to be reckoned with. Both have also won majors during their time on the LIV Tour. But they have yet to win the Masters. The 54 LIV players will come together for a final tournament before the Masters in Miami. Perhaps someone will be able to put the finishing touches to their game there.

Last US Masters for Bernhard Langer

From a German-speaking perspective, the focus will probably be more on the end of the Langer era than on major sporting successes. After this edition, the 67-year-old, two-time Masters champion will only travel to Augusta National Golf Club as a spectator and bid farewell to the world's most famous golf tournament in April 2025. It is unlikely that Stephan Jäger from Munich or Sepp Straka from Vienna will be able to follow in his footsteps. Especially for Straka, who has risen to number 13 in the world thanks to three PGA Tour victories, but not impossible. He is well established in the USA and is one of the best Europeans. Jäger is playing a good, solid season. His second consecutive invitation to the US Masters is a reflection of his consistently good performances in recent years. The 35-year-old has remained rather pale at Majors or at the PGA Tour's Elevated Events with strong fields.

American bookmakers are also predicting the race for the 2025 US Masters to be a duel. Scheffler, the number 1 in the world rankings, is the +450 favorite to defend his title according to the latest US Masters odds ($100 bet to win $450). He is followed by McIlroy (+550), Åberg (+1500), Rahm (+1500), Collin Morikawa (+1700), Bryson DeChambeau (+1700) and Xander Schauffele (+1900) in the list of favorites.