SportsLine's model simulated the 2026 Masters 10,000 times and revealed its surprising PGA Tour picks for Augusta National
By Ross Kelly Apr 9, 2026 at 6:21 am ET • 4 min read 
Imagn Images There is a clear gap between Scottie Scheffler and the rest of the 2026 Masters field, according to oddsmakers. Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion and the No. 1 ranked player in the world, is the +550 favorite in the latest 2026 Masters odds. Scheffler has racked up 20 career victories on the PGA Tour and he's finished T-4 or better in three of his six starts on the PGA Tour this season. Should your 2026 Masters picks include backing the clear-cut favorite, or should you look elsewhere on the PGA odds board for value?
The 2026 Masters field is loaded with major champions, including Rory McIlroy (+1300), Jon Rahm (+950), Bryson DeChambeau (+1000), Jordan Spieth (+4500) and Brooks Koepka (+4500). Play gets underway from Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, April 9. The 2026 Masters first round tee times begin at 7:40 a.m. ET, with Scheffler teeing off at 1:44 p.m. ET. Before locking in any 2026 Masters picks, be sure to see the 2026 Masters predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated every PGA Tour event 10,000 times and reveals golf betting picks that have a history of being extremely profitable.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters -- its fourth Masters in a row -- as well as last year's PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen huge returns on betting sites.
Now that the 2026 Masters field is locked in, the model simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.
2026 Masters predictions
One major surprise the model is calling for at the Masters 2026: Ludvig Aberg, one of the favorites and a golfer who has had two strong Masters appearances, finishes well outside of the top 5 this year. The 26-year-old has already racked up five worldwide wins in his career and he's finished solo second and solo seventh in two career starts at Augusta National.
However, he's down to No. 17 in the Official World Golf Ranking after peaking at No. 4 last year because of a string of bad starts late last season and early in 2026. He's also missed the cut in four of his eight career major championship starts and an afternoon-morning stagger on Thursday and Friday is likely to have him playing in firmer and faster conditions than most. See who else to fade here.
Another surprise: Tommy Fleetwood, a +2200 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. He has a much better chance to win it all than his odds imply, so he's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.
Fleetwood's game fits Augusta National extremely well and he has the results to prove it. Fleetwood has finished inside the top 25 in five of the past eight years at Augusta National, including a T3 showing in 2024. He's also secured four top-10 finishes already in 2026, so his game is trending in the right direction ahead of the first major of the year. If he's striking the ball well this week, he'll have a great shot at claiming his first major championship and finishing on top of the leaderboard at the 2026 Masters. See who else to pick here.
How to make 2026 Masters picks
The model is also targeting two more stunning longshots higher than +4000, including one going off around +8000, to surge to the top of the leaderboard, potentially bringing a massive return. You can only see who they are at SportsLine.
Who will win the 2026 Masters, and which massive longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2026 Masters odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 16 golf majors, including three in 2025.
2026 Masters odds, field, favorites
Get full 2026 Masters picks, best bets and predictions here. (odds via FanDuel and subject to change)
Scottie Scheffler +550 Jon Rahm +950 Bryson DeChambeau +1000 Rory McIlroy +1300 Xander Schauffele +1500 Ludvig Åberg +1700 Cameron Young +2000 Matt Fitzpatrick +2200 Tommy Fleetwood +2200 Hideki Matsuyama +2700 Robert MacIntyre +3000 Justin Rose +3000 Patrick Reed +3500 Collin Morikawa +3500 Min Woo Lee +3500 Si Woo Kim +4500 Jordan Spieth +4500 Brooks Koepka +4500 Chris Gotterup +5500 Russell Henley +5500 Akshay Bhatia +5500 Nicolai Højgaard +5500 Viktor Hovland +5500 Jake Knapp +6500 Maverick McNealy +6500 Shane Lowry +7000 Patrick Cantlay +7000 Justin Thomas +7000 Adam Scott +7500 J.J. Spaun +7500 Jacob Bridgeman +7500 Sepp Straka +8000 Tyrrell Hatton +8000 Corey Conners +8000 Jason Day +8000 Sam Burns +10000 Harris English +10000 Cameron Smith +10000 Marco Penge +10000 Sungjae Im +12500 Rasmus Højgaard +12500 Kurt Kitayama +15000 Gary Woodland +15000 Daniel Berger +17500 Ben Griffin +17500 Sam Stevens +20000 Keegan Bradley +20000 Alex Noren +20000 Harry Hall +20000 Ryan Gerard +20000 Aldrich Potgieter +20000 Max Homa +20000 Aaron Rai +22500 Kristoffer Reitan +22500 Wyndham Clark +22500 Ryan Fox +25000 Brian Harman +25000 Casey Jarvis +30000 Nicolas Echavarria +30000 Carlos Ortiz +30000 Michael Kim +30000 Max Greyserman +40000 Sami Valimaki +40000 Michael Brennan +40000 Nick Taylor +40000 Sergio Garcia +40000 Haotong Li +40000 Dustin Johnson +40000 Matt McCarty +40000 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +40000 Andrew Novak +40000 John Keefer +50000 Charl Schwartzel +50000 Tom McKibbin +50000 Davis Riley +75000 Bubba Watson +75000 Zach Johnson +75000 Angel Cabrera +100000 Mason Howell +100000 Fifa Laopakdee +100000 Ethan Fang +100000 Brian Campbell +100000 Vijay Singh +100000 Jose Maria Olazabal +100000 Brandon Holtz +100000 Naoyuki Kataoka +100000 Danny Willett +100000 Jackson Herrington +100000 Fred Couples +100000 Mateo Pulcini +100000 Mike Weir +100000
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