Five storylines to follow at this week s Masters

AUGUSTA, Georgia - Five storylines to follow as the best players in the world descend upon Augusta National Golf Club this week for the April 10-13 Masters.

SCHEFFLER SEEKS RARE REPEAT

World number one Scottie Scheffler, whose season debut was delayed by about a month after needing hand surgery following a cooking accident, returns to Augusta National looking to become the fourth player to retain a Masters title.

Scheffler entered the final round last year leading by one shot and fired a four-under-par 68 that gave him a four-shot victory over Swede Ludvig Aberg.

No player has won the Masters in consecutive years since Tiger Woods in 2001-02 and before that only Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) have pulled off the Augusta double.

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MCILROYS GRAND SLAM BID

Rory McIlroy has a chance this week to complete the career Grand Slam of winning golfs four major championships but will need to overcome an Augusta National layout that has been the site of several frustrating moments for the Northern Irishman.

McIlroy has been in contention several times at the Masters but seems to be hampered by one poor round each week, most memorably in 2011 when he began the final round with a four-shot lead but endured a harrowing back-nine collapse.

For McIlroy, who counts The Players Championship among his two wins this year, winning the Masters would put him in elite company with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods as the only men to achieve a career Grand Slam.

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LIV CONTINGENT

The Masters is one of four times each year the games top players get to compete against one another amid the ongoing divide in the sport, and 12 players from the Saudi-backed LIV circuit will be at Augusta to