Next week it’s on to Augusta, Ga., for the 90th Masters tournament. (Joy Sarver Photos)
All the professional tours have been in full swing for several months, and so have most of the college teams. That said, golf excitement doesn’t really kick in until next week’s 90th playing of the Masters tournament.
It’s the first of the year’s four major championships and the first time the top players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League finally get together again. The upstart Saudi-backed LIV circuit has yet to have Masters winner since the break from the PGA Tour five years ago.
This could be the year, though. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player is struggling and LIV has 11 players in this year’s Masters field and six won the Masters back when they were PGA Tour members. In fact, those six have combined to win nine times. Phil Mickelson is a three-time champion and Bubba Watson has won twice. Other LIV members with Masters titles are Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel and Jon Rahm.
None of those players may be the circuit’s best bet to win in 2026, though. That has to be Bryson DeChambeau after his playoff win over Rahm in a rousing tournament in South Africa in the most recent LIV event.
There won’t be a player with even remote Illinois connections in the field at Augusta National unless Doug Ghim, Kevin Streelman, David Lipsky, Dylan Wu or Adrien Dumont de Chassart win this week’s PGA Tour stop – the Valero Texas Open.
ALSO ON THE SCENE: The Masters competition is the main attraction during the week of the tournament, but it’s not the only one. Both the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip & Putt finals are side attractions with Chicago area representation.
The 54-hole ANWA event, first played in 2019, has two Northwestern players – Californians Diana Lee and Ashley Yun – in the 72- player field. The 54-hole event conducts its first two rounds at the nearby Champions Retreat course before the final round is played at Augusta National.
Drive, Chip & Putt has the survivors of nation-wide qualifying tournaments held in late 2025. Four Chicago area youngsters qualified in the Upper Midwest Regional played last September at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Patricia Kittivat of Schaumburg will be in the Girls 7-9 division with Oswego’s Lucy Wiertal in the Girls 10-11, Streamwood’s Vihaan Patel in the Boys 10-11 and Hinsdale’s Carter
Bird in the Boys 14-15. While the Masters is the main attraction, the ANWA and Drive, Chip & Putt participants will get some TV air time, too.
DOWN THE ROAD: This may be just the start of the Chicago golf season, but the President’s Cup climax in September has already been a topic for discussion on the PGA. Brandt Snedeker, who will captain the U.S. team in the President’s Cup matches at Medinah, shook off a slow start to this season with a strong showing in the Valspar Championship last month in Florida.
Snedeker played in the last twosome on Sunday before fading on the back nine. His playing partner, Matt Fitzpatrick, won the title but Snedeker was still a subject of discussion.
The President’s Cup captain is frequently a contender for that same role at the next Ryder Cup, but Snedeker would have little to say about that.
“There’s no chance. Let’s not event talk crazy here. There’s no chance, no chance,’’ he said. The next Ryder Cup is in 2027. That’s a long way off, but the Peresident’s Cup isn’t. Medinah will see a lot of Snedeker in the next few months.
“I’m going up there is less than a month, spend a few days and check everything out,’’ he said. “There’s lots of logistical stuff now, lots of behind-the-scenes stuff to make sure we’re ready to go. As the summer ramps up and the team takes shape we’ll do more and more.’’