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The Masters is where legends are made. The green jacket remains one of the most coveted trophies in all of sports. Anyone lucky enough to earn such an honor will go down in history among the greatest golfers of all-time.
Not only will they forever be engraved in the sport's history, but they will be invited back to Augusta every year for the remainder of their lives.
However, while legends are made, Augusta National can also host some of the most disappointing rounds of players' careers. An epic collapse is just as likely as a triumphant master stroke. And those don't just happen on Sunday, they can happen as early as the first round, as we saw this year.
With the first round of the 2026 Masters Tournament complete, here are three winners and losers heading into Friday:
After McIlroy finally broke through and won his first Masters a year ago, there were murmurs that McIlroy might not be in shape to contend for another green jacket in 2026. The Northern Irishman had been dealing with lower back pain and stiffness for several weeks leading up to the Masters, even forcing him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
When McIlroy returned for The Players Championship, he didn't impress much, either, finishing outside the top-40. Still, when push came to shove and McIlroy needed to defend his green jacket, he came to play, finishing the first round tied for first at 5-under. He even collected three straight birdies on holes 13, 14, and 15, where most other golfers struggled on the back nine.
It's been nearly a quarter century since the last successful title defense at Augusta, but you know what they say about streaks. They are meant to be broken, and McIlroy looks primed to do so after Thursday.
After DeChambeau brought comedian Kevin Hart to the Par 3 Contest, some fans believed he might not be taking this weekend's tournament very seriously. Those skeptics added more fuel to the fire after Thursday. The two-time major winner recorded only one birdie during the first round, which was immediately followed up with a bogey to cancel itself out.
It's never a good sign when you finish 4-over par and still could've finished much worse if not for lucky moments like this one, where DeChambeau's errant tee shot ricocheted off a patron and back closer to the hole.
Although DeChambeau often outperforms expectations at big tournaments, he crumbled on Amen Corner, recording a triple bogey on Hole 11. For someone who made an effort to let the world know he would be trying out a new 3D-printed 5 iron (even if he only got to use it once on Thursday), this wasn't the round he'd hoped for.
Woodland's win at the Texas Children's Houston Open was one of the most emotional moments of the year in golf. Woodland was just 2.5 years removed from brain surgery yet managed to earn an invitation to the Masters thanks to the tournament win.
He isn't just grateful to be participating in the Masters, though. He's making a run for the title. In the first round, Woodland went nearly shot for shot with Scottie Scheffler, bursting into the top-10 heading into Friday.
Considering Woodland had missed the cut in two of his three tournament appearances prior to his win in Houston, many fans believed the win could be a fluke. Clearly, it's not.
Aberg was a popular pick for many people to win the Masters this year. And early on, it looked like a great pick. He sat at 3-under through six holes.
Hole 9 was a double bogey, though. Hole 10? Bogey. Hole 11? Bogey. Hole 13? Double. In just four holes, Aberg went from near the top of the leaderboard to the lower echelon.
Aberg melted like a Red Lobster cheddar biscuit, a shocking turn of events for someone who hadn't shot worse than 69 in the opening rounds of any of his last three tournaments.
The back nine was absolutely atrocious for most golfers Thursday. I've already mentioned how Aberg fell apart during Amen Corner. DeChambeau struggled there, as well. Even guys near the top of the leaderboard like Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood struggled once they made the turn.
Bradley had the opposite issue. The former Ryder Cup captain sat at 4-over through the first nine holes. No one would've batted an eye if he wound up shooting 10-over for the round after that. However, Bradley bounced back, rattling off not two, not three, but four straight birdies on 13, 14, 15, and 16 to get back to even par. Suddenly, he's still in the hunt.
Much like DeChambeau, Rahm was expected to be a green jacket contender this year. The 2023 champion was even given the second-best odds behind Scheffler by some books. His victory seems unlikely now, though.
The Spaniard didn't spend a single moment under par, from the moment he bogeyed the first hole. He didn't even record a birdie this round. It was all pars, bogeys, and one double bogey on 13, putting him in the same company as 56-year-old Angel Cabrera and 66-year-old Fred Couples.
While Rahm did start last year's Masters with a 75 during the first round, only to bounce back and finish in the top-15, a 78 seems much harder to recover from.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Masters first round winners and losers at Augusta National
Continue reading...
Not only will they forever be engraved in the sport's history, but they will be invited back to Augusta every year for the remainder of their lives.
However, while legends are made, Augusta National can also host some of the most disappointing rounds of players' careers. An epic collapse is just as likely as a triumphant master stroke. And those don't just happen on Sunday, they can happen as early as the first round, as we saw this year.
With the first round of the 2026 Masters Tournament complete, here are three winners and losers heading into Friday:
Winner: Rory McIlroy
After McIlroy finally broke through and won his first Masters a year ago, there were murmurs that McIlroy might not be in shape to contend for another green jacket in 2026. The Northern Irishman had been dealing with lower back pain and stiffness for several weeks leading up to the Masters, even forcing him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
When McIlroy returned for The Players Championship, he didn't impress much, either, finishing outside the top-40. Still, when push came to shove and McIlroy needed to defend his green jacket, he came to play, finishing the first round tied for first at 5-under. He even collected three straight birdies on holes 13, 14, and 15, where most other golfers struggled on the back nine.
It's been nearly a quarter century since the last successful title defense at Augusta, but you know what they say about streaks. They are meant to be broken, and McIlroy looks primed to do so after Thursday.
Loser: Bryson DeChambeau
After DeChambeau brought comedian Kevin Hart to the Par 3 Contest, some fans believed he might not be taking this weekend's tournament very seriously. Those skeptics added more fuel to the fire after Thursday. The two-time major winner recorded only one birdie during the first round, which was immediately followed up with a bogey to cancel itself out.
It's never a good sign when you finish 4-over par and still could've finished much worse if not for lucky moments like this one, where DeChambeau's errant tee shot ricocheted off a patron and back closer to the hole.
Although DeChambeau often outperforms expectations at big tournaments, he crumbled on Amen Corner, recording a triple bogey on Hole 11. For someone who made an effort to let the world know he would be trying out a new 3D-printed 5 iron (even if he only got to use it once on Thursday), this wasn't the round he'd hoped for.
Winner: Gary Woodland
Woodland's win at the Texas Children's Houston Open was one of the most emotional moments of the year in golf. Woodland was just 2.5 years removed from brain surgery yet managed to earn an invitation to the Masters thanks to the tournament win.
He isn't just grateful to be participating in the Masters, though. He's making a run for the title. In the first round, Woodland went nearly shot for shot with Scottie Scheffler, bursting into the top-10 heading into Friday.
Considering Woodland had missed the cut in two of his three tournament appearances prior to his win in Houston, many fans believed the win could be a fluke. Clearly, it's not.
Loser: Ludvig Aberg
Aberg was a popular pick for many people to win the Masters this year. And early on, it looked like a great pick. He sat at 3-under through six holes.
Hole 9 was a double bogey, though. Hole 10? Bogey. Hole 11? Bogey. Hole 13? Double. In just four holes, Aberg went from near the top of the leaderboard to the lower echelon.
Aberg melted like a Red Lobster cheddar biscuit, a shocking turn of events for someone who hadn't shot worse than 69 in the opening rounds of any of his last three tournaments.
Winner: Keegan Bradley
The back nine was absolutely atrocious for most golfers Thursday. I've already mentioned how Aberg fell apart during Amen Corner. DeChambeau struggled there, as well. Even guys near the top of the leaderboard like Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood struggled once they made the turn.
Bradley had the opposite issue. The former Ryder Cup captain sat at 4-over through the first nine holes. No one would've batted an eye if he wound up shooting 10-over for the round after that. However, Bradley bounced back, rattling off not two, not three, but four straight birdies on 13, 14, 15, and 16 to get back to even par. Suddenly, he's still in the hunt.
Loser: Jon Rahm
Much like DeChambeau, Rahm was expected to be a green jacket contender this year. The 2023 champion was even given the second-best odds behind Scheffler by some books. His victory seems unlikely now, though.
The Spaniard didn't spend a single moment under par, from the moment he bogeyed the first hole. He didn't even record a birdie this round. It was all pars, bogeys, and one double bogey on 13, putting him in the same company as 56-year-old Angel Cabrera and 66-year-old Fred Couples.
While Rahm did start last year's Masters with a 75 during the first round, only to bounce back and finish in the top-15, a 78 seems much harder to recover from.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Masters first round winners and losers at Augusta National
Continue reading...
