Hello, friends.
Grab your pimento cheese sandwiches and azalea cocktails because it is officially Masters week in Augusta. The biggest tournament of the year returns for its 89th edition, promising a weekend full of Amen Corner dramatics, the soothing tones of CBS play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and the next chapter of the tradition unlike any other.
In this article, we are determined to answer this question: Which players would be the most fun to see put on the green jacket on Sunday? This is not a list of the favorites to win or even the biggest storylines surrounding the event. It's a collection of players based on vibes, and vibes alone.
(Sorry, Scottie Scheffler, you're great but it's time for someone new to don the green jacket.) Let's tee off:
11. Xander Schauffele
Schauffele, who further cemented his “elite” status last season after winning two majors, is looking for a third.
The 31-year-old is closing in on history as the owner of the longest active streak of top-20 finishes in majors with 11 (and counting). Over the last 30 years, only Tiger Woods has racked up a longer streak of such finishes in majors, with 14 before he placed 25th in the 2001 British Open.
10. Bryson DeChambeau
Love him or not, DeChambeau is one of the most entertaining golfers to watch in today's game. The two-time major champion didn't exactly have the greatest reputation among fans before he completely reversed his public image one YouTube video at a time. (And there are some good ones, too, like when he hit a hole in one over his $2 million house in Texas.)
Whether you're rooting for DeChambeau or cheering against him, it's always fun when the 31-year-old is in the mix.
9. Tommy Fleetwood
On the flip side of the polarizing DeChambeau is Fleetwood, one of the most beloved golfers in the game today. He owns an Olympic silver medal, has starred on the Ryder Cup team for Europe and has earned over $25 million in his professional career—but he's never won a single PGA Tour event in his career.
A fan favorite trying to secure his first big win at Augusta? Count us in.
8. Max Homa
It's been a rough start to the 2025 season for Homa, who has missed his last five cuts and recently split with his longtime friend and caddie Joe Greiner ahead of the biggest golf tournament of the year. The vibes truly could not be worse. But what a redemption story it would be for Homa, with a new caddie and a fresh start, to contend for a green jacket on Sunday.
7. Justin Thomas
Remember Greiner, the caddie who recently parted ways with Homa? Well, he's carrying Justin Thomas's bag this weekend because Matt "Rev" Minister is nursing a back injury.
A Sunday grouping with Homa and his new caddie Bill Harke playing alongside Thomas and Greiner would be cinema.
6. Jordan Spieth
It's been nearly a decade since Spieth was the top-ranked golfer in the world, and it's been exactly a decade since his first—and only—win at Augusta in the 2015 Masters.
Wouldn't it be fun if Spieth rediscovered the 2015 version of himself in Augusta (or even the 2016 version before his disastrous quadruple bogey on the12th hole)?
5. Fred Couples
Back in 2023, Couples became the oldest player in PGA Tour history to make the Masters cut at age 63. Now 65, he could beat his own record by making it to the weekend during his 40th career appearance in the Masters.
Is Couples going to win the 2025 Masters? No, probably not. But rooting for the fan-favorite 65-year-old to see Saturday again would be a perfect side dish to those Masters egg salad sandwiches.
4. Keegan Bradley
Bradley might face quite the predicament later this season if he finishes toward the top of the Masters leaderboard. Heading into the tournament, the 38-year-old is within striking distance of the top 12 in the Team USA Ryder Cup points rankings, which is where every player wants to be at this point of the year. The only problem? Bradley is also the Team USA captain.
If Bradley continues to play well—he has five top-25 finishes and two top-10 finishes to his name this year—he could claim one of the six automatic bids or name himself one of Team USA's six wild-card players. For context, there hasn't been a playing Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. A green jacket in Bradley's possession might make that happen.
3. Min Woo Lee
Let. Him. Cook.
One of the brightest stars to emerge from Season 3 of Netflix's Full Swing documentary, Lee has one of the biggest—and best—social media followings in all of golf. And he's playing his best golf heading into his fourth Masters tournament appearance, having claimed his first career PGA Tour win in the Texas Children's Houston Open in March.
Seeing Dr. Chipinski's name toward the top of the leaderboard would guarantee a drama- and fun-filled weekend in Augusta.
2. Michael Kim
Looking for an underdog to root for this weekend? Look no further than Kim, who once famously missed 23 straight cuts and is now making his second career Masters appearance—and first since 2019.
Kim is giving golf fans an up-close and detailed look at his preparation for the tournament in what he's calling his "Augusta diaries," a package of threads on X (formerly Twitter) detailing his day-to-day activities in Georgia. Among the highlights include his official Masters sandwich rankings, the latest updates on course conditions and JJ Spaun's spending habits.
Augusta Diaries (Wed)
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) April 9, 2025
-Played 9 holes with Phil, DJ, Noah Kent. We had a 9 hole team match, Phil and I vs. DJ and NK. We were tied heading into 9. Phil from the pine straws hit it to tap in with the pin in the middle right tier. Noah Kent also hit a nice shot to about 25 ft.…
1. Rory McIlroy
Who else would be ranked No. 1? McIlroy's drought—he hasn't won a major since the 2014 PGA Championship—is talked about probably too much heading into every big tournament. But it's always compelling to see McIlroy's name atop the leaderboard deep into a major.
Nowhere is the pressure more on McIlroy than at Augusta National, as a green jacket is the only trophy he needs to become just the sixth man in the history of the sport to complete a career grand slam.
McIlroy has finished in the top five at the Masters four times, but finished 22nd last year and missed the cut in 2023. Could this be the weekend McIlroy finally breaks through?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking the 11 Golfers It’d Be Most Fun to See Win the 2025 Masters Tournament.
