At the pinnacle of professional golf, there are four dates that every player circles on their calendar. The first falls on the second Sunday of April as the attention of the golfing world turns to the hallowed grounds of Augusta National for the year's first Major. For some, simply securing a spot in the prestigious Masters field is the goal. For those with higher aspirations, the goal is to win.

In Tiger Woods’ prime, every tournament he played leading into April was viewed through the lens of the upcoming Masters. Tiger often emphasized how he used these tournaments to get meaningful “reps” and to reintroduce his body to the feelings of competition. These weeks were still about winning (which Tiger did plenty of), but they were also about getting his game ready for Augusta. In more recent years, other players have followed suit by similarly using the 3-month run-up to make necessary swing tweaks and equipment changes, all in a concerted effort to peak for The Masters.

Given the focus players place on peaking for the second week of April, let’s dig into how past winners have played leading up to their Masters victories:

There is plenty to digest and explore, but here are some takeaways we found interesting (click on player names to see their trajectory into the 2025 Masters):