The Masters: Why Scheffler v Rahm v McIlroy dominates Augusta build-up, and who are the outside bets

The run-in to the Masters has rarely had such headline billing, even for the majesty and grandeur of the first men’s major of the year on the most spellbinding stretches of golfing real estate.

Augusta National next week will play host to a melting pot of storylines and bubbling frictions and that is long before a ball will be struck off the tee in anger on Thursday morning.

The PGA Tour’s ongoing war or awkward peace however you want to depict it, looms over the start of the major calendar as it has for the last two summers, with no end in sight.

Rahm’s ‘defection’ to the Saudi-backed series at the turn of the year was the headline-grabbing steal the rebel circuit needed to further legitimise it and further disrupt the golfing landscape. It has worked in so far as depriving the PGA Tour of one of its major box-office draws.

A year ago Rahm came into the Masters as the hot favourite having won three times in eight starts on the PGA Tour.

And even after double-bogeying the first hole and giving the rest of the field a two-shot start, he romped to victory, outplaying Brooks Kopeka in the final round in what back then was portrayed as the battle of good versus evil, of the PGA Tour’s best outlasting cream of the LIV Golf crop.

Now Rahm returns considerably richer than he was before having made the reported $500m move to LIV but considerably rustier having played just five times on the 54-hole Saudi circuit.

When he won last year, Rahm dedicated his triumph to fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteros after claiming his second major title on the 40th anniversary of his late idol’s second win at Augusta National, a win which also came on what would have been Ballesteros’ 66th birthday.

“History of the game is a big part of why I play and one of the reasons why I play, and Seve being one of them,” said Rahm.

“For me to get it done on the 40th anniversary of his win, his birthday, on Easter Sunday, it’s incredibly meaningful.”

Rahm was also well aware that his win took him halfway to completing a career grand slam and joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to have won all four majors.

Joining LIV does not immediately impact on Rahm’s ability to achieve that goal, his Masters win earning him a lifetime exemption for Augusta and five-year exemptions for the US PGA and Open Championship.

The 29-year-old was already eligible to compete in the US Open through 2031 thanks to his victory at Torrey Pines.

But as his Masters defence begins with the champions dinner on Tuesday night, the question of whether his game will be affected by the switch to LIV remains unanswered.

This week over the lush green fairways and amongst the azaleas will be the first time most golf fans will have seen Rahm since he played the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November.

In his stead, Scheffler has risen to the top of the golfing world.

The American who put the green jacket on Rahm’s shoulders in the Butler Cabin 12 months ago, is the red hot favourite to win a second Masters title in three years.

He might not be as flashy as previous world No 1 players, or as controversial, but he is no less admirable for the way he has performed the last two and a half years.

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Scheffler’s worst finish this season is a tie for 17th. He has two wins to his name already, a five-shot victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill which he then followed up by becoming the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship at Sawgrass - when he was struggling with illness.

Only a missed putt from six feet prevented him forcing a play-off in the Houston Open last week, a tournament which saw his run of 28 consecutive rounds under par broken by a careless three-putt from six feet on the same hole in round two, and even then he still signed for a 70.

Scheffler’s form has been aided by taking up McIlroy’s suggestion of a change in putter and means he is as short as 7/2 with some bookmakers to win at Augusta next week

Odds as short as that have not been seen since the days of Tiger Woods in his pomp two decades ago.

Which brings us around to McIlroy and the age old question of can he clinch the career grand slam by winning the Masters?

This is the 10th time that narrative has followed McIlroy to Augusta.

In those years he has yet to add to the four major championships he won from 2011 to 2014.

There have been a number of near-misses when he should really have won - the Open at St Andrews two years ago, the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club a year later, most notably - and a second place finish at the Masters.

But he has never really contended at Augusta.

For a man of his talents, the way he holds himself in the game, you really want him to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck and say ‘this is my tournament fellas, you lot squabble for second place’.

But how for many years have we been saying that?

Beyond those three current behemoths of the game is a supporting cast of strong players who can all deliver at the top table.

Wyndham Clark is one to watch, having stunned McIlroy and the rest of the golfing world at the US Open last year.

The American has already added a win this year at Pebble Beach. Koepka can never be discounted in a major.

Of the best players never to win a major, Xander Schauffele will surely break his duck this year and has three top-five finishes at Augusta in the last five years.

Patrick Cantlay - wonder if he’ll have his hat on again after the Ryder Cup shenanigans in Rome - and Max Homa are forever knocking on the door.

From a British perspective, Tommy Fleetwood can be lumped into that category, but there has to be serious doubts about his ability to win any tournament, as consistent and as likeable as he is.

Sheffield’s Matt Fitzpatrick is already a major winner and has previous around Augusta. The 29-year-old is also in good form.

Danny Willett, winner of this great event back in 2016, has still to declare whether he is fit enough to play after underground shoulder surgery.

Will there be someone in good form who flies under the radar and pounces at the right time, just as he did eight years ago?

An intriguing Masters awaits.