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The 2023 Masters is nearing and the best players in the world will be at Augusta National for the first Major tournament of 2023 taking place next week.
From LIV Golf and PGA Tour professionals meeting up for the first time at an event this big to Rory's bid for the career grand slam, this year's Masters is going to have a few storylines for fans to track.
A look at five of the best storylines to follow at this year's Masters
1) Tiger Woods
When Tiger Woods returned to the Tour last month with the Geneva Invitational, there were a lot of questions regarding his form and fitness, and rightly so, as he hadn't played professional golf since the 150th Open. However, four rounds at the Riviera Golf Club cleared one thing that the ace golfer still had in him.
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Tiger has made it clear there that his main goal will be to play all four majors, so when he returns to Augusta National, it will be interesting to see how he fares in an event where he has won five times. If Tiger wins the green jacket for the sixth time, he will equalize Jack Nicklaus' record of most Masters titles.
2) LIV Golf vs PGA Tour
This year's Masters tournament is a significant contrast from the previous year's championships. There was no LIV Golf. There were no two rival camps of professional golfers who didn't want to see each other eye to eye.
Since then, former Masters champions such as Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, and Sergio García, have now become members of the Saudi-backed league. Rory McIlroy, the face of the PGA Tour, doesn't want any interaction with the LIV-defected players. Both circuit professionals have taken digs at each other. Tiger Woods said it would be awkward when both the circuit professionals meet at the champions' dinner.
"I don’t know what that reaction’s going to be," Tiger was quoted saying by The Guardian during Genesis. "I know that some of our friendships have certainly taken a different path, but we’ll see when all that transpires.”
3) Can Scottie Scheffler do the Tiger?
There have only been three instances in the history of the Masters Tournament where the reigning champion was successful in defending his title. First was Jack Nicklaus (1965 and 1966), followed by Nick Faldo (1989 and 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001 and 2002), the most recent.
The World No. 1 has secured two victories this year and has finished in the top 20 in all six starts. With the form Scheffler is in this year, there is a possibility he might repeat his last heroics this year.
4) Fourth title for Jon Rahm in 2023?
Jon Rahm is the hottest player on the PGA Tour at the moment. He has already won three events this year (Sentry Tournament of Champions, American Express, and Genesis Invitational) and is currently World No. 2, and in every tournament he enters, he is the betting favorite.
The Spaniard is yet to win at Augusta National with his best performance being a 4th-place finish in 2018.
5) Rory's quest for a career grand slam
Rory McIlroy is in a bid to complete his career grand slam as The Masters remains the only major golf tournament that he is yet to win. A win here would put him in the category of Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tiger Woods as the only players to reach the career Grand Slam.
Rory's last Major event victory came in 2014 and since then he has come close to winning another major but has always fallen short. In 2011, he started his fourth round with a lead of four strokes, but what happened on the back-nine was a nightmare for him. He shot the final round of 80, the worst round by a professional golfer in the Tournament's history.
However, in 2022, the Northern Irishman finished as the runner-up at Augusta National, his best finish in the tournament.
2023 Masters schedule
Sunday, April 2: Player arrivals and practice rounds
Monday, April 3: More practice rounds
Tuesday, April 4: Final practice rounds, Champions Dinner
Wednesday, April 5: Par-3 Contest
Thursday, April 6: The Masters Tournament inauguration with the honorary starters ceremony, round 1
Friday, April 7: Round 2
Saturday, April 8: Round 3
Sunday, April 9: Round 4, the Green Jacket ceremony, and trophy presentation
