The Masters 2026: Picks and Leans For Augusta National This Week

By Thomas Leary

Apr 7th, 2026 10:53 AM EDT

McIlroy is this year's defending champion at Augusta (USATODAY)

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The best week of the year is here. The top golfers in the world descend on Augusta National for the 90th edition of the Masters tournament, with no shortage of storylines.

Scottie Scheffler seeks his third green jacket after again becoming a father. Rory McIlroy looks to repeat after finally joining the Grand Slam club last year. Jon Rahm has yet to prove he can win a major since joining LIV.

Those three have the most attention at sportsbooks, but the truth is this Masters feels a bit more wide open than recent years. Would a Scheffler/Rory/Rahm win shock anyone? Not at all. But the way this season has played out, plenty of others warrant close inspection this week, as you'll see from our picks below.

This golf betting season, Bookies.com continues to provide analysis from a variety of experts across the space, including leans on first round leaders, longshots, top 20s, matchups and much more.

Check out insight from a variety of sources below before you head to your favorite U.S. sports betting app.

Now let's pick 'em!!!

Masters Outrights

Len Hochberg, RotoWire - Xander Schauffele +1800

Schauffele is flying under the radar this week. He has excelled at the Masters, with a runner-up and a third on his resume plus three other top-10s the past three years. His game is trending back upward this season with three top-7s in his past four starts. It seems another Schauffele win, somewhere, is close.

Josh Carpenter, Sports Business Journal - Xander Schauffele +1800

It feels like Xander is flying under the radar here despite a third place finish at the Players and a T4 at the Valspar, his two most recent starts. That's not to mention his sterling record at Augusta National, with Top 10s in four of his last five at ANGC.

Thomas Leary, Bookies - Matthew Fitzpatrick +2350

Fitz has been playing great golf for nearly a year, and I have him well-positioned to join the multiple major club. The current form (win at Valspar, 2nd at Players) combined with the not overwhelming state of favorites' games like Scheffler and McIlroy should create an opportunity for him this week. History at the Masters isn't amazing but also nothing to sneeze at with 5 top-25s, 2 top-10s and 10 made cuts. Fitz looks comfortable in contention and his ball-striking is good enough to win at Augusta.

Jared Kimble, Bookies - Matthew Fitzpatrick +2350

Fitzpatrick is the hottest player in golf with a Valspar win, Players runner-up, and 12 top-10s in 23 starts — the kind of elite form every recent Masters winner carried into green jacket week. His precision iron game is purpose-built for a course where SG:Approach is the #1 predictor, and he's been gaining strokes in every facet of his game since the 2025 PGA. At +2350 the 2022 US Open champ is peaking at the perfect moment.

David Rumsey, FOS - Ludvig Aberg +1700

What better way to get over a final-round meltdown at TPC Sawgrass than winning a Green Jacket at Augusta National? No one will be surprised when Aberg wins his first major championship. With the form of both Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy unknown after a few weeks off for the duo, the door could be wide open for Aberg, who has finished 2nd and 7th in his first two Masters starts.

Bill Speros, Bookies - Jon Rahm +910

Rory McIlroy’s back to defend his title. There won’t be a 50-year-old Tiger Woods seeking to rekindle his long, lost glory. Thus, look for Scottie Scheffler and Rory to absorb the spotlight. Scheffler enters the first major of the year as the +500 favorite. But our eyes are on Jon Rahm. The 2023 winner offers a great value play at +910. Look for Rahm to sandwich a pair of green jackets around Rory’s. He knows Augusta National and has the hardened nerves, scars and game to prove it.

 Masters Top 20 Picks

Len Hochberg, RotoWire - Patrick Reed +126

Heck. how about a top-10 for Reed? This unquestionably is his best tournament, and he delivers year after year despite not having the extreme length many guys have. He's finished in the top-10 in four of the past six years, and one of the misses was a tie for 12th. And of course he won here in 2018.

Josh Carpenter, Sports Business Journal - Akshay Bhatia +146

Akshay's record at Augusta National is nothing to write home about. But we're looking at a different player in 2026. Throw out a whacky missed cut at the Indian Open recently and he's got a solid T13 at the Players and a win at API in his last two starts. Oh, and I think left handers have been decent at Augusta over the years?

Thomas Leary, Bookies - Akshay Bhatia +146

Akshay's major resume is limited. I think that changes this week. Playing great this year with a win at Bay Hill, plus T3 at Waste Management and T6 at Pebble Beach. I also really like that his new caddie this year - Joe Greiner - helped Max Homa to Masters contention in 2024. I expect them to click here and Bhatia gets his first taste of major contention.

Jared Kimble, Bookies - Jordan Spieth +122

The 2015 champion has one of the deepest Augusta resumes in the field, and his unmatched course IQ means even when the driver is off, his scrambling and knowledge of every slope keep him on the leaderboard. His accuracy numbers are trending to their best levels since 2021, and at +122 a past champion with elite course history at plus money for a Top 20 is one of the safest plays of the week.

David Rumsey, FOS - Patrick Reed +126

I’d be shocked if Reed doesn’t put up a strong performance this week in his first major championship start since leaving LIV Golf earlier this year. He’s been in the mix for the past three years, finishing 3rd, T12, and T4 dating back to 2023. He’s coming into Augusta after taking a few weeks off, which is abnormal for him, but he’s been plenty hot on the course in his action earlier this year.

Bill Speros, Bookies - Collin Morikawa -120

In his last five visits to Augusta, Morikawa has never finished outside the top 20. He has a pair of top 10 finishes and ended T14 last year at -3.

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First Round Leader Picks

Len Hochberg, RotoWire - Min Woo Lee +3800

In the past 20 years, the winner has been in the top-5 after the first round 14 times. So it's almost as if you think whoever leads after Thursday could be the winner. Lee could be close. He is having a great season, maybe better than last year when he won for the first time on the PGA Tour. He has shot par or better in every first round he's played this season and is fifth on Tour in Round 1 scoring average.

Josh Carpenter, Sports Business Journal - Justin Rose +3500

I don't think Rosey gets it across the line this week after 72 holes, but he loves this golf course and I think will be right there near the top after Thursday. For whatever reason I have a vivid memory of him leading the 2007 Masters after the first round, and he also led the field with a 65 on Thursday last year.

Thomas Leary, Bookies - Bryson DeChambeau +1950

Bryson has a history of starting fast at Augusta. In 2024, he fired a 65 in round 1. Last year, 69. In 2019, another 66. He'll be a heavy focus for fans and bettors all week (the chatter of he and Rory McIlroy last year just won't go away). I think he steps into the spotlight with another low round Thursday and changes the narrative.

Jared Kimble, Bookies - Justin Rose +3500

Rose holds the all-time record with five first-round leads at Augusta — more than any player in Masters history — built on a conservative, precision-first Thursday approach that has proven repeatable across 20 starts. At +3500 you're betting on the most proven R1 performer this course has ever seen.

David Rumsey, FOS - Bryson DeChambeau +1950

DeChambeau nearly had one hand on a Green Jacket a year ago before falling out of contention in the final round while paired with Rory McIlroy. I think he’s relishing the chance to come back and put that out of his mind. Bryson has shown he can go low at Augusta, too, like his opening-round 65 in 2024.

Bill Speros, Bookies - Bryson DeChambeau +1950

DeChambeau opened with a 65 during his last trip to Augusta National. He would finish T6 at -2.

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Masters Longshot Picks

Len Hochberg, RotoWire - Tyrrell Hatton +7600

They ask us to define "long shot" as around 70-1. It's been a long time since anyone with those odds has won the Masters. You'd have to go back to 2011, when 90-1 Charl Schwartzel did it. Heck, even Danny Willett was only 66-1 in 2016. Would Hatton's odds be this long if he were playing on the PGA Tour? We think not. He's come close in majors, seven times in the top-10, including a T4 at last year's U.S. Open. Hatton finished ninth and 14th the past two years at the Masters.

Josh Carpenter, Sports Business Journal - Corey Conners +7800

Remember when he was the trendy pick every year at Augusta? Three top 10s in his last five starts here, and he's been trending this season with back-to-back top 15s.

Thomas Leary, Bookies - Shane Lowry +6900

It's been a year of heartbreak for Lowry, with close calls at the DP World Tour season opener in Dubai and the Cognizant Classic. But he's contended here before (T3 in 2022).

Jared Kimble, Bookies - Adam Scott +6000

The 2013 Masters champion has five top-10s at Augusta, and he ranks 3rd in SG:Approach this season while making every weekend in 2026. At +6000 a past champion with 20 Masters starts at the most course-history-predictive venue in golf is massively underpriced.

David Rumsey, FOS - Ben Griffin +11000

After making his first Ryder Cup team last fall, Griffin is finally playing in his first Masters. But the three-time winner in 2025 is still looking for his first top 10 of 2026, hence the great value here.

Bill Speros, Bookies - Tyrrell Hatton +7600

Tyrrell Hatton finished tied for 14th at 3-under in his most recent appearance at the Masters Tournament in 2025. He finished 3 of 4 rounds under par. If he’s able to put together that fourth strong round, he could surprise on Sunday.

Recent Masters History

Who's Who In Bookies Golf Roundtable

Len Hochberg has covered golf for RotoWire since 2013. A veteran sports journalist, he was an editor and reporter at The Washington Post for nine years. Len is a three-time winner of the FSWA DFS Writer of the Year Award (2020, '22 and '23) and a five-time nominee (2019-23). He is also a writer and editor for MLB Advanced Media.

Josh Carpenter covers golf and sports media for Sports Business Journal, having been with the publication since 2012. Away from the office, Josh loves playing golf and spending time with his wife Amy and son, Walt. He is an avid supporter of the Carolina Hurricanes and Tennessee Volunteers.

Thomas Leary is a senior editor with Gambling.com Group who works across a variety of the company's portfolios, including Bookies.com. Previously, Thomas spent over six years at Sports Business Journal where he helped launch the digital newsletter division. He is a Charlotte, NC native and long-suffering Hornets fan.

Jared Kimble is a media manager with Gambling.com Group who oversees the group's North American digital PR efforts. Jared previously worked for the Orlando Magic. A Pennsylvania native, he is an Elon University graduate and currently resides in Charlotte, NC.

David Rumsey is a reporter at Front Office Sports, focusing on golf, college football, and the NFL. He has a B.A. in Communication Studies from Southern Adventist University in Chattanooga, Tenn. David is based in Charleston, S.C.

Bill Speros is an award-winning journalist and editor whose career includes stops at USA Today Sports Network / Golfweek, Cox Media, ESPN, Orlando Sentinel and Denver Post.

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