Masters 2026 leaderboard update: Latest on Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, others at Augusta National

The opening round of the 2026 Masters is underway at Augusta National Golf Club

Published on: Apr 9, 2026, 21:03:54 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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The opening round of the 2026 Masters is underway at Augusta National Golf Club, with an early leaderboard already taking shape as some of golf’s biggest names begin their campaigns.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy reacts after holing his putt on the 2nd hole during the first round (REUTERS)

Early leaderboard: Who’s leading right now?

As of 11:10 AM ET, a tightly packed leaderboard has emerged, with multiple players sharing the top spots:

T1: Tommy Fleetwood (-3, thru 4)

T1: Patrick Reed (-3, thru 4)

T3: José María Olazábal (-2, thru 10)

T3: Kurt Kitayama (-2, thru 8)

T3: Akshay Bhatia (-2, thru 4)

T6: Matt McCarty (-1, thru 8)

T6: Sam Burns (-1, thru 6)

T6: Nick Taylor (-1, thru 6)

T6: Dustin Johnson (-1, thru 5)

T6: Xander Schauffele (-1, thru 3)

Spotlight: Scheffler, McIlroy and the chasing pack

While early leaders have set the pace, much of the attention remains on tournament favorites: Scottie Scheffler enters as the world No. 1 and betting favorite, despite limited recent play. Defending champion Rory McIlroy returns after completing a historic career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters. Contenders like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Ludvig Åberg are also expected to challenge as the tournament progresses.

McIlroy’s 2025 triumph marked a breakthrough after years of near-misses, but the depth of this year’s field presents a fresh test as he aims for back-to-back titles.

Featured groups drawing attention

Several marquee groups headline the opening rounds:

DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Schauffele

McIlroy, Cameron Young, Mason Howell (amateur)

Rahm, Chris Gotterup, Åberg

Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka

Scheffler, Robert MacIntyre, Gary Woodland

These groups are expected to influence leaderboard movement as conditions evolve across the day.

Tournament schedule and broadcast details

The 2026 Masters runs from April 9 to April 12:

Round timings (ET)

Thursday (Round 1): 7:40 a.m. start

Friday (Round 2): 7:40 a.m. start

Weekend rounds: Coverage begins midday

Where to watch

Thursday & Friday: Amazon Prime Video (1–3 p.m.), ESPN (3–7:30 p.m.)

Saturday & Sunday: Paramount+ (12–2 p.m.), CBS (2–7 p.m.)

The Mcllroy story

Rory McIlroy got his Masters title defence under way with an opening par on Thursday where twice champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler was hours away from teeing off in the year's first major.

World number two McIlroy, aiming to become the fourth man to retain the Masters title and first since Tiger Woods in 2001-02, pulled his tee shot left of the fairway, missed the green with his approach, chipped to five feet and rolled in his par putt.

The Northern Irishman arrived this week without carrying the burden of having never won a Masters after he beat Justin Rose in a playoff last year to become the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam of golf's four majors.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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