⛳ Masters Expert Picks & Predictions 2026: Everything You Need to Know Before Round 1

The 2026 Masters tees off Thursday morning at Augusta National with a 91-man field chasing the green jacket. Scottie Scheffler is the +600 betting favorite, but defending champion Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jon Rahm trail close behind ahead of one of the most wide-open Masters fields in recent memory.

Our golf experts have broken down this tournament from every angle ahead of the first round, so I've put together this betting guide with all of our Masters expert picks and predictions ahead of the first tee time at 7:40 a.m. ET.

🏆 Who will win the Masters 2026?

Masters power rankings

Our golf expert Esten McLaren has Bryson DeChambeau at No. 1 in his Masters power rankings - ahead of Scheffler and McIlroy - with a prop bet for each of his top 10 contenders.

"LIV Golf's move to 72-hole events has benefited DeChambeau immensely, as he won back-to-back events in March. His results at Augusta National have been improving, and I expect him to have learned a lot from Rory McIlroy's near-collapse on the back nine in last year's final round."

Masters picks & predictions

Our golf expert Dustin Saracini is taking Matt Fitzpatrick (+2000) to win the Masters with Cameron Young (+2400) as his sleeper. His Masters picks & predictions also include a Justin Rose top-10 play and Jacob Bridgeman as the top debutant.

"Matt Fitzpatrick is currently playing the best golf of his career heading into Augusta. He secured a massive victory at the Valspar Championship in late March and nearly won The Players just a week prior. His historical performance at Augusta is incredibly stable, but his 2026 metrics in strokes gained: approach the green suggest he's ready to take the next step."

Masters long shots & sleeper picks

McLaren's Masters long shots target Viktor Hovland (+5000), Akshay Bhatia (+6000), and Harris English (+10000), each paired with a shorter-odds prop for a safer way in.

"While the short game is typically the greatest weakness for Hovland, he has gained strokes on the difficult greens of Augusta National in four of his last five Masters appearances. He also gained strokes around the greens in three of his last five trips to the Masters."

Masters AI predictions

McLaren put ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to work in his Masters AI predictions roundtable. The three models picked Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, and Xander Schauffele to win - and all three said to fade the defending champion.

"The single most important thing bettors can do this week is resist Scheffler at +500 and look between +1200 and +3500. Only two pre-tournament betting favorites or co-favorites have won the Masters since Tiger Woods won in 2005."

💰 How to bet the Masters 2026

Masters prop bets

Saracini's Masters prop bets cover top nationality markets, the hole-in-one prop, make/miss cut plays, a Scheffler/McIlroy defending champion special at +320, and more Masters props ahead of the first round on Thursday.

Masters parlay picks

McLaren built three themed Masters parlays ahead of Round 1: a top-finishes card anchored by McIlroy going back-to-back (+82,506), a nationality parlay (+50,000), and a top-player combo (+250,000).

Masters first-round leader picks

McLaren's first-round leader picks include Haotong Li in the opening two-man group at 7:40 a.m. ET with live Kalshi odds tracking the action throughout Thursday's first round.

Masters projected cut line

Saracini projects the cut at +3 in his Masters cut line predictions with Justin Rose and Bubba Watson as his top make-the-cut plays. He also breaks down FanDuel's parlay specials for the cut market.

📊 What to know before the Masters

Masters odds, favorites & field

McLaren's Masters betting preview covers the odds movement for Scheffler from +350 to +600, the full 91-man field, first-round leader odds, his best bet to win, and five futures bets he placed earlier this season that he'll be riding through Sunday.

Masters win probability

Scheffler features the highest Masters win probability entering Thursday's first round, but it's dropped from as high as 27% down to 14% entering the tournament. McLaren breaks down the market movement and which golfer he thinks is underpriced entering Round 1.

Masters weather forecast

Thursday is the toughest weather day of the week with temperatures starting in the upper 40s and wind gusts up to 20 mph. I break it all down in my Masters weather forecast with hourly conditions, full tee times, and how to take advantage.

Collin Morikawa injury update

The world No. 7 plans to play this week despite a back injury that's kept him out since mid-March, but he was only chipping and putting during Monday's practice round. I break down the latest Collin Morikawa injury update with his injury timeline, latest odds, and tee time for one of the most compelling long shots in the field.

Live Masters odds

Track the real-time market throughout the tournament with live Masters odds from our best sports betting sites for the 2026 Masters at Augusta National.

🌳 Masters info 2026

• When: Thursday, April 9 - Sunday, April 12
• Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga.
• Defending champion: Rory McIlroy
• How to watch: ESPN, CBS
• Streaming: Prime Video, Paramount+, Masters.com
• Favorite: Scottie Scheffler (+600 via Caesars)

 📺 How to watch the 2026 Masters

The Masters will be available for longer and in more ways than ever before, with Prime Video picking up early-afternoon coverage on Thursday and Friday. Masters.com will once again carry every shot of the tournament. Here's the full broadcast info:

Canadian viewers can watch the Masters on TSN and CTV, and French viewers can watch on RDS. Sky Sports covers the Masters in the U.K.