The Masters has always felt like the dance partner to baseball’s Opening Day. Both seemingly will Mother Nature to push spring north, allowing everyone to begin to thaw and return to the green grass that calls to us. In the sports world, it often feels like most roads eventually lead to golf: a sport designed to be walked in nature, right for everyone regardless of age or skill level.
Former and current Yankees alike have shared a love for fairways and links. Babe Ruth famously led the 1932 amateur
West Coast Open, 1962 World Series hero Ralph Terry played in several professional tournaments, Aaron Hicks publicly talked about his love for the game (and married into golf royalty), CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter are often seen around the links in retirement, and right before the World Baseball Classic, Jazz Chisholm Jr. posted a video of himself making a hole-in-one.
Even if you do not play or regularly track the leaderboard, the Masters is the type of event most people eventually find themselves flipping to. So if you are a Yankees fan heading over to Augusta this week, here is your guide to finding a golfer or two to cheer for based on your favorite Bronx Bomber.
If you love Gerrit Cole → Scottie Scheffler (No. 1)
This is dominance without drama. OK, Scottie had some unintentional drama that one time back in 2024, but other than that, you know what I mean.
Cole has built his career on preparation, execution, and a methodical pursuit of excellence. Scheffler enters the Masters as the No. 1 player in the world and the standard everyone else is chasing.
Neither relies on personality to carry the brand. They simply show up, perform, and head back to the lab and their families. If you want to lock in on one golfer the way Cole locks in for an October lineup, saddle up with Scottie.
If you love the Yankees as a brand → Rory McIlroy (No. 2)
Rory is one of the faces of golf, just as the Yankees remain one of the most recognizable brands in baseball.
Ranked No. 2 entering the week, he carries history, expectation, and global attention every time he tees it up. That should feel familiar to Yankees fans.
Rory’s career Grand Slam chase ended last year when he captured his first green jacket. But just like the Yankees, one is never enough and April is Rory’s October equivalent. Big stage. Big history. Big expectations. Rory is golf’s pinstripes.
If you love José Caballero → Tommy Fleetwood (No. 4)
This one is for the grinders.
Caballero often finds ways to impact games without needing the spotlight, and Fleetwood has built the same reputation in majors, always hovering near the top of the leaderboard.
He is ranked No. 4 entering the week, giving you a legit contender without feeling like you simply picked the chalk favorite. Neither is usually the headliner, but both always seem ready to swipe a bag or a trophy if the opportunity opens.
If you love Max Fried → Hideki Matsuyama (No. 14)
Quiet excellence. Dedication to perfecting craft. Calm under pressure. All these things have been said about the Yankees ace and world No. 14 golfer Matsuyama.
Fried controls the game. Matsuyama brings that same controlled, precise approach to Augusta.
Both feel like artists more than athletes when they are operating at their best. If you trust Fried’s ability to dictate the pace of a game, Matsuyama is your Augusta version of that same confidence.
If you are here to root against someone → Justin Thomas (No. 15)
Do sports for you need a villain or simply someone to cheer against?
Thomas is a known Red Sox fan and has openly talked about experiencing Yankee Stadium from the other side of the rivalry.
He is ranked No. 15 entering the Masters, good enough to be relevant deep into the weekend. Sometimes your rooting interest is not about who you want to win, it is about who you definitely do not.
Who better to root against than a Red Sox fan?
Just keep it classy.
If you love Giancarlo Stanton → Bryson DeChambeau (No. 24)
Some athletes are simply built differently. In golf, that is the No. 24 player in the world in Big Bryson DeChambeau. Do not be fooled by him looking to be the same size as D-Rob in the picture above; that was about 40 pounds ago, and by golfing standards Bryson is considered jacked.
Stanton’s power is absurd, and Bryson is the closest golf gets to that same feeling. His entire game is built around overwhelming distance.
When it clicks, it is must-watch television. If moonshots and missiles are your thing, Bryson is your golf version of Big G.
If you love Aaron Judge → Keegan Bradley (No. 26)
This one is all about the Captain America connection.
Judge and Bradley both served as captains of Team USA. Judge in the World Baseball Classic and Bradley in the Ryder Cup, which is essentially the golf equivalent. Both represent more than themselves, and both thrive in the responsibility that comes with leadership. Bradley is currently the No. 26 golfer on tour but still the captain of team USA.
If your favorite thing in sports is watching the Red, White, and Blue, Bradley is your Masters guy.
If you love Carlos Rodón → Jon Rahm (No. 29)
Rodón pitches with emotion and edge, and Rahm brings that same fire to every round. Ranked No. 29 in the world the big Spaniard approaches every round of golf like it is his last.
Both are elite competitors who wear every moment on their sleeve. If you are the kind of fan who loves intensity, fist pumps, and the occasional visible frustration that fuels greatness, Rahm is the perfect fit.
If you love Trent Grisham → Jordan Spieth (No. 63)
Texas forever.
Grisham’s Dallas-area roots make this an easy hometown vibe fit with Spieth, who grew up in the same region before becoming one of golf’s biggest names. Currently ranked No. 63, Speith has remained respectable after his once high status.
Spieth’s Augusta history is full of wins, collapses, and near misses, the kind of rollercoaster arc that makes for a compelling rooting interest every single time.
If you often say “they should bring ___ up” → Ethan Fang (A)
Let the kids play!
If you are a prospect truther, your Masters rooting interest should be amateur Ethan Fang. The Oklahoma State All-American earned his spot by winning the Amateur Championship at Royal St. George’s last summer.
Is a win likely this weekend likely? Of course not. Is it awesome if the 20-year-old simply makes the cut, yes!
If you believe children are the future here is your weekend’s cheering interest.
Final thought
The Masters does not need help being compelling. The course design, with the Amen Corner of holes 11, 12, and 13 bait risky shots that can lead to dramatic shifts in the leaderboard creating the storylines and drama all on it’s own.
But like Opening Day, it only gets better when you have a rooting interest. Whether you are backing the best player in the world, a proven champion, a rising star, or simply picking a rivalry side, there is a golfer for every Yankees fan this weekend.
Now the question is: Who do you think goes home in the green jacket?
