Rex Hoggard gives his three contenders to win the Masters in 2025 and says none of them are Scottie Scheffler

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All eyes are likely to be on Scottie Scheffler at the opening major of the year, with the world number one winning two of the last three Masters titles.

Scottie Scheffler has a tough act to follow after his outstanding 2024 season. The highlight was his victory at Augusta National, where the 28-year-old largely strolled across the line on Sunday as the rest of the contenders fell by the wayside.

Scheffler’s ability to thrive at courses where he has previously had success means that he is likely to be the overwhelming favourite for the 2025 Masters. But the weight of expectation is not always a good thing, with Scheffler the man everyone is going to want to beat in Georgia.

And there are certainly a number of candidates who could take Scheffler on.

Three players tipped to win the Masters ahead of Scottie Scheffler this year

Xander Schauffele has won two majors since Scheffler’s latest Masters win, while Bryson DeChambeau proved a real point with his victory at the US Open. Meanwhile, Collin Morikawa has not finished outside the top 10 since 2021. He was also second going into the final round in 2024.

Speaking on The Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard suggested that he can see any of the three players pipping Scheffler to the title this year, before he revealed his number one pick for the event.

“I have three names written down and none of them are Scottie. I initially wrote down Collin Morikawa, played well last year at the Masters, his ball-striking obviously is the weapon that he would use on that particular golf course, second shot golf course,” he said.

“And then I took to my black Sharpie and crossed out that name as you were talking about Xander, because Xander also played well. Look at what he’s done just to become more consistent off the tee and with his iron play. When he is playing well, I’m not sure that there’s a golf course that doesn’t fit him.

“And then I fell back to, I’m not quite sure how I got here, but I went back to Bryson DeChambeau. He’s played well there in the past.

“Of those three names, I think I’m going to fall back on Xander for the reasons I pointed out. I just think he’s much more of a complete player now, much more of a five-tool kind of guy. I really like Xander there,” he said.

How Schauffele has performed at the Masters during his career

Schauffele, of course, is now halfway to securing the career grand slam. And there is perhaps an argument that the two majors he still has to win are the two where he has traditionally performed best.

However, there is an interesting statistic from Schauffele’s time at the Masters which suggests that he needs to find another gear if he is going to secure that green jacket.

Speaking on the same podcast, Ryan Lavner suggested that he was a little taken aback to learn of some of the details of Schauffele’s career record amongst the Georgina pines.

“I gave a little bit of pause, I was surprised by this, just six of Xander’s 26 career rounds at Augusta National have been in the 60s, but I think you could make the argument now that he is a different player, not just physically, and from a skill standpoint, but also mentally ticking off the two major championships that he did in 2024,” he said.

“The iron play is, by far and a way, the most important asset at Augusta National, and Xander Schauffele has improved that significantly over the years.”

It would be a real statement if Schauffele could make it three majors in four events – and move to within one of the career grand slam. But it really does not feel out of the realms of possibility.