85th MASTERS PLAYER CAPSULES
DUSTIN JOHNSON
Age: 36, United States World ranking: 1
Worldwide victories : 25
Majors: Masters (2020), U.S. Open (2016). Masters moment: Setting the 72-hole record at 268 for a five-shot victory in 2020.
Notable: No one had a lower score than Johnson in three of the four rounds in November.
Backspin: Not only is he trying to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as backto-back winners, Johnson is trying to repeat in a span of 147 days.
JORDAN SPIETH
Age: 27, United States World ranking: 53
Worldwide victories: 14
Majors: Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), British Open (2017)
Masters moment: Going wire-to-wire for a four-shot victory in 2015 and becoming the second-youngest winner behind Tiger Woods.
Notable: Spieth holds the Masters record by having at least a share of the lead in seven consecutive rounds.
Backspin: In contention the final three weeks of the West Coast swing, and suddenly it feels as though that victory drought that dates to the 2017 British Open is close to ending.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU
Age: 27, United States World ranking: 5
Worldwide victories :9
Majors: U.S. Open (2020)
Masters moment: Coming off a six-shot victory in the U.S. Open, was the betting favorite at Augusta National in November only to complain of dizziness during the week, which is later attributed to the front lobe of his brain overworking.
Notable: His best result in four appearances at the Masters was a tie for 21st when he was an amateur.
Backspin: Dechambeau and his length get another crack at the Masters after the November edition ended poorly. He remains the fascination in golf with his distance, and he has backed it up with another win this year at Bay Hill.
XANDER SCHAUFFELE
Age: 27, United States World ranking: 6
Worldwide victories :4
Majors: None
Masters moment: Tied for the lead when he stood on the 15th tee in 2019, only to close with four pars to finish one shot behind Tiger Woods.
Notable: Has finished in the top 10 in half of the 14 majors he has played.
Backspin: He had the low 72-hole score at the Tour Championship. Otherwise, he has gone 47 starts without a victory. The good news for Schauffele is he keeps giving himself chances.
JUSTIN THOMAS
Age: 27, United States World ranking: 2
Worldwide victories :14
Majors: PGA Championship (2017)
Masters moment: Sharing the 36-hole lead in November and finishing eight shots behind in fourth place.
Notable: His position has improved each of the five years he has played the Masters, starting with a tie for 39th in 2016.
Backspin: His rough start to the year included the unwanted attention for an anti-gay slur muttered under his breath to the death of his grandfather and then Tiger Woods, with whom he has become closer, getting seriously injured in a car crash. His victory in The Players Championship appears to have him back on track.
RORY MCILROY
Age: 31, Northern Ireland World ranking: 11
Worldwide victories :26
Majors: U.S. Open (2011), British Open (2014), PGA Championship (2012, 2014)
Masters moment: Losing a four-shot lead in the final round in 2011 by closing with an 80.
Notable: Mcilroy now has gone 23 majors since winning his fourth at the 2014 PGA Championship.
Backspin: This will be his seventh attempt to complete the career Grand Slam, and his only good chance was in 2018 when he played in the final group with Patrick Reed. Mcilroy conceded his swing got out of sync by trying to follow Bryson Dechambeau’s strategy of increasing his swing speed. And he has added a new coach, Pete Cowen, to his stable.
JON RAHM
Age: 26, Spain World ranking: 3
Worldwide victories :11
Majors: None
Masters moment: Opening with a 75 in 2018 and still giving himself a chance to win on Sunday until hitting into the water on the 15th hole.
Notable: He has finished in the top 10 in his last three Masters appearances.
Backspin: He has the game. The question is does Rahm have the time? His wife, Kelly, is home in Arizona expecting their first child, due on the weekend of the Masters. Rahm says he would leave at any time. So this will be a test of how well he can control the space between the ears.
COLLIN MORIKAWA
Age: 24, United States World ranking: 4
Worldwide victories :4
Majors: PGA Championship (2020)
Masters moment: Making his debut in soft November conditions without big roars and tying for 44th.
Notable: Will try to become the eighth player in the last 100 years to have two majors at 24 or younger.
Backspin: He is one of about 13 players who made their Masters debut in November and are likely to face an entirely different test in April.
His pure iron play and a switch to the “saw” grip made famous by Mark O’meara led to another win last month in a World Golf Championship.
PATRICK REED
Age: 30, United States World ranking: 7
Worldwide victories :9
Majors: Masters (2018)
Masters moment: Playing with crowd favorite Rory Mcilroy in the final round and winning the green jacket in 2018.
Notable: His victory at Torrey Pines gave Reed at least one PGA Tour in eight of his nine years.
Backspin: Reed came under scrutiny even in victory for relief he took from an embedded ball in San Diego. According to the rules, there was no violation. It was an example of how well Reed can block out the noise around him no matter how loud. As for his golf, his short game is part of what makes him so tough.
VIKTOR HOVLAND
Age: 23, Norway World ranking: 14
Worldwide victories :2
Majors: None
Masters moment: Four rounds of par or better in 2019 as the U.S. Amateur champion to finish as low amateur.
Notable: He was low amateur at the U.S. Open with a tie for 12th, and tied for 13th the next year as a pro. He tied for 32nd as low amateur at the Masters. As a pro?
Backspin: Hovland makes his Masters debut as a pro and already has two PGA Tour victories, is among the top 20 in the world ranking and is considered a strong candidate to play in the Ryder Cup.