History says one of these three golfers will win the Masters
nytimes.com • • sports
Key Points:
- Historical trends at the Masters Tournament show that first-timers rarely win, with only three first-time winners ever, the last being in 1979.
- Recent champions are typically ranked within the top 25 in the world, have previous strong finishes at Augusta, and have multiple PGA Tour wins.
- Other key trends include making the cut the prior year, achieving top-10 finishes in recent tournaments, and ranking high in driving distance.
- Applying these ten historic trends to the 2026 Masters field of 91 players narrows the likely winners to just three: Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Xander Schauffele.
- The article emphasizes that while numbers can be interpreted in many ways, the consistent patterns at the Masters provide a reliable profile for predicting potential champions.
