Addressing Key Inquiries for the Remaining Golf Season
The 90th Masters showcased another exciting tournament, culminating in a familiar champion, Rory McIlroy, who became just the fourth player in history to secure consecutive green jackets.
With the first and most significant major of the year now concluded, the focus shifts to the remainder of the golf season. Here are the key narratives we are monitoring.
What lies ahead for Rory McIlroy for the remainder of the year?
Mark Schlabach: The primary question following McIlroy’s 2025 Masters triumph was whether he would continue to achieve victories, as he no longer bore the burden of a nearly decade-long wait for a major title and the absence of a green jacket to complete the career Grand Slam.
Rory would likely acknowledge that he relished his first Masters win more than he anticipated. It is understandable, considering he was not a serious contender in the last three majors of 2025, finishing 47th in the PGA Championship, 19th in the U.S. Open, and seventh in The Open. While he had some commendable finishes in notable events, Scottie Scheffler and others were dominant throughout the summer.
McIlroy did not perform poorly during the remainder of the 2025 season, but it appeared he eased off the accelerator somewhat.
Will this year be different? His second consecutive Masters victory demonstrated that he still possesses the skill to accumulate more major titles. Jack Nicklaus secured four of his record 18 majors after turning 36. Could Rory reach 10 with four more? He would then join Nicklaus, Tiger Woods (15), and Walter Hagen (11) as the only players to achieve this milestone.
Paolo Uggetti: I find McIlroy’s changing strategy for preparing for the year’s most significant events particularly intriguing. He elaborated on how he got ready for this year’s Masters by frequently playing the course and spending time on-site—this is the one tournament where he can do so, and he believes (as he stated last week) that this is the major where he can achieve the most success as he enters a new phase of his career.
So, what does this mean for the rest? It appears that McIlroy excels in these pivotal events that hold extra significance for him—not just the majors, but also the Ryder Cup and victories at specific venues that carry greater importance. This year, there is nothing remaining on the schedule that matches the significance of a second green jacket, but there is a distinct confidence in him that he can compete wherever he appears, even while playing at a less than optimal level. The only variable is how much he chooses to invest in either his preparation or his level of engagement.
Now, the path ahead is quite clear; McIlroy is engaging in both an emotional game (consider the Ryder Cup in Ireland next year and The Open at the Old Course) and a mathematical one—how many more PGA Tour victories can he accumulate? Can he achieve double-digit majors? The latter now appears to be a genuine possibility, which adds a compelling element to the three remaining majors this year and those to follow.
What is your most significant takeaway from this year’s Masters (aside from Rory)?
Schlabach: If there are golf deities, Justin Rose will don a green jacket in the coming years. The 45-year-old aimed to become the second-oldest Masters champion—Nicklaus won his sixth at 46 in 1986—and was in contention again on the back nine on Sunday.
Rose made three consecutive birdies to go 2 up at the turn, but then faltered at Amen Corner. His tee shot on the par-3 12th was not terrible, but he mishit a chip shot, resulting in a bogey. He made a commendable recovery with a bold approach shot on the 13th, but three-putted for par, effectively ending his chances.
Rose is now a three-time runner-up in the Masters, including his playoff defeat to McIlroy in 2025.
Uggetti: For me, it’s the way this tournament—year after year—demonstrates how much more it means and weighs on these players compared to any other event they participate in, as well as how this golf course has consistently produced elite winners.
Over the past five years, the champions have included Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler (twice), and McIlroy (twice)—it does not get much better than that. It is evident that Augusta has discovered the right formula (assuming favorable weather) to not only create a leaderboard filled with the best players in the world but also one that demands a unique blend of execution and mental resilience that is not found in any other event.
No one has exemplified that more than McIlroy over the past two years. In a tournament that feels like a test of endurance, McIlroy has (barely) persevered while others have either faltered or simply not performed adequately. No other stage in golf places these players in such a high-pressure environment where the stakes of winning the Masters and a green jacket are felt and seen so vividly.
Who emerged as the biggest winner from the Masters?
Schlabach: Aside from Rory, it has to be Collin Morikawa. Despite battling a painful back injury, the two-time major champion managed to tie for seventh at 9 under. On Sunday, he recorded five consecutive birdies on the back nine to finish with a second straight 4-under 68.
There were moments during the tournament when Morikawa struggled to bend down and retrieve the ball from the cup. He had not competed in nearly a month after tweaking his back on his first hole of the Players Championship.
“I mean, trust me, it’s going to be one of the best tournaments forever,” Morikawa stated. “I’m going to remember this one for many reasons, but just more [for] how strong the mind is, to be able to go out and convince yourself that everything is going to be okay.”
Uggetti: Honestly, I can’t stop reflecting on how Scottie Scheffler was 12 shots behind heading into the weekend and ultimately finished just one stroke shy of forcing a playoff against McIlroy.
Scheffler’s baseline performance is among the highest we have ever witnessed in the sport. He nearly claimed a third green jacket while playing at his C or B level at best. While McIlroy continues to enhance his legacy with another green jacket, Scheffler is in the prime of his career, and this week served as a reminder that there is no limit to how many Masters he can and will win throughout his career.
It may seem simplistic to label him a winner given that he fell one stroke short, but regarding the outlook for the remainder of the year and the next five, 10, or 15 Masters, it was a crucial reminder that even if he may face challenges on the PGA Tour at times, the No. 1 player in the world remains just that.
What was the biggest disappointment from the Masters?
Schlabach: Two LIV Golf League stars were in excellent form leading up to the Masters, yet Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut and Jon Rahm tied for 38th at 1 over.
DeChambeau was coming off consecutive LIV Golf victories and appeared poised to contend for a green jacket after playing alongside McIlroy in the final group during the last round last year. However, DeChambeau struggled to escape bunkers in both the first and second rounds. His triple-bogey 7 on the 18th in the second round left him with a 36-hole total of 6-over 150, two strokes worse than the cut line.
Rahm is likely a greater disappointment for me as it reflects a continuation of his recent subpar performances in the majors. After winning the Masters and finishing second in The Open in 2023, Rahm has not truly contended in a major since transitioning to LIV Golf.
He was competitive in last year’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was tied for the lead heading to the back nine but faltered on the final three holes, finishing tied for eighth at 4 under, seven shots behind Scheffler.
Is he competing on enough challenging golf courses in the LIV Golf League? Is the competition sufficient to prepare him for the majors?
Rahm suggested that he will alter his preparation for next year.
“Definitely some things I’m going to change going forward, preparation-wise and what to do,” Rahm noted. “But it’s hard to say how much I learned because I don’t think we’ve ever seen a Masters [course] this firm.”
Uggetti: LIV’s performance beyond the headline names of Rahm and DeChambeau is an obvious point here, but I would also highlight that Patrick Reed’s performance over the weekend was notably disappointing.
Reed, who had been one of the most successful players in the world this year with multiple wins on the DP World Tour, entered Saturday with a legitimate chance to claim his second green jacket.
However, instead of contending for a spot in a potential blockbuster final group with McIlroy, he faded, shooting 72 on Saturday and 73 on Sunday, finishing outside the top 10. Now, it is uncertain where he goes from here—are there more DP World Tour events on the horizon before the other major championships? Or will he wait until he can compete on the PGA Tour in the fall?
Who are the favorites for the remaining three major championships?
Schlabach: Scheffler is the betting favorite for each of the last three majors, and it is likely he will win at least one of them.
During the first round of the 2018 BMW Championship, McIlroy matched the course record of 62 at Aronimink Golf Club outside of Philadelphia, the venue for next month’s PGA Championship. He made 10 birdies during that round, including seven consecutive on the back nine.
Keegan Bradley triumphed over Justin Rose in a playoff to win that tournament. McIlroy finished fifth at 18 under, two strokes behind Bradley and Rose.
McIlroy missed the cut in the last U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island in 2018. He recorded a 10-over 80 in the first round, which tied his career-worst round to par in a major at that time. He missed 13 of 18 greens.
McIlroy was not the only golfer who faced difficulties at Shinnecock that week. Phil Mickelson struck his moving ball out of frustration on the 13th green at Shinnecock Hills and received a two-stroke penalty. Jason Day and others also voiced their concerns regarding the course setup and the USGA’s inability to maintain playability.
Brooks Koepka defended his U.S. Open title with a winning score of 1 over.
Will Shinnecock be more accommodating when the U.S. Open returns there June 18-21?
The final major of the season, The Open, is scheduled to take place at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, from July 16-19. Jordan Spieth lifted the Claret Jug following his three-stroke victory over Matt Kuchar. McIlroy tied for fourth at 5 under.
