The Masters Tournament is fast approaching, and that brings conversations around fans picking their favorites to win the major championship. The conversation has found its way to CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis. And she has made her picks public. However, the list doesn’t include the top two golfers, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.

“I have 12 or 13 names, and that doesn’t include Scottie or Rory,” Balionis declared during her recent appearance on the Fairway Rollin’ Podcast with Joe House and Nathan Hubbard.

She continued, “I don’t think you can just count Bryson out. I just think Bryson has such a chip on his shoulder. And I think about this moment a lot from last year when he came into the interview room after he thought he’d pretty much given it away, and he had that disaster on 11.”

“He comes in and ends up finishing T5, which is still the best finish in his Masters career. He came in, and he’s watching this playoff start to happen, and he is so hot under the collar. And he looks at me off-camera, and he says, ‘I just handed this to Rory, and I can’t believe he might give it away.’”

She emphasized how people have forgotten how close DeChambeau was to winning the Masters Tournament last year in the final stretch. It was a double bogey on the 11th and four bogeys through the final round that pushed him to T5 with a seven-under 281.

But the reason Balionis believes in DeChambeau is that he’s an emotional guy who can use his emotions to his benefit. His passion was clear following his LIV Golf South Africa win, when he got teary-eyed not because he’s weak, but because he cares about winning.

“I think that little added incentive or focus that you can’t recreate anywhere else. I actually think that might be really, really important for him this week,” Balionis confirmed.

McIlroy and Balionis have entered the headlines quite a few times in the past couple of years. Amanda Balionis has often stood in support of the 5x major champion. She defended him as hecklers attacked him and his wife, Erica Stoll, at the last Ryder Cup. McIlroy even impressed her with his inspirational skills by changing a teenagar’s life in 2017.

However, not everything was all playful between the two. Back in May 2025, she made a subtle jibe at the world number two for skipping media obligations on all days at the PGA Championship. But that has changed ever since, and McIlroy usually appears to be interviewed by Balionis.

And while McIlroy was going through a rough patch in his marriage, fans churned the rumor mills to speculate dating rumors about McIlroy and Balionis, only for the golfer and media star to turn things down in public.

Though Amanda cheered for the world number two as he roared to victory at the 2025 Masters Tournament, she is looking to see a different winner in the Green Jacket.

But if the best two golfers are ignored, who have joined DeChambeau on Balionis’ list?

Who else is on Amanda’s potential Masters winner list?

The answer leads to Jacob Bridgeman, Justin Rose, and Adam Scott. Balionis reflected on Bridgeman’s record for the 2026 season and highlighted his stance for Augusta. He has made eight starts this season, and all of them ended with top 20 finishes, including a win at the Genesis Invitational. And the best part of his game is his putting; that’s going to be pretty helpful for the tough Augusta course.

“I think Justin Rose has to be at the top of my list. He’s making his 21st start this year. That’s absolutely incredible. And he has three runner-up finishes here to his name,” Balionis continued.

However, Rose’s season isn’t going as well as that of Bridgeman’s. He made only 50% of the cuts this season, even though he won the Farmers Insurance Open. Balionis has had a few interactions with Rose, and according to her assessment, all roads lead to him winning another major championship. And Adam Scott seems to have a similar story.

“I’m looking at his stats, and he’s top five in iron play this season, fourth in proximity to the hole. This is looking good for Adam Scott until you look at his putting, and he’s at the bottom of the list in three-putt avoidance,” she said.

But we can’t really deny McIlroy the credit of finally securing a win at Augusta National after 17 starts. And while McIlroy remains a perennial contender on paper, it’s players like DeChambeau and Rose who might shape the story this season.