Picks for 2026 Masters golfers and the Masters favorite to win ahead of the year's first major at Augusta National
By Ross Kelly Mar 26, 2026 at 12:20 pm ET • 4 min read 
Imagn Images Scottie Scheffler became the 18th golfer to win multiple green jackets two years ago, and several players are looking to become No. 19 at the Masters 2026. Reigning champion Rory McIlroy is among them, as are Jon Rahm, Hideki Matsuyama, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth. Some will make their debuts at Augusta National when the 2026 Masters tees off Thursday, April 9. Chris Gotterup and Ben Griffin are hoping to join the three-man club of golfers to win the major in their first appearance.
The top-ranked player in the world, Scheffler is the +480 favorite in the latest 2026 Masters odds. McIlroy is +1000 to go back-to-back, while Ludvig Aberg is +1100 to get his first major victory. Other contenders to utilize in 2026 Masters bets include Rahm (+1300), Xander Schauffele (+1600) and Bryson DeChambeau (+1600). At +25000 are both Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, though the latter hasn't officially ruled himself in or out. Before locking in any 2026 Masters picks, making any PGA DFS picks on sites like FanDuel or DraftKings, or entering any 2026 Masters one-and-done picks, be sure to see the golf 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 that year's PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive 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 for Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm
One shocker the model is calling at the Masters 2026: Rahm (+1300), the 2023 Masters champion and one of this year's favorites, stumbles and doesn't even crack the top five of the leaderboard. That 2023 victory is the Spaniard's only top 10 over his last four starts at Augusta, and he followed it up with a 45th (2024) and then a 14th-place finish (2025). On majors as a whole, Rahm hasn't been in the best of form, with just one top five over his last 10 major starts, as opposed to four finishes 34th or worse. Add in that Rahm has just one 72-hole tournament victory in the three years since slipping on the green jacket, and he's one to steer clear of given his short PGA odds.
The model has also locked in its projection for Scheffler (+480), a two-time Masters winner who is this year's favorite. Scheffler won in 2022 and 2024 with top 10s in each of his last four Augusta starts. He also won the PGA Championship and Open Championship last season as he was the PGA Tour Player of the Year for the fourth time in his career. However, Scheffler hasn't matched his 2025 success thus far and seems to be going in the wrong direction. He won his first start of 2026 and then had top fives in his next two, but he fell outside the top 10 in his ensuing start before not even placing in the top 20 in his last two starts. He then withdrew from the Houston Open, robbing him of potentially his last tune-up before the Masters 2026.
The model has also examined McIlroy's chances of becoming the fourth golfer to win back-to-back green jackets. Not only was last year's victory the crowning achievement of McIlroy's career, but it was his first major victory in 11 years. This year, his long game metrics are strong as he boasts top-5 rankings in strokes gained: total, SG: tee-to-green and SG: off-the-tee, but he's lagging on the greens by ranking outside the top 100 in SG: putting. The Irishman has had limited exposure to PGA events this year, having completed just three tournaments with varying success. He was runner-up at the Genesis and placed 14th at Pebble Beach but was 46th at the Players after winning the event in 2025. See the full Masters projections from the model here.
How to make 2026 Masters picks
The model is also targeting two more longshots of +3000 or greater, including one of at least +5000 that could bring strong returns. You can only see the model's picks here.
Who will win the 2026 Masters, which massive longshots will stun the golfing world, and where will Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy finish? 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, and four straight Masters.
2026 Masters odds, favorites
Get full 2026 Masters picks, best bets and predictions here.
Odds via FanDuel (subject to change)
Scottie Scheffler +480 Rory McIlroy +1000 Ludvig Aberg +1100 Jon Rahm +1300 Xander Schauffele +1600 Bryson Dechambeau +1600 Tommy Fleetwood +2000 Cameron Young +2500 Collin Morikawa +2700 Justin Rose +2700 Patrick Reed +2700 Viktor Hovland +3000 Hideki Matsuyama +3000 Akshay Bhatia +3300 Justin Thomas +3300 Matt Fitzpatrick +3300 Russell Henley +4000 Brooks Koepka +4000 Jordan Spieth +4000 Robert MacIntyre +4000 Tyrrell Hatton +4500 Min Woo Lee +5000 Joaquin Niemann +5000 Sepp Straka +5000 Patrick Cantlay +5000 Si Woo Kim +5000 Shane Lowry +5000 Chris Gotterup +5500 Corey Conners +5500 Jason Day +6000 Ben Griffin +6000 Daniel Berger +6000 Jacob Bridgeman +6500 Max Homa +7000 Will Zalatoris +7000 Sahith Theegala +7000 Harris English +7000 Cameron Smith +7000 Sungjae Im +7000 Adam Scott +8000 Sam Burns +8000 Davis Thompson +10000 Tony Finau +10000 Casey Jarvis +10000 Aaron Rai +10000 Maverick McNealy +10000 Marco Penge +10000 Sergio Garcia +10000 Matt McCarty +10000 Alex Noren +10000 Billy Horschel +10000 Ryan Fox +10000 Rasmus Hojgaard +10000 Phil Mickelson +10000 J.J. Spaun +10000 Wyndham Clark +10000 Ryan Gerard +10000
Join the Conversation comments
