Masters week!
It always feels like the wait lasts forever and the week seems to go faster than anyone wants it to. Soak it in. Every shot, every moment, every normal sport encounter.
Our coverage this week will be extensive. I will be writing a newsletter every day through next Tuesday with notes and thoughts from the grounds at Augusta National. Today’s is from Dallas, some land over Arkansas and Mississippi and the Atlanta airport. We will also be producing a good number of podcasts from the event.
The Normal Sport Show is still in its nascent days as we try to find a rhythm, but I enjoyed recording with my good friend, Hayden Martin, on Monday as we discussed five players we’d bet our house on to win this year’s Masters.
We’ll have a pod dropping later this evening with Webb Simpson, who previews the course and discusses what it’s like to play in the tournament. And then some daily updates from the course. You can subscribe on Spotify here and Apple right here.
We will also be giving something away from our sponsors every day. Today’s sponsor of the newsletter is the Normal Club (that’s us), and we’re giving away $500 worth of merch from any 2026 major of your choosing to a random winner who 1. Is subscribed to this newsletter and 2. Comments on this tweet.
I got one question about what if subscribers don’t have Twitter and can’t comment. Unfortunately, we are trying to limit how much work we have to do on our end, so those are the parameters. More giveaways to come, and not all of them require a Twitter account.
Name drops today: Akshay, Gotterup, Dr. Chipinski, all four of my kids.
This newsletter is brought to you — as noted above — by the Normal Club. Our group of 1,030+ folks who support this business.
For $82/year — or .00039% of the 2025 Masters purse — you can be part of our club, have access to our group chat in Slack, receive the digital version of our new Rory book for free (coming soon!), get all of this week’s partially-paywalled content and also get into our $3,000 members-only fantasy contest later this week.
Whew, that’s a lot. Join here.
OK, now onto the news.
When I worked at CBS Sports — which at this point feels like it was 35 years ago — I used to rank every player in the field from 1-94. This exercise would begin in February around Pebble Beach and end the Sunday before the Masters started.
It kept me sharp, and we mostly had fun with it. I have actually considered bringing it back as a year-round thing (think The Ringer’s big boards), but for today we’re going to limit it to my current top 10 and run through it before we get to the always entertaining Porter family draft for a pint of ice cream. We went full auction this year, and I got cooked by my kids.
OK, here are your 10 most likely to win the 2026 Masters from 10 to one.
10. Gotterup: I just … can’t get there with him, and I’m not sure why (maybe I will by the end of the week). I see what the numbers say. Really.
Crazy long, great from tee to green, wins big events. The data is why he’s on this list at all. But is Chris Gotterup (Chris Gotterup!) going to break a 47-year streak and become the first player since Fuzzy in 1979 to win the Masters in his first try?
It’s just extremely difficult for me to imagine! I am also open to the idea that this is my anti-OU, pro-Oklahoma bias showing (another indicator: I have Viktor Hovland at No. 1 below)! (not really)
[Jason here] Gotterup might be my first pick after watching his press conference. He's Scottie-esque in his reflective answers. I agree with the "Good job” caught on mic at 20:40.
9. Fitz: I’m hesitant here, which means we’re 2 for 2 on me hating my most likely to win list. He’s been so good this year but so … middling at the Masters over the last five years. Since 2021, Justin Thomas, Ryan Fox, Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Cantlay have all been better than Fitzpatrick from tee to green at ANGC.
Solid players, obviously, but not exactly threats to win the Masters. But I can’t ignore the leap he’s seemingly made over the first three months of 2026. Only Fitzpatrick and Morikawa are better than 2.0 SG tee to green (and Morikawa hasn’t played in a month). One note to keep an eye on with Fitz: He has a fairly low ball flight (not this low but low enough), which doesn’t seem ideal for ANGC.
8. Rory: I could see this going one of two ways. The first is that he’s so exhausted from carrying the pre-event content over the last month and leading into the very first shot of the tournament that he shoots 45 going out and has to play heroically to make the cut and finish T45.
Or I could see him feeling so good from the afterglow of all of this that he just goes out and shoots 33-34-32-33 before he even realizes he has an 8-shot lead going into Saturday. I think the former is more likely, but the latter is definitely in play. As Brad Faxon noted here, he may set the all-time ball speed record off No. 1 on Thursday.
[Jason here] I want him to win just to see how the jacket ceremony would go.
7. Hideki: Since 2021, only Scheffler has been better from tee to green at this course. Surely Hideki must be the most cumulative under-talked about great player coming into the Masters over the last 10 years, and I would not be shocked to see him get a second. Also, strangely, he is the worst player since 2018 to win the Masters.
Tiger
DJ
Hideki
Scottie
Rahm
Scottie
Rory
An insane run.
6. Cam Young: I seriously considered picking him, but I think the Players-Masters double is extremely difficult to pull off. He should always be in contention here because of his ability off the tee, and now it’s just a matter of scoring.
He hasn’t quite been good enough with his iron play yet at Augusta to win, and I wonder if he struggles with the different swing speeds needed here to control distance (we’ve seen Rory and Bryson have similar struggles). But Cam also seems to be a different player right now than he was at any point in his first four starts.
5. Bryson: If he hit his irons at all last year, he probably would have won. Consider how many different shots he’s struggled with here (here’s a very cool chart from the Data Golf live blog).
I’ve said this in a number of places, but I’ve been so impressed with how Bryson has reinvented himself at Augusta National.
After declaring the golf course a par 67, he went out and beat almost nobody for the next four years. He missed the cut twice (!) in a row (!!), which is nearly impossible to do for someone of his caliber at this tournament.
But then the last two years, he has a a pair of top-six finishes, he’s playing great on LIV (even if Jim Nantz hasn’t seen much of it), and he comes in with enough losing experience here to make a meaningful difference but not so much that it will hurt him like it did Rory. This next three-year window for him at this course is going to be fascinating.
4. Ludvig: I’m not scared of his inability to close because I think what we call “an inability to close” in 2026 would have just been called “pro golf” in 1976.
This is how it goes. Mega-talented players like Ludvig get out on Tour and have some success and face some adversity. They win a little, they lose a lot. They eventually win a major or two. Or if they’re historically great, maybe even three or four.
The thing I worry about slightly is not his inability to close but his inability to really find the center of the tournament and — by force of will — make it his own. To me, this was always Rickie’s problem. He couldn’t quite figure out the rhythm of a 72-hole event and position himself to take it over when he really needed to.
Being calm, cool and collected is a great attribute until it’s not.
(Maybe Joe Skovron is the problem)
(he’s not)
3. Scottie: Listen, do I feel good about Scottie winning a third in five years? I do not. But when somebody tells you who he is at major championships — and specifically at this major championship — it’s wise to pay attention.
Over the course of his career, Scottie is, this number is more outrageous than it is going to sound, four shots per event better from tee to green at Augusta National than the next best guy (Hideki). Four!
Two reasons for this: 1. He’s pin high every time you look up and 2. He doesn’t take on shots he shouldn’t (shout out: JT, Spieth et al.)
The truth of Scottie is that his floor is higher than probably 70 percent of the ceilings in this field. Doesn’t mean he’s going to win, but I trust him more than almost anyone on this golf course.
2. Rahm: This is stupid and very eye-test-y, but he strikes me as a multiple-time Masters champion. Rahm is so much better than people believe he is, but the reality — especially for him and Bryson — is that you have to do it at the majors.
Rahm has been a nonfactor since he won in 2023 (which coincides when he left for LIV), but this is also the best he’s played in that window of time. He’s so good on these par 5s and has such good hands, that it’s easy to see him lumbering downhill and into Rory’s awaiting arms for a second jacket.
But we’re also quickly entering, “if he doesn’t contend soon then we’re going to have to say his move to LIV cost him some real golf history” territory.
1. Xander: Is it the most thrilling choice? It is not. But Xander rolls into this Masters in the perfect spot. Two quiet top fives in a row. Seemingly fully recovered from his injury. Amazing course history (five top 10s in his last seven starts). Flushing the ball.
And nobody is really talking about him because of how much he fell off in 2025 compared to his two-major 2024. I’ve waffled between Ludvig, Rahm and Xander as my 2026 champion, but Xander occupies the No. 1 spot going into Tuesday (all subject to change by Thursday morning).
One of my favorite family traditions around the Masters has been dragging my wife and kids into a ridiculous pre-tournament draft with a pint of ice cream on the line.
This year’s draft took place late on Saturday evening, right as my wife started giving me the “we have to get these hooligans showered and to bed asap … I’m singing at Easter service tomorrow morning and everyone is exhausted” look.
My response: Scottie Scheffler up first, I bid $30!”
The show must go on.
We mixed it up with an auction this year, which I thought would confuse the children and give me even more of an advantage. Instead, it simply confused me, and I believe I ended up with the worst team.
Here’s how it went: I threw out a name — we went in order of the Data Golf rankings, per my 12-year-old’s request — and everybody started bidding. We were allowed one alternate at the end in case someone WDs before the tournament.
The results …
Some notes.
• What was I doing? I wouldn’t spend $36 on Rory, Rahm, Cam Young or Bryson, but I spent $25 on Russ Henley when I could have gotten him at $7? Just zero plan whatsoever.
• In retrospect, the play was to go hard at 2-3 top guys and then spend $1 on the Brooks’, Akshays and Gotterups. How was I the only one who couldn’t figure this out?
• Sadie would have legit spent all $100 on Scottie. We just wound her up, and she kept rolling. She was committed to the limit. Then she stole the defending champ, too!
• Jude has been crowing since the end of the draft about how many he’s going to win by (see note from Hannah at the bottom). I hate how jealous I am of his team and how many shots he’s going to get me by. I won’t be able to face him for weeks!
• Mrs. Normal picks Rose to win every year (except last year, somehow). She’s heavy on the Euro Ryder Cup team. She again clarified when Harris English’s name got thrown out that he is in fact American. Also can’t believe she let Ludvig go.
• Jack may not have spent $100 on Ludvig, but I bet we could have run him up to $75 or so. All the way in. Doesn’t know (and wouldn’t care if he did) about the scar tissue or the closing issues. Thinks he may win the tournament by 10. He also insists that I call Min Woo, “Dr. Chipinski.” An agent of chaos, as always.
Thank you for reading our outrageous golf newsletter that is sometimes (but often barely) about golf. Every edition is handcrafted by me (Kyle) and Jason.
It is a lengthy labor of love, but as long as you keep showing up and we still have money in our bank account, we will keep handcrafting and delivering this thing to you with all the obsession we can muster.
Masters week!
It always feels like the wait lasts forever and the week seems to go faster than anyone wants it to. Soak it in. Every shot, every moment, every normal sport encounter.
Our coverage this week will be extensive. I will be writing a newsletter every day through next Tuesday with notes and thoughts from the grounds at Augusta National. Today’s is from Dallas, some land over Arkansas and Mississippi and the Atlanta airport. We will also be producing a good number of podcasts from the event.
The Normal Sport Show is still in its nascent days as we try to find a rhythm, but I enjoyed recording with my good friend, Hayden Martin, on Monday as we discussed five players we’d bet our house on to win this year’s Masters.
We’ll have a pod dropping later this evening with Webb Simpson, who previews the course and discusses what it’s like to play in the tournament. And then some daily updates from the course. You can subscribe on Spotify here and Apple right here.
We will also be giving something away from our sponsors every day. Today’s sponsor of the newsletter is the Normal Club (that’s us), and we’re giving away $500 worth of merch from any 2026 major of your choosing to a random winner who 1. Is subscribed to this newsletter and 2. Comments on this tweet.
I got one question about what if subscribers don’t have Twitter and can’t comment. Unfortunately, we are trying to limit how much work we have to do on our end, so those are the parameters. More giveaways to come, and not all of them require a Twitter account.
Name drops today: Akshay, Gotterup, Dr. Chipinski, all four of my kids.
This newsletter is brought to you — as noted above — by the Normal Club. Our group of 1,030+ folks who support this business.
For $82/year — or .00039% of the 2025 Masters purse — you can be part of our club, have access to our group chat in Slack, receive the digital version of our new Rory book for free (coming soon!), get all of this week’s partially-paywalled content and also get into our $3,000 members-only fantasy contest later this week.
Whew, that’s a lot. Join here.
OK, now onto the news.
When I worked at CBS Sports — which at this point feels like it was 35 years ago — I used to rank every player in the field from 1-94. This exercise would begin in February around Pebble Beach and end the Sunday before the Masters started.
It kept me sharp, and we mostly had fun with it. I have actually considered bringing it back as a year-round thing (think The Ringer’s big boards), but for today we’re going to limit it to my current top 10 and run through it before we get to the always entertaining Porter family draft for a pint of ice cream. We went full auction this year, and I got cooked by my kids.
OK, here are your 10 most likely to win the 2026 Masters from 10 to one.
10. Gotterup: I just … can’t get there with him, and I’m not sure why (maybe I will by the end of the week). I see what the numbers say. Really.
Crazy long, great from tee to green, wins big events. The data is why he’s on this list at all. But is Chris Gotterup (Chris Gotterup!) going to break a 47-year streak and become the first player since Fuzzy in 1979 to win the Masters in his first try?
It’s just extremely difficult for me to imagine! I am also open to the idea that this is my anti-OU, pro-Oklahoma bias showing (another indicator: I have Viktor Hovland at No. 1 below)! (not really)
[Jason here] Gotterup might be my first pick after watching his press conference. He's Scottie-esque in his reflective answers. I agree with the "Good job” caught on mic at 20:40.
9. Fitz: I’m hesitant here, which means we’re 2 for 2 on me hating my most likely to win list. He’s been so good this year but so … middling at the Masters over the last five years. Since 2021, Justin Thomas, Ryan Fox, Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Cantlay have all been better than Fitzpatrick from tee to green at ANGC.
Solid players, obviously, but not exactly threats to win the Masters. But I can’t ignore the leap he’s seemingly made over the first three months of 2026. Only Fitzpatrick and Morikawa are better than 2.0 SG tee to green (and Morikawa hasn’t played in a month). One note to keep an eye on with Fitz: He has a fairly low ball flight (not this low but low enough), which doesn’t seem ideal for ANGC.
8. Rory: I could see this going one of two ways. The first is that he’s so exhausted from carrying the pre-event content over the last month and leading into the very first shot of the tournament that he shoots 45 going out and has to play heroically to make the cut and finish T45.
Or I could see him feeling so good from the afterglow of all of this that he just goes out and shoots 33-34-32-33 before he even realizes he has an 8-shot lead going into Saturday. I think the former is more likely, but the latter is definitely in play. As Brad Faxon noted here, he may set the all-time ball speed record off No. 1 on Thursday.
[Jason here] I want him to win just to see how the jacket ceremony would go.
This post will continue below for Normal Club members and includes the rest of this list as well as a way-too-in-depth breakdown of the Porter family draft …
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