2026 Masters: Expert Recommendations and Betting Tips

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The primary main golf match of the yr begins with the 2026 Masters Match, which shall be held Thursday by Sunday at Augusta Nationwide in Georgia.

The defending champion is Rory McIlroy. Two-time champion Scottie Scheffler is the favourite to win, adopted by Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and McIlroy.

Who do golf specialists assume will win? What betting recommendation does Pamela Maldonado have?

Leap forward: Pamela Maldonado’s betting and fantasy recommendation this week

Professional Suggestions

matt barry
Jon Rahm: He is quietly been taking part in among the finest golf on this planet this season. He’s in an incredible place each personally and professionally. And his latest type will trigger an uproar at Augusta Nationwide this week.

tori cabrera
Brooks Koepka: Is Brooks Koepka the apparent favourite? No. Is he nonetheless “Massive Recreation Brooks,” the man who stated he thought the majors had been “the simplest to win?” I am betting on that…that and the truth that he is getting an added monetary incentive for the price of rejoining the PGA Tour.

jeff darlington
Justin Rose: I hear Rahm is taking part in nice golf, so in my head I feel Rahm goes to step again into the highlight. However my coronary heart tells Rose it is time. And in the case of the Masters, I all the time are inclined to observe my coronary heart.

michael eaves
Bryson DeChambeau: Along with successful his final two Worldwide begins, he has completed sixth and fifth in his final two Masters appearances. And since 2023, the common putt at Augusta Nationwide has dropped by two putts per spherical. If he actually understands Inexperienced, there is not any cause he will not be competing on Sunday.

Peter Lawrence Liddell
Xander Schauffele: He is completed T-10 or higher in 5 of the previous seven years, together with T-8 final yr and a solo eighth in 2024. After a tricky season in 2025 that was delayed by accidents, he has performed higher this yr, ending T-7 or higher in three of his final 4 begins, together with a solo third-place end at The Gamers Championship.

Andy North
DeChambeau: In the previous few years, he lastly understood this route. He is taking part in nicely and successful. Distance is all the time an enormous issue at Augusta Nationwide.

Laura Rutledge
Scottie Scheffler: He is been engaged on his sport at residence and I feel he is able to go.

mark schlabach
Scheffler: I do know his iron play wasn’t that nice, and he was scuffling with the motive force through the Florida swing. Nonetheless, there is a cause Scheffler is ranked No. 1 on this planet, and nobody has been at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership for the previous 4 years. Do not overthink it. Scheffler rides a sizzling putter to achieve the third inexperienced jacket.

marty smith
Rose: Three runner-up finishes at Augusta and two playoff championships. — That is the yr Rose gained the Inexperienced Jacket. Nobody in Masters historical past has led as many rounds with out a win as Rose. Now in 2026, he is taking part in constant and sometimes unbelievable golf. He ranks tenth in strokes gained, his highest quantity in a decade coming into this season. Sharp iron play is necessary at Augusta. A record-breaking wire-to-wire efficiency at Torrey Pines secured the unknown age-old, who has already been a winner this yr, his second main championship.

curtis unusual
Schauffele: Performs nicely, does nicely on the Masters — high 10 5 instances in seven years — superb striker of the ball.

Paolo Ughetti
Ludwig Aberg: We’re not forgetting Aberg’s collapse at The Gamers final month. That is as a result of I feel it can assist Aberg when he goes searching for his first inexperienced jacket this Sunday. Aberg’s sport fits this spot very nicely, and the competitors feels minimal, as evidenced by his two top-10 finishes in two begins.

scott van pelt
DeChambeau: I feel Augusta Nationwide Stadium, greater than anything, is sort of a topic that you just examine and be taught over time. You’ll be able to’t grasp one thing with out understanding just a little bit. Final yr’s finals and finally ending within the high 5 — and given his latest type, you’d must say his time is now.

Dan Wetzel
DeChambeau: Wiser, extra affected person DeChambeau feels Augusta is inevitable, however why not this yr? He had his finest end right here a yr in the past (T-5) and simply beat Jon Rahm within the playoffs in South Africa.

Pamela Maldonado’s Picks and Recommendation of the Week

Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook Topic to vary.

Welcome to Masters Week. Augusta Nationwide will finally discover you. On Sunday’s again 9, at Amen Nook, with an unexpectedly easy downhill putt. It will be an thrilling week for bettors and viewers.

The gamers competing right here will not be simply gifted. They’re constructed particularly for this location, with elite iron play, creativity across the greens, and the nerve to execute when the chance is true in entrance of them.

This week’s situation removes the chaotic variable. Calm, heat, stable, no wind to create drama, no rain to flatten the fields. What stays is a contest of pure expertise on golf’s most demanding stage.

Let’s check out this week’s betting choices.

my option to win

Ludwig Oberg (+1700) It is an ideal match for Augusta. He ranks first in strokes gained on this course, second in complete strokes and tee-to-green strokes gained, and sixth in approaches. That is not a prediction at this level, as Aberg has confirmed with back-to-back top-seven finishes right here.

This course rewards gamers who can management the ball off the tee and hit correct irons. That is his sport. He hits the tee with out sacrificing accuracy and constantly makes birdies along with his iron play. His latest type can also be in line. Aberg completed within the high 5 at Bay Hill, The Gamers and Valero. Augusta is just not a course to search for your sport, so it helps that Aberg is already there.

Selecting Aberg to win means betting on a participant whose talent set, course historical past and present type are all pointing in the identical route. Do not overthink it.

My favourite wager to get into the highest 10

Xander Schauffele (+140 for tie) He has a clear profile, ending fifth on strategy, second on scrambling, eighth in strokes gained at Augusta, and has back-to-back top-10 finishes right here. He is aware of how one can play this course in opposition to elite fields and massive occasions.

There are not any actual weaknesses in his sport that shall be uncovered on this course. When it comes to “total solidity”, it could be Xander. He is completed within the high seven in three of the previous 4 tournaments, and whereas his win complete is not as robust, he is been there each week and is the kind of participant you possibly can wager on within the high 10.

Strong circumstances make this even higher. Augusta places stress on iron and resilience. Xander does each at a excessive stage and makes saves even when he misses. That value appears cheap for a participant who must be concerned on Sunday.

My favourite Rory McIlroy wager

My favourite wager is not any wager. Rory’s profile is absolutely sophisticated to guage. Odds accessible on the time of writing: -125 on the finish of spherical 1, +108 for a high 10, +1150 for a win. He gained final yr. It was superb and the most effective sports activities tales of our era. His pedigree is simple as he now is aware of how one can settle at Augusta.

However the information launched this week is trustworthy otherwise to the story. He suffered again spasms and withdrew from Bay Hill. He performed by the harm with The Gamers and described his type as extremely rusty, ending forty sixth. His stroke achieve metrics do not match champion type. sixteenth in strategy and forty sixth in placing, twelfth in complete. Augusta requires 4 days of all-out bodily health. Amen Nook alone means that you can take a look at your compromised again in a manner you possibly can’t on a flat course. 2025 was unrealistic, however 2026 is a query mark.

The general public will wager on McIlroy, so allow them to do this. Pricing doesn’t replicate precise danger.

Am I betting on Scottie Scheffler?

Additionally, no. He is wholesome, that is what issues. Nevertheless, Scheffler skipped the Houston Open to spend time along with his household after his spouse gave delivery to their second baby. Which means Scheffler’s most up-to-date match was The Gamers in mid-March.

Whether or not you’re taking time without work from aggressive golf earlier than Augusta is mostly a matter of preparation. The exclamation level is the tone of his irons. I used to be both thirty fifth within the subject, impartial or a stroke behind in virtually each occasion I performed this yr.

On programs the place iron play is most necessary, strategy numbers are a priority. Prime 5 (+106) makes probably the most sense just because his Augusta ground is elite. It is his second consecutive top-four end, together with a win. If you’d like Scheffler in your card, that is the one manner.

my favourite lengthy shot

Patrick Reed (+4400) Since successful in 2018, he has performed within the Masters seven instances, with 5 top-12 finishes, together with a fourth place end in 2023 and third place final yr. It is a participant who has had a documented and repeatable profession at Augusta with what this course calls for: elite scrambling, a artistic quick sport, and a nerve that does not present up on a stroke-gain spreadsheet.

The market is evaluating Reed on account of LIV. Based on the info, he has two wins in 2026 (Euro Tour), which implies that he’s not displaying up in chilly type, however with sizzling arms. Arduous, quiet circumstances will swimsuit him this week. His efficiency in August spanned a number of setups, and he produced leads to all of them. Reed was a really totally different and fairly profitable participant in nature when he was at Georgia.

Different notable bets

Tommy Fleetwood Prime 10 (tied +168): The primary time is from the tee to the inexperienced, and the third time is across the inexperienced, which makes it attention-grabbing for articles like this the place the stakes are greater. He is been in double digits and appears to have figured it out during the last 4 video games. The 2024 T3 was a flawless efficiency from tee to inexperienced. Final yr, he completed T21 with an analogous stable efficiency from tee to inexperienced, however dropped almost 5 strokes on his putt, his worst begin in a Masters, however nonetheless completed inside the highest 25. The market is giving stable odds to the perfect tee-to-green participant within the subject on a course he is aware of nicely.

Patrick Reed Prime 20 (tied +126): His Augusta historical past is just too constant to say that even the cash is getting higher.

He has had constructive quick sport and scramble numbers in 5 of his previous seven appearances. The 2 outlier weeks (2019 and 2022) are exceptions. What you’re searching for in betting is a repeatable sample. Having performed in LIV and Euros, it is onerous to base the sector on the sector, however Augusta itself shall be his comp course. The 5 top-20 finishes from these begins are a novel dataset.

In 2026, he’s in nice type with two wins on the Euro Tour, Dubai Desert Basic and Qatar Masters. Reed’s pricing says the market nonetheless would not totally perceive what this course will particularly do for his sport.

Ludwig Aberg Prime 10 (tied +154): His type is at its peak heading into Masters week, with three consecutive top-five finishes and 4 consecutive tournaments with elevated stroke counts in each class. He is heading in a route at precisely the proper time, the place his fashion is constructing for this course.

The targets for ties are easy. If he finishes tenth and three different gamers end tenth with him, he’ll nonetheless be paid. There are a number of methods to win on the identical wager. At a course the place Aberg has already completed within the high seven two years in a row, this merely asks him to do it once more.

fantasy golf

Prime 3 performs in DFS

Matt Fitzpatrick $8,700: His situation has been regular, and he gained T2 at Gamers after which gained in opposition to Valspar with the fourth finest strategy play within the subject. He’s low-cost in comparison with his efficiency this season. Though Augusta’s historical past is a knock, ball placing is suited to this course, and the agency circumstances lend themselves to correct iron play.

Lee Min Woo $7,700: The value alone is intriguing. He was third in complete strokes gained and eleventh in distance, good numbers for a good August observe with par-5s separating the sector. Lee has a wage that may be spent elsewhere, and he has been one of many high hitters all season. DFS is each a cap and a price. Lee offers you each.

Sam Stevens $6,400: Let’s name him the dart of the lineup. He gained the stroke ball in all however one match this season, ending fifth at Houston and T6 at American Specific. On the lowest value, he releases the best wage on the cardboard. The potential is actual sufficient to warrant publicity, and his distance profile on stable fairways offers him a reliable path to fantasy relevance.

Prime 3 DFS fades

Two of those fades look acquainted. each shovel $9,600 and Lead $9,000 It is on my betting card this week. Fantasy is a distinct sport with totally different guidelines. For betting, I would like Reed’s Augusta ground and Zander’s stability. DFS requires caps, however extra importantly pay effectivity.

The identical profile that makes a participant a wise wager may make them a poor fantasy play. That applies right here. Guess on them. However do not put them in your roster.

Casey Jarvis $6,600: He has three wins on the Euro Tour and appears actually good at this worth value. Three of them took programs unrelated to Augusta, and his pattern of comp programs is principally non-existent. Moreover, this shall be his first look at Augusta. Principally, there is no such thing as a information to help his predictions. His value affords dependable upside, however the value is not low sufficient to justify the unknowns. — Pamela Maldonado