Masters Musings: 5 Takeaways from 2026 at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- After spending seven days roaming virtually every yard of Augusta National Golf Club, from the historic clubhouse to hours at "Amen Corner" on the other side of the expansive property, here are five takeaways from a memorable 2026 Masters Tournament.

SCHEFFLER'S FLOCK GROWING

Scottie Scheffler created an enormous buzz around Augusta National on Sunday by coming out with two birdies through his first three holes to get within two of the lead early in his round. When he pumped his fist with a clutch par save on the par-3 sixth hole, it appeared a dramatic run by the world's No. 1-ranked player might be unfolding.

That charge stalled for a few hours with 11 consecutive pars, but it didn't stop the throngs of Scheffler fans from following him and providing the loudest roars on the course. He rewarded their faith with another spark by rolling in a lengthy putt for his first birdie of the week on the par-5 15th hole, and followed it with another on No. 16. Ultimately, Scheffler's rally fell a shot short, but he has built a tremendous following.

Scheffler doesn't have Arnie's Army, and it wasn't close to the mass of humanity that followed Tiger Woods and climbed trees to get a glimpse of him in his prime. But it was abundantly clear that he was the people's choice on Sunday.

Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose had strong followings as well, and Cameron Young gained some support as the top American to begin the day, but none of them drew the dedicated fan pack that Scheffler enjoyed.

It was fun to see Scheffler and playing partner Haotong Li sharing a laugh walking off the 10th tee, with the Chinese star looking at Scheffler and saying, "Dude! Dude!," followed by a comment about a fan interaction over a golf glove.

KNAPP TIME?

Jake Knapp's yardage book reads "Knapptime," and the 31-year-old might be on the precipice of becoming a breakout star on the PGA Tour. Known for his streaky ability to go really low, including a 59 in the first round of last year's Cognizant Classic and a course-record 61 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Knapp has often struggled to put four solid rounds together.

He was one of the last players to qualify for this year's Masters when he slipped into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking on the final cutoff week last month. Playing in only his second career Masters, Knapp closed with a 70 on Sunday to snag an 11th-place finish.

Not only does that stamp Knapp's ticket back to Augusta National next year, but the former bouncer is starting to build a following with his smooth swing and Southern California swagger. Knapp also earned praise from someone who knows a thing or two about Augusta National.

"I think Jake Knapp can win here. I really do," said Fred Couples, the 1992 champion who played his practice rounds with Knapp this week.

AN AUGUSTA LIKE NO OTHER?

Determining how Augusta National will play is always a challenging task. This year provided an extremely rare mix of zero rain, very little wind and warm temperatures. The course had more brown spots than normal, and the famous camera-friendly azaleas weren't in bloom.

After the players struggled to find birdie opportunities on Thursday afternoon, Ireland's Shane Lowry speculated that it might be the most difficult Masters we have seen in a while considering the forecast called for even warmer temperatures. But those conditions never materialized, despite the browned-out spots and firm greens.

The fairways were hard and rolled out further than normal, leaving players with shorter shots into the green and better opportunities to spin the ball. After the course yielded a scoring average of 72.85 on Friday, the 70.63 average on Saturday was a record low for the third round of the Masters.

Sunday proved to be slightly more difficult as one would expect, but the greens remained receptive for the most part. The final round scoring average was only a tick over par at 72.09.

"Have you ever seen looking down the property how yellow the patron areas and how brown and purple parts of the greens and fairways are?" Spain's Jon Rahm asked rhetorically. "It will be a long time until we see it like this. Definitely have some things in mind for future editions where it gets to this level."

DOES RORY'S SUCCESS POSE A PROBLEM?

McIlroy's quest for an historic Masters repeat was the No. 1 story all week, and deservedly so. He said that he didn't begin 2026 with a singular drive to win consecutive Masters and that he remains motivated to accomplish new goals in his career.

When pressed on what those are, McIlroy declined to provide specifics other than to say the goalposts continue to "keep nudging a little bit further and further out of reach."

But listening to McIlroy talk throughout the week, I'd be concerned if I were PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp.

In discussing his preparation for the Masters, McIlroy said that he has been practicing for weeks at Augusta National. There were days he would drop his daughter, Poppy, at school, fly up to Augusta for a practice round and be home in time for dinner.

By having a singular focus on his Augusta National prep, McIlroy did not tee it up on the PGA Tour between The Players Championship and the Masters. He went so far as to say this week, "I honestly just don't like the three tournaments leading up to this event. I'd rather come up here."

That could not have sat well at PGA Tour headquarters, or with sponsors at the Valspar Championship, the Texas Children's Houston Open or the Valero Texas Open.

In his post-round press conference, McIlroy did provide a bit of clarity, adding that getting to a major a week early was advice he once received from none other than Jack Nicklaus. And that he doesn't plan on taking three weeks off from competition before every major.

Of course, McIlroy has earned the right to play where and when he chooses. But with his global stature in the game and the PGA Tour Enterprises being a for-profit business, it doesn't help matters when McIlroy skips some marquee events and shares his outright distaste for other second-tier tournaments struggling to stay relevant in the current landscape.

MASTERS' MASTERY

The Augusta National Golf Club and city of Augusta have developed a secret sauce that makes the Masters a truly unique experience for everyone involved.

It begins with the city's pre-planning that largely alleviates traffic jams around the golf course. There are rarely backups, parking is free and fans are stress-free entering the course. Once they get inside the gates, a fleet of volunteers make sure foot traffic continues to move throughout the course with relative ease.

No one knows exactly how many tickets the Masters distributes, but even with the leaders on the back nine on Sunday it was never impossible to find a direct view of any player or hole of interest.

Scheffler said this week that he finds the entire Masters experience "enjoyable," and Couples called Augusta National "the greatest walk you could ever have."

When stepping on the AGNC property, it feels like hallowed grounds chock full of history. And the club clearly spares no expense to make sure everyone's experience inside its gates is enjoyable.

It probably helps to have the resources of a massive store that some in the press have heard generates in the neighborhood of $1 million ... per hour.

--Derek Harper, Field Level Media