While many will look to the greens at Augusta National as the defining factor in crowning the winner of the 90th Masters tournament, statistics suggest that approach play has become more important.

Just look at Rory McIlroy’s victory last year. He gained over 10 shots on the field with his approach play and actually lost strokes on the putting greens. In the last five years, three of the winners gained more shots on approach than any other strokes-gained stat.

So, as preparations for Augusta National are being made, let’s take a look at the top five players in approach over the last three months and what they have in the bag.

Collin Morikawa

Already a winner this season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he gained a whopping 9.681 strokes in his approach play, Collin Morikawa tops the table with his impressive iron play.

On average, Morikawa is gaining 1.33 strokes on the field with his laser-like irons. He plays a split set from TaylorMade, featuring a hollow-bodied PDHY driving iron, cavity-back P7CBs, which he says “finds that perfect window” for him, and the forged muscle-back designed P730s. The blade features a smaller, sharper look than the CBs and it’s the iron that McIlroy’s Proto blades are designed off of, which he won with at Augusta last year. Coincidence?

Making his seventh Masters start, Morikawa’s best finish came in 2024, where he finished T3.

Irons: TaylorMade PDHY (4), TaylorMade P7CB (5, 6), TaylorMade P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Si Woo Kim

Si Woo Kim might have the coolest setup on Tour, and he’s playing golf to match it. He’s yet to miss a cut this year, going 9-for-9, and has already had a runner-up and four top-10 finishes.

As for his bag, Kim is one of many Callaway staffers to add the tour-only, Japanese-style Apex MBs into his setup. They feature a longer blade and a less rounded toe, which fit Kim’s eye. His irons are also bent two degrees strong to also help Kim with how the clubs look at address.

Kim is making his ninth Masters start but has yet to crack the top 10. His best finish came at the 2021 tournament, where he finished tied 12th. He’s gaining 1.11 strokes a round this year in approach, so there’s potential for Kim to have his best week to date in Augusta.

Irons: Callaway Apex MB ’26 3-PW
Shafts: KBS Tour V 125

Shane Lowry

Shane Lowry should arguably be a PGA Tour winner this season, but fell at the last minute at the Cognizant Classic. He enters the Masters, gaining 1.09 strokes a round on approach.

Lowry plays a split set of Srixon irons, including a ZXi Utility at 20 degrees. He then moves into the ZXi5 irons for 4- and 5-iron, created with Srixon’s i-FORGED process for improved feel, before transitioning into the ZXi7 in 6-iron to pitching wedge. Both the ZXi5 and ZXi7 feature the Tour VT Sole, which blends sole width, bounce, and relief to help the club glide through the turf.

Already a major champion, Lowry is making his 11th Masters start, and could be a dark horse heading to Augusta.

Irons: Srixon ZXi Utility (3/20 degrees), Srixon ZXi5 (4, 5), Srixon ZXi7 (6-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus VeloCore+ Blue HB 9 X (3), KBS Tour 130 X (4-PW)

Adam Scott

Adam Scott knows how to win at Augusta National. He did it in 2013, beating Ángel Cabrera in a dramatic playoff, becoming the first Australian to win the tournament. That year, he played a Titleist 710 MBs.

Now in 2026, Scott is still playing musclebacks but has transitioned to the Callaway Apex MBs, like Kim. This may change, though, as Scott has meddled with both Miura KM-700s and a special set of AS-1 irons over the past year.

Scott is also gaining 1.09 strokes on the field, like Lowry, over the last three months. Along with the Apex MB irons, Scott has a Titleist T250 3-iron equipped with Graphite Design Tour AD VF Hybrid shaft.

Impressively, entering his 25th Masters, Scott has made every cut this season ,with a best finish coming at The Genesis Invitational, where he came fourth.

Irons: Titleist T250 (3) Callaway Apex MB ’26 (4-9)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD VF Hybrid 105 X (3), Project X LZ 6.5 125 (4-9)

Akshay Bhatia

Rounding out the top five in approach play at the Masters is recent Tour winner, Akshay Bhatia. The smooth-swinging lefty earned the biggest victory of his career at the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Bhatia’s setup is comprised of a Callaway X Forged UT iron and Apex TCB Raw irons, both custom-painted with Masters’ green.

The 24-year-old is gaining 1.06 shots a round this year and in his third Masters will look to improve on a tournament-best T35 finish.

Irons: Callaway X Forged UT (22 degrees), Callaway Apex TCB Raw (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS $-Taper 125 S+