2025 Masters report: 5 lists (and 1 early power ranking) from Augusta

You think we have time to unpack everything that happens at the Masters on Sunday night? Please. The biggest tournament of the year deserves more than a week of coverage, especially following a Rory McIlroy career Grand Slam.

Let’s get to the list. Or, in this case, five different lists (and one early Masters power ranking).

5 random numbers from Masters week

Some more interesting than others.

65 — The low round of the week, shot by Justin Rose on Thursday. He also tied for the second-lowest round of the week, a 66 on Sunday. The other players to shoot 66: McIlroy (twice), Hideki Matsuyama and Zach Johnson.

21 — Questions from the media answered by 21-year-old Nick Dunlap on Friday, which came a day after he shot 90 in the opening round of his second Masters. He was four under through 15 holes on Friday but finished bogey-bogey-bogey to sign for 71. Bad days at the office happen; people can relate to that. Good on Nick for talking about it and gaining a lot of fans along the way.

-2 — Tyrrell Hatton’s score on the par-5 15th for the week, which comes one year after he said “that hole lives rent-free in my head. I hate it. I absolutely hate it. And I think it hates me with the scores that I end up producing on it.” For his career, he’s played Augusta National’s three other par-5s 36 under. After his two-under week on the 15th this year, he’s now played that in one under. Progress!

2 — Players who have lost two Masters playoffs — Justin Rose and Ben Hogan. (Although Hogan also won two Masters.)

9 — Media center chocolate chip cookies eaten by me, a weak-willed golf writer.

Answers to our 10 pre-Masters burning questions

On Monday, while flying to the Masters, I whipped up 10 burning Masters questions we wanted answered at Augusta National. Now that he know what happened, let’s answer those.

How is Scottie Scheffler’s hand? Seems… fine? He didn’t comment on it, although the rain and pollen did give him the sniffles, which he courageously overcame. He said it was the best he felt mentally all year. Although it was clear he wasn’t hitting it quite like the Scottie we are used to, he still finished solo fourth and just three back of a playoff.

Is this finally Rory’s year? Yes! It was!

Which Bryson will we see? The skilled and entertaining one. He never cracked the top 20 in his first six professional starts at the Masters, and now he’s finished top 10 two years in a row. He wasn’t at his best Sunday but proved he’ll be a factor at Augusta for years to come.

Was Viktor Hovland’s win a trend or mirage? Leaning toward trend, here. He tied for 21st and briefly flashed near the top of the leaderboard. He missed his last three cuts before his Valspar win, so following up his victory with a solid showing at Augusta is an encouraging sign.

Will the magic number change? Nope. Four of the last five Masters winners have all finished between 10 and 12 under. McIlroy and Rose tied at 11 under.

News

Which major-less player will ditch that label? Well, none last week, but Sungjae Im (T5) had the best finish among the major-less players.

Is it finally Joaquin Niemann’s time? Not yet! He birdied three of his first four on Thursday and teased that he might finally contend at a major, but he failed to record a round in the 60s and tied for 29th. He’s now played 23 majors and is still looking for that first top 10.

How much magic does Phil have left? Maybe some, but he missed the cut for just the fourth time in his career.

Collin Morikawa is going to win this… right? Nope.

Will the Masters unveil a new sandwich? Sadly, no.

Updated Masters all-time money leaders ranking

McIlroy and his $4.2 million payday vaulted him from 8th to 3rd on the Masters all-time money list. As purses grow and as players such as McIlroy and Scheffler continue to have success at Augusta National, those two could be in another stratosphere on this list several years from now. Below is the updated top 10, with the movement based off last year’s list in parenthesis.

1. Phil Mickelson, $9,870,317 (-)
2. Tiger Woods, $9,642,636 (-)
3. Rory McIlroy, $8,543,021 (UP 5)
4. Scottie Scheffler, $8,045,325 (DOWN 1)
5. Justin Rose, $6,681,765 (UP 2)
6. Jordan Spieth, $6,361,828 (DOWN 2)
7. Patrick Reed, $5,460,851 (UP 5)
8. Jon Rahm, $5,456,217 (DOWN 3)
9. Dustin Johnson, $4,662,235 (DOWN 2)
10. Bubba Watson, $4,467,230 (DOWN 1)

The 5 best shots Rory McIlroy hit on Sunday

You can actually watch all of these via the video below posted by the Masters. While McIlroy hit a couple of head-scratchers on Sunday — that wedge into Rae’s Creek and the wedge into the bunker on 18, for example — you can’t win a golf tournament without hitting some big ones, too. Here are my picks for the five best.

1. The wedge into the first playoff hole. Justin Rose had all the momentum — a closing birdie on 18 and 20 minutes on the range to hit the exact shots he might need in a playoff — but McIlroy came up big on the first playoff hole. Rose played first and hit to 15 feet before McIlroy, from the same spot where he’d hit one into the bunker earlier, stuck it to 4 feet. Rose missed; McIlroy made. Game over.

2. The iron into 15. He had 208 to the pin, water to clear and was coming off a double bogey-bogey stretch. He pulled 7-iron and hit a big, slinging draw around the trees, leading to a 6-footer for eagle. He missed, but the birdie was good enough to get him back on track. He didn’t clear the water by much, and if it would have splashed the Nos. 13-15 stretch would have been forever remembered for derailing Rory’s latest green-jacket attempt. But that version never happened.

3. The 8-iron into 17. Rose had just finished and McIlroy needed to play the final two in even par to force a playoff. But on 17, from 197 yards out, he stuffed one to 2 feet and made it for birdie. He gave it back with a bogey on 18, but that made the birdie on 17 all the more valuable.

4. The chip on 3. This one had to be included because McIlroy actually called it his most important shot of the day. He started double bogey-par and was trailing DeChambeau by one, and he hit a good drive on the short par-4 3rd to set up a 24-yard pitch to a tricky green. “That’s not an easy second shot, bumping it up that hill,” McIlroy said. “To judge that well and make a 3 there, when Bryson then made 5, and then to go ahead and birdie the next hole, it was very early in the round, but it was a huge moment.”

5. His second shot into 7. He had 152 yards to the pin and some tree trouble, but McIlroy somehow navigated through it and nearly clanked it off the pin. It settled 8 feet away, although he missed the putt for birdie. How good was it? Afterwards, Rory looked at caddie Harry Diamond and just laughed.

The 8 Masters I have covered on-site, ranked

No Masters is a bad Masters. But here’s a ranking anyway.

1. Tiger Woods (2019) — Since his two wins in 2019 (the Zozo came after the Masters), people have wondered if Tiger can win again. Maybe if the weather is ideal, he’s healthy, gets a good draw, plays well — if all that lines up — maybe he can win another, they say. But I think we already got all of that to align at the 2019 Masters.
2. Rory McIlroy (2025) — I’ve watched his celebration a dozen times already.
3. Danny Willett (2016) — I can still remember where I was and whom I was talking to when Jordan Spieth played the 12th hole and dunked his second(!) shot into Rae’s Creek.
4. Sergio Garcia (2017) — Poor Justin Rose.
5. Patrick Reed (2018) — How quickly we forget that Rickie Fowler finished a stroke back and in solo second.
6. Scottie Scheffler (2022) — Won by three with an 18th-hole four-putt.
7. Jon Rahm (2023) — A marathon final day of golf.
8. Scottie Scheffler (2024) — Scottie cruised.

An early (and subjective) 2026 Masters power ranking

Who wins next year?

1. Rory McIlroy. Are the flood gates open?
2. Scottie Scheffler. No surprise here.
3. Ludvig Aberg. Two years, two top 7s.
4. Xander Schauffele. A very quiet T8 this year.
5. Bryson DeChambeau. Two straight top 6s.
6. Collin Morikawa. Destined for a green jacket one day.
7. Justin Rose. Lose your second Masters playoff? You automatically secure a spot in this ranking.
8. Jon Rahm. He’s due.
9. Max Homa. Got a feeling.
10. Corey Conners. Maybe, just maybe?

You can reach the author at joshua.berhow@golf.com.