Half a mile from the gates of Augusta National, at the foot of Washington Road, a keyboard and piano store closes its doors each Masters week. A sign in the forecourt reads: “Spring has sprung and so have we.” The annual shutdown is a small reminder that Masters mania does not reach everyone, even in a town transformed by golf each April.
For the wider sport, though, the return of the Masters is a significant marker. Almost nine months have passed since the final putt of the 2025 major season, and 27 weeks have gone by since the Ryder Cup unrest at Bethpage. Golf is once again at the centre of the sporting calendar, and Augusta is preparing for another familiar burst of attention.
This year’s tournament, the 90th Masters, comes with an important twist. It will be the first since 1994 in which neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson appears on the draw sheet. For a generation of fans, that absence might once have seemed unthinkable. Yet the change also opens the door to a new era at Augusta.
Rather than being a reason for regret, the shift can be seen as an opportunity. The tournament’s identity has long been bound to its great names and dramatic eras, but the field now has room for new narratives and new contenders. The so-called post-Tiger world, far from being a frightening one, may prove more open than many expect.
Among the leading figures this week is Spain’s Jon Rahm, who stands out as the favourite to claim a second Green Jacket. Rahm already knows what it takes to win at Augusta, and his return as a major force places him at the centre of this year’s discussion. In a field shaped by change, his experience and pedigree make him one of the clearest threats to take control of the tournament.
Augusta National remains the same demanding stage, but the context around it has shifted. The names that once defined the Masters are no longer guaranteed to be present, and the sport is entering a different phase. That does not lessen the event’s status. If anything, it reinforces how adaptable the tournament has been across decades of change.
As the 90th edition begins, Augusta is still Augusta: tradition-heavy, intensely watched and built for drama. But with Woods and Mickelson absent, and with players such as Rahm ready to seize the spotlight, this Masters feels like a look forward as much as a glance back.
