AUGUSTA, Ga. — The inaugural golf major of the year kicks off with the 2026 Masters Tournament, taking place from Thursday to Sunday at Augusta National in Georgia.
Rory McIlroy enters as the reigning champion. Two-time victor Scottie Scheffler is considered the frontrunner, followed closely by Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and McIlroy.
What are our golf analysts predicting for the winner? What insights does Pamela Maldonado offer regarding betting?
Jump ahead to: Pamela Maldonado’s betting and fantasy insights for the week
Experts’ selections
Matt Barrie
Jon Rahm: He has been consistently showcasing some of the finest golf globally this season. He is in an excellent position both personally and professionally. His recent performance is sure to elicit cheers at Augusta National this week.
Tory Cabrera
Brooks Koepka: Is Brooks Koepka a clear favorite? Not necessarily. Is he still “Big-Game Brooks,” the individual who once claimed that he believes majors are “the easiest to win”? Iβm counting on it … along with the fact that he has some additional financial motivation due to the costs associated with rejoining the PGA Tour.
Jeff Darlington
Justin Rose: My mind suggests that Rahm is poised to return to the forefront since I keep hearing about his excellent play. However, my heart tells me that Rose will seize his opportunity. When it comes to the Masters, I tend to follow my heart.
Michael Eaves
Bryson DeChambeau: Along with winning his last two global tournaments, he has placed T6 and T5 in his previous two Masters outings. Since 2023, he has reduced his putting average by two putts per round at Augusta National. If he has truly mastered the greens, he will undoubtedly be in contention by Sunday.
Peter Lawrence-Riddell
Xander Schauffele: He has finished T-10 or better in five of the last seven years, including T-8 last year and solo eighth in 2024. After a challenging season in 2025 marked by injuries, he is performing better this year, achieving T-7 or better in three of his last four tournaments, including a solo third at the Players Championship.
Andy North
DeChambeau: He has finally come to grips with this course over the past couple of years. He is playing well and winning. Distance is always a significant factor at Augusta National.
Laura Rutledge
Scottie Scheffler: He has been refining his game at home, and I believe he will be prepared.
Mark Schlabach
Scheffler: I recognize that his iron play has not been at its best, and he struggled with his driver during the Florida swing. Nevertheless, Scheffler holds the No. 1 ranking in the world for a reason, and no one has performed better at Augusta National Golf Club over the past four years. Donβt overthink it: Scheffler will utilize a hot putter to secure a third green jacket.
Marty Smith
Rose: A three-time runner-up at Augusta — twice in a playoff! — this is the year Rose captures the green jacket. No player in Masters history has led more rounds without a victory than Rose, and in 2026 he is playing consistently — often remarkably — well. He ranks 10th in strokes gained: approach this season — his best figures in a decade. Sharp iron play is essential at Augusta. Already a winner this year following a record-setting wire-to-wire performance at Torrey Pines, the ageless player is set to win his second major championship.
Curtis Strange
Schauffele: He is performing well, has a solid Masters record — five top 10 finishes in seven years — and is a very proficient ball striker.
Paolo Uggetti
Ludvig Aberg: Itβs not that Iβm disregarding Abergβs collapse at the Players last month; rather, I believe it will aid Aberg this Sunday when he is contending for his first green jacket. Abergβs game aligns perfectly with this venue, as demonstrated by his two top-10 finishes in two appearances, making contention feel like a given.
Scott Van Pelt
DeChambeau: I believe Augusta National is, in many ways, akin to a subject that requires time to study and learn. Mastering the Masters necessitates a degree of understanding. Having been in the final pairing last year and finishing in the top five, along with his recent performance, leads me to believe that this is his moment.
Dan Wetzel
DeChambeau: A more seasoned and patient DeChambeau seems destined for success at Augusta, so why not this year? He is coming off his best finish here last year (T-5) and recently triumphed over Jon Rahm in a playoff in South Africa.
Pamela Maldonado’s selections and advice for the week
Welcome to Masters week. Augusta National eventually finds you: on the back nine on Sunday, at Amen Corner, on a slick downhill putt you didnβt anticipate. This creates an exhilarating week for both bettors and spectators.
The players who contend here are not only skilled — they are specifically suited for this venue with exceptional iron play, creativity around the greens, and the composure to execute when the opportunity arises.
This week, the conditions eliminate the chaos factor. Calm, warm, firm, with no wind to create complications and no rain to equalize the field. What remains is a pure talent contest on the most challenging stage in golf.
Hereβs a look at betting options for the week.
My pick to win
Ludvig Γ berg (+1700) aligns perfectly with Augusta as a contender should. He ranks first in strokes gained at this course, second in both strokes gained: total and tee-to-green, and sixth in approach. At this juncture, it is not speculation, as Aberg has demonstrated it with consecutive top-seven finishes here.
The course favors players who can control their shots off the tee and hit accurate irons. That is his game. He gains distance off the tee without sacrificing accuracy, and his iron play consistently provides birdie opportunities. His recent performance also aligns well. Aberg has finished in the top 5 at Bay Hill, The Players, and Valero. Augusta is not the venue to be searching for your game, so it is advantageous that Aberg is already in form.
Choosing Aberg to win is a bet on a player whose skill set, course history, and current form all point in the same direction. Donβt overthink it.
My favorite bet to make the top 10
Xander Schauffele (+140 with ties) has a solid profile, ranking fifth in approach, second in scrambling, and eighth in strokes gained at Augusta, along with back-to-back top-10 finishes here. He understands how to navigate this course against a top-tier field and in significant events.
There is genuinely no significant weakness in his game that this course can exploit. If “solid overall” were a description, it would be Xander. His form isnβt spiking in terms of wins, finishing top seven in three of his last four events, but he is consistently in contention each week, making him a trustworthy option for a top-10 wager.
Firm conditions only enhance this. Augusta places pressure on your irons and your ability to recover. Xander excels in both areas, and if he does miss, he can save it. The odds are reasonable for a player who should be in the mix by Sunday.
My favorite Rory McIlroy bet
My preferred bet is no bet. Rory presents a genuinely complex profile to evaluate. Some odds available at the time of writing: End of Round 1 at -125, and +108 for a Top 10, plus +1150 to win. He won last year; it was a remarkable story and one of the best sports narratives of our time. He has demonstrated the ability to close at Augusta now, so his pedigree is undeniable.
However, the data leading into this week is candid in a way that the narrative is not. He withdrew from Bay Hill due to back spasms. He played The Players despite the injury and described his form as incredibly rusty, finishing T46. His strokes gained metrics do not align with a champion’s form; 12th overall, 16th in approach, and 46th in putting. Augusta demands complete physical commitment over four days. Amen Corner alone will challenge a compromised back in a manner that a flat course cannot. 2025 was exceptional, but 2026 remains uncertain.
The public will place bets on McIlroy, so let them. The pricing does not accurately reflect the actual risk.
Am I betting on Scottie Scheffler?
Also no. He is healthy, which is important. However, Scheffler did skip the Houston Open to be with his family after his wife gave birth to their second child, meaning the Players was his most recent tournament in mid-March.
Taking time away from competitive golf before Augusta raises genuine preparation concerns. The key point is his iron play: 35th in the field, neutral or losing strokes in nearly every event he has participated in this year.
The approach statistics are troubling on a course where iron play is paramount. A top five finish (+106) makes the most sense simply because his Augusta baseline is elite: two consecutive top-4 finishes, including a victory. If you need Scheffler on your card, that is really the only viable option.
My favorite long shot
Patrick Reed (+4400) has made seven Masters appearances since winning in 2018, with five of those resulting in top 12 finishes, including T4 in 2023 and third last year. This is a player with a well-documented, repeatable Augusta career built on what this course demands — elite scrambling, a creative short game, and nerves that do not show up in the strokes gained statistics.
The market is treating Reed as an afterthought due to LIV. The data indicates that he has two wins in 2026 (Euro Tour), meaning he arrives with a hot hand, not cold form. Firm, calm conditions this week should suit him. His results at Augusta span various setups, and he has performed well in all of them. Reed has essentially been a significantly different and much more profitable player when competing in Georgia.
Other notable bets
Tommy Fleetwood top 10 (+168 with ties): Ranking first from tee-to-green and third around the green makes this appealing for an article like this, where higher risk is considered. He is approaching double-digit appearances, and it seems that in the past four, he has figured it out. The 2024 T3 was a comprehensive performance, excelling from tee to green. Last year, he finished T21 with a solid tee-to-green performance but lost nearly five strokes putting, his worst in all his Masters appearances, yet still finished inside the Top 25. The market is offering solid odds on the best tee-to-green player in the field at a course he knows well.
Patrick Reed top 20 (+126 with ties): His Augusta history is too consistent to be priced better than even money.
In five of his last seven appearances, his short game and scrambling statistics were positive. The two outlier weeks (2019 and 2022) are exceptions. Repeatable patterns are what you want in betting. Competing in LIV and Euro makes it challenging to benchmark him against the field, but Augusta itself serves as his comparative course. Five top 20 finishes in those starts constitute their own data set.
With two 2026 wins on the Euro Tour, the Dubai Desert Classic and Qatar Masters, he is in form. Reed’s pricing suggests that the market has not fully recognized what this course specifically does for his game.
Ludvig Aberg top 10 (+154 with ties): His form is peaking as Masters week approaches, with three consecutive top five finishes leading in and four straight tournaments gaining strokes in every category. He is trending in the right direction at precisely the right moment, where his style is tailored for this course.
The inclusion of ties is straightforward: if he finishes 10th and three other players also finish 10th, you still receive a payout. Itβs simply more ways to win the same bet. At a course where Aberg has already achieved top seven finishes in back-to-back years, this is merely asking him to replicate that performance.
Fantasy golf
Top three DFS selections
Matt Fitzpatrick $8,700: His form is solid, finishing T2 at the Players, then winning at Valspar, with approach play ranking fourth best in the field. He is underpriced relative to his performance this season. Augusta history is the drawback, but his ball striking suits this course, and firm conditions favor precise iron play.
Min Woo Lee $7,700: The price alone is intriguing. He ranks third in strokes gained total and 11th in distance, which is relevant on a firm Augusta track where par 5s differentiate the field. Lee has elite season-long ball striking statistics at a salary that allows for flexibility elsewhere. DFS is as much about value as it is about potential. Lee offers both.
Sam Stevens $6,400: Letβs refer to him as the dart of the lineup. He finished fifth in Houston, T6 at American Express, gaining strokes in ball striking in every tournament this season except one. At the minimum price, he allows for salary flexibility for the top of the card. The potential is significant to justify the exposure, and his distance profile on firm fairways provides a legitimate path to fantasy relevance.
Top three DFS fades
Two of these fades will seem familiar. Both Schauffele $9,600 and Reed $9,000 are on my betting card this week. Fantasy operates under different rules. In betting, I want Reed’s Augusta baseline and Xander’s consistency. In DFS, I require a ceiling, and more importantly, salary efficiency.
The same profile that makes a player a wise wager can also render them a poor fantasy choice. This is the case here. Bet on them, but do not roster them.
Casey Jarvis $6,600: Three wins on the Euro Tour make him appear very appealing at this value price. Three of those victories occurred on courses with no relevance to Augusta, and his comparable course sample is virtually nonexistent. Additionally, this is his first appearance at Augusta. We essentially lack data to anchor his projection. His price offers reliable upside, but it is not low enough to justify the uncertainty. — Pamela Maldonado
