By Rory Carroll
April 6 (Reuters) - Five storylines to follow as the world's top players arrive at Augusta National Golf Club for the April 9 to April 12 Masters:
CAN MCILROY REPEAT?
After finally slipping into a Green Jacket last year and completing the career Grand Slam, Rory McIlroy quickly faced the inevitable question about what could possibly come next.
A title defense would be a good place to start.
The Northern Irishman is bidding to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles,
and the first since Tiger Woods accomplished the feat more than 20 years ago.
There are, however, questions over McIlroy's fitness. The 36-year-old looked in strong form when he finished tied for second at the Genesis Invitational in February, but later withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a back issue and struggled to a tie for 46th at the Players Championship.
SCHEFFLER AGAIN THE MAN TO BEAT
World number one Scottie Scheffler enters Augusta as the clear betting favorite despite finishing outside the top 10 in each of his last three starts and withdrawing from the Houston Open in anticipation of the birth of his second child.
The two-time Masters champion has never finished outside the top 20 at Augusta National, and if his iron play returns to the level he showed in his 2022 and 2024 victories, the rest of the field could be chasing him all week.
Scheffler, who won two of his four major titles last year, is not only the favorite for this week's Masters but also the early pick in some markets to claim multiple majors this season.
SCHAUFFELE LURKING
While Scheffler has dominated the betting markets, Xander Schauffele has emerged as a popular choice among analysts, and his record at Augusta helps explain why.
The American has posted top-10 finishes in each of the last three Masters, including as runner-up in 2019, and has repeatedly put himself in contention on a course that rewards patience and precision.
Schauffele finished third at last month's Players Championship, and a win at Augusta would leave the two-time major champion one U.S. Open title short of completing the career Grand Slam.
DECHAMBEAU LEADS LIV CHALLENGE
No player from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit arrives at Augusta in better form than Bryson DeChambeau, who won each of the last two LIV events in playoffs.
DeChambeau briefly held the lead during the final round of last year's Masters before running into trouble after electing to lay up from the tee on the par-four third. A three-putt bogey followed, shifting momentum back to McIlroy, and DeChambeau eventually finished tied for fifth.
The Masters remains one of the few weeks each year when players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf compete in the same field, giving added significance to any performance from the breakaway circuit's top names.
END OF AN ERA
This year's tournament will mark the first Masters since 1994 without either Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson in the field.
Five-time Masters champion Woods has stepped away as he seeks treatment following his DUI arrest in Florida late last month. Woods has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Mickelson, meanwhile, said he would not compete citing a "personal health matter."
"I have great respect for Augusta National Golf Club and it is definitely the most special week of the year," Mickelson said. "I wish everyone the best of luck and will be watching."
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
