US Masters 2025: Storylines to follow

 The first major of the year is almost upon us, with 95 golfers looking to write their name into the sport's history books.

Will Rory McIlroy complete the career Grand Slam? Will the Europeans continue their superb start to the season? Will world #1 Scottie Scheffler win a third Green Jacket?

We've taken a look at some of the most intriguing storylines to follow this week at the US Masters.

Finally, the career Grand Slam?

As it has been for more than a decade now, one of the biggest talking points going into the year's first major is: can Rory McIlroy finally complete the Grand Slam?

There's not a whole lot new to say; everybody knows McIlory has the game to get around Augusta, but he's never quite managed to put four rounds together.

What is slightly different this time for McIlroy is that he's looking slightly more well rounded than he has in the past with his short game looking as good as his long game, and he is playing as well as he ever has. Whatever period you want to class as McIlroy's best, be it 2012, 2014 or his more recent years where he's done everything but win a major, that's the level he's at right now.

He's won a Signature Event at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and captured a second Players title shortly after and could hardly be playing any better.

All eyes will be on McIlroy once again, though it's hard to ignore the mounting scar tissue that each passing year without a Green Jacket brings.

A European winner?

It's been a tremendous start to 2025 for the Europeans.

With a Ryder Cup on American soil to come later in the year, the score currently reads 6-5 in favour of the Europeans across the 15 PGA Tour events so far this season.

Sepp Straka is playing superbly and was good value for his win, Ludvig Aberg got himself back in the winners' circle, Belgian Thomas Detry blitzed the field to win the WM Phoenix Open, Rory McIlroy has won twice, and even the out-of-form Viktor Hovland held off Justin Thomas to win.

To add a Masters to the list would be another welcome shot in the arm for Luke Donald and his European hopefuls, and they're not short of conteders.

Aside from McIlroy and Aberg, there's Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood all playing brilliantly, with the likes of Tyrrell Hatton, Bob MacIntyre and even Sergio Garcia with outside chances.

History for Scheffler?

It's funny to think that this time last year, Scottie Scheffler had just one major to his name, and with no disrespect intended to his fellow one-timers, it was about time Scheffler left the company of Shaun Micheel, Michael Campbell and Ben Curtis.

Scheffler did so with relative comfort after a couple of minor scares over the weekend, and he now has the chance to join Jack Nicklaus in the exclusive club of golfers who have won the Masters three times in four years. It's a feat not even Tiger Woods managed, and Scheffler as favourite this week has every chance of doing so.

He's not quite as short as he was in the betting a year ago, partly due to his own dip in form and the improved form of McIlroy, but Scheffler remains the world's number one player.

Regarding his dip in form, how severe is it? Well, Scheffler is slightly worse off the tee, on approach, around the greens and on the greens than he was this time last year. His long game remains elite, and his short game is still plenty good enough, but the two-time Masters champion is finding things slightly tougher this time around, and that may be the difference between winning and losing.

US Masters best-backed players

Player	Percentage of bets
Rory McIlroy	10.13%
Ludvig Aberg	6.12%
Collin Morikawa	5.17%
Tommy Fleetwood	4.37%
Brsyon DeChambeau	4.25%
Shane Lowry	4.20%
Min Woo Lee	3.51%
Robert Mac	3.15%
Scottie Scheffler	3.14%
Joaquin Niemann	2.89%

Applies to bets from 20:30 BST on 7th April to 14:15 BST on 8th April.

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