🎯 Masters Long Shots & Sleeper Picks 2026: 3 Picks to Win Longer Than +5000

Long-shot bettors need to adjust their expectations when looking for Masters sleeper picks, but I've unearthed three value picks for the year's first major with odds of at least +5000.
Viktor Hovland, one of my Masters long shots, stands on the green in front of the scoreboard on the 18th hole
Pictured: Viktor Hovland, one of my Masters long shots, stands on the green in front of the scoreboard on the 18th hole. Photo by REUTERS/Brian Snyder.
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🎯 SBR Edge: Elite players win the Masters, but we can still get value

Per Pat Mayo, each of the last 10 winners of the Masters was in the top 25 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) at the time of their victory. Yet, two of the last 10 winners had pre-tournament odds of at least +5000 (Danny Willett and Hideki Matsuyama).

We can find our Masters sleeper picks by comparing and contrasting the OWGR and the latest Masters odds.


🎯 Masters long-shot picks

Here are our best long-shot golf picks for the 2026 Masters based on the odds from our best golf betting sites.

💰 Pick 🔢 Best odds ⚖️ Units 📝 Reason
Viktor Hovland +5500 via Caesars .25u-> 13.75u 9th in proximity from 150-175 yards; T-7 three years ago
Akshay Bhatia +6600 via DraftKings .25u -> 16.5u 6th in par-4 scoring; T-42 or better in first two Masters
Harris English +10500 via DraftKings .10u -> 10.5u Top 20 in proximity and par-4 scoring; T-12 last year

🔢 World ranking vs. Masters odds 

Reducing our pool of eligible Masters winners to the top 25 players in the OWGR as of this week, here are the latest world rankings and the best Masters odds for each player:

🌎 World ranking ⛳ Golfer 🔢 Best odds
1 Scottie Scheffler +550 via BetMGM
2 Rory McIlroy +1200 via FanDuel
3 Cameron Young +2400 via DraftKings
4 Tommy Fleetwood +2500 via DraftKings
5 J.J. Spaun +8800 via DraftKings
6 Matt Fitzpatrick +2600 via DraftKings
7 Collin Morikawa +3500 via BetRivers
8 Robert MacIntyre +4000 via DraftKings
9 Justin Rose +3600 via DraftKings
10 Xander Schauffele +1850 via DraftKings
11 Chris Gotterup +5000 via BetMGM
12 Russell Henley +6000 via FanDuel
13 Sepp Straka +7000 via FanDuel
14 Hideki Matsuyama +3900 via DraftKings
15 Justin Thomas +7500 via BetRivers
16 Ben Griffin +15000 via FanDuel
17 Ludvig Aberg +1750 via DraftKings
18 Jacob Bridgeman +9400 via DraftKings
19 Alex Noren +20000 via Caesars
20 Harris English +10500 via DraftKings
21 Akshay Bhatia +6600 via DraftKings
22 Viktor Hovland +5500 via Caesars
23 Patrick Reed +4500 via DraftKings
24 Bryson DeChambeau +1200 via FanDuel
25 Min Woo Lee +5400 via DraftKings

💰 Best Masters sleeper bet

Viktor Hovland (+5500)

Hovland's excelling in approaching the green from this week's key distance of 150-175 yards. He ranks ninth on the PGA Tour in that metric while averaging 0.84 strokes gained: approach per round since January 1.

He's making a sixth straight appearance at Augusta National Golf Course and seventh for his career. He had a top finish of T-7 three years ago. While the short game is typically the greatest weakness for Hovland, he has gained strokes on the difficult greens of ANGC 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.

He's averaging 0.34 SG: around-the-greens this season and seems to have prioritized rounding out his game.


 🐎 Masters dark horse picks

Akshay Bhatia (+6600)

Bhatia has improved from 45th to 21st in the world rankings this calendar year, but his Masters odds aren't moving as quickly as his ranking. The winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational has four other top-20 finishes and three missed cuts through eight events this year.

He ranks sixth in par-4 scoring this season, and he gained strokes on and around the greens of Augusta National in each of his first two Masters appearances.

A lefty hasn't won the Masters since Bubba Watson's second green jacket in 2014, but Bhatia will be my pick from this year's contingent. The top lefty market is one of my favorite Masters props each year.

Harris English (+10500)

Harris English would be the biggest Masters long shot since Angel Cabrera in 2009 (+12500). He enters the first major of the year at No. 20 in the OWGR and made the Ryder Cup team last fall. He's making a seventh career appearance at ANGC with last year's T-12 finish as his best result to date.

He ranks in the top 20 of both proximity and par-4 scoring, and he gained strokes putting in each of his last four Masters appearances. Last year's result was despite losing 0.48 strokes off the tee per round, and he's corrected that this season with 0.60 strokes gained per round.


💡 How I'm handicapping the Masters

Here are the stats I'm looking at for my Masters bets:

Stat Weight Why it matters for Augusta National
Strokes gained: approach 25% Toughest greens in golf require approach shots to the proper tier
Strokes gained: around-the-green 20% Getting up and down is essential while avoiding wasted shots and high scores
Proximity: 150-175 yards 15% The most common approach range the last three years
Par-4 efficiency: 450-plus yards 15% All but 1 of 6 such holes played over par last year; any strokes gained are key
Scrambling 15% See the above on approach and short game; recovery is a must
3-putt avoidance 10% More predictable and sustainable than SG: putting

⛳ Masters tournament info

  • When: Thursday, April 9 - Sunday, April 12
  • Where: Augusta National Golf Course (Augusta, Ga.)
  • Betting favorite: Scottie Scheffler (+550 via BetMGM)
  • Defending champion: Rory McIlroy ($4.2 million prize)
  • How to watch: CBS and ESPN
  • Streaming: Paramount+ and Prime Video
  • FedEx Cup points: +750

📊 Live Masters odds 2026

Here are the live 2026 Masters odds from our best sports betting sites. The odds update in real time to help with your golf picks:


💰 Masters betting history

Here is a look at recent Masters winners and their odds prior to Round 1:

Year Masters winner Winning score Masters Odds (Prior to Round 1)
2025 Rory McIlroy -11 +650
2024 Scottie Scheffler -11 +500
2023 Jon Rahm -12 +1000
2022 Scottie Scheffler -10 +1600
2021 Hideki Matsuyama -10 +6000
2020 Dustin Johnson -20 +800
2019 Tiger Woods -13 +1200
2018 Patrick Reed -15 +4000
2017 Sergio Garcia -9 +3000
2016 Danny Willett -5 +5000

Historical odds via Sports Odds History.


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