2026 Masters odds, picks, field, date: Surprising PGA predictions from golf model that's nailed 16 majors

The 2026 Masters get underway from Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday at 7:40 a.m. ET, marking the first major on the PGA Tour schedule. Rory McIlroy is looking to become the first back-to-back champion since Tiger Woods. McIlroy might be the defending champion, but a pair of other Masters champions -- Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm -- are among the golfers favored over McIlroy. 

According to the latest 2026 Masters odds, Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, is the +550 favorite, followed by Rahm (+1000) and Bryson DeChambeau (+1000). McIlroy, who's recorded seven top-10 finishes at the Masters, is next on the odds board at +1300. Before locking in any 2026 Masters picks, be sure to see the 2026 Masters predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated every PGA Tour event 10,000 times and reveals golf betting picks that have a history of being extremely profitable. 

This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters -- its fourth Masters in a row -- as well as last year's PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen huge returns on betting sites. 

Now that the 2026 Masters field is locked in, the model simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard. 

2026 Masters predictions 

One major surprise the model is calling for at the Masters 2026: Ludvig Aberg, one of the favorites and a golfer who has had two strong Masters appearances, finishes well outside of the top 5 this year. Despite never finishing higher than T12 at any other major, Aberg has been extremely comfortable at Augusta, finishing solo seventh and solo second in his only two appearances.

Strokes gained: approaching the green, however, is a critical stat at Augusta, and Aberg has been mid-tier in that area this year, ranking 36th on the PGA Tour. Aberg only finishes in the top 5 around 25% of the time in McClure's simulations for the Masters 2026, making him a golfer to fade in Masters best bets. See who else to fade here. 

Another surprise: Tommy Fleetwood, at +2200, is a great longshot for anyone looking for a massive payday. Fleetwood, who ranks No. 4 in the OWGR, has been one of the hottest players on tour, and his +2200 odds do not currently reflect that.

Fleetwood has finished in the top 20 six times over his last 10 appearances at Augusta. Fleetwood has also made seven straight cuts at Augusta National. The 35-year-old Englishman ranks 14th on tour in strokes gained: total with an average of 1.343 this season. He has broken par in 40% of his career rounds at the Masters. Fleetwood is one of the best in the world at iron play, and that is the exact play this tough Augusta course rewards. See who else to pick here.

How to make 2026 Masters picks

The model is also targeting two more stunning longshots higher than +4000, including one going off around +8000, to surge to the top of the leaderboard, potentially bringing a massive return. You can only see who they are at SportsLine.

Who will win the 2026 Masters, and which massive longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2026 Masters odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 16 golf majors, including three in 2025.

2026 Masters odds, field, favorites 

Get full 2026 Masters picks, best bets and predictions here. 
(odds via FanDuel and subject to change)

Scottie Scheffler +550
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Jon Rahm +1000
Rory McIlroy +1300
Xander Schauffele +1500
Ludvig Åberg +1700
Matt Fitzpatrick +2200
Cameron Young +2200
Tommy Fleetwood +2200
Hideki Matsuyama +2700
Robert MacIntyre +2700
Justin Rose +3000
Min Woo Lee +3000
Patrick Reed +3500
Collin Morikawa +3500
Si Woo Kim +4500
Jordan Spieth +4500
Brooks Koepka +4500
Chris Gotterup +5500
Russell Henley +5500
Nicolai Højgaard +5500
Viktor Hovland +5500
Akshay Bhatia +6500
Maverick McNealy +6500
Jake Knapp +7000
Shane Lowry +7000
Patrick Cantlay +7000
Justin Thomas +7000
Adam Scott +7500
Jason Day +7500
Sepp Straka +8000
Tyrrell Hatton +8000
Corey Conners +8000
J.J. Spaun +8000
Jacob Bridgeman +8000
Sam Burns +10000
Harris English +10000
Rasmus Højgaard +10000
Cameron Smith +10000
Marco Penge +10000
Sungjae Im +12500
Gary Woodland +12500
Kurt Kitayama +15000
Daniel Berger +17500
Ben Griffin +17500
Alex Noren +17500
Ryan Gerard +17500
Sam Stevens +20000
Keegan Bradley +20000
Harry Hall +20000
Aldrich Potgieter +20000
Kristoffer Reitan +22500
Max Homa +22500
Ryan Fox +25000
Casey Jarvis +25000
Aaron Rai +25000
Wyndham Clark +25000
Brian Harman +25000
Sergio Garcia +30000
Dustin Johnson +30000
Nicolas Echavarria +30000
Carlos Ortiz +30000
Michael Kim +30000
Max Greyserman +40000
Nick Taylor +40000
Haotong Li +40000
Matt McCarty +40000
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +40000
Andrew Novak +40000
Tom McKibbin +40000
Sami Valimaki +50000
Michael Brennan +50000
John Keefer +50000
Bubba Watson +75000
Charl Schwartzel +75000
Zach Johnson +75000
Davis Riley +100000
Angel Cabrera +100000
Mason Howell +100000
Fifa Laopakdee +100000
Ethan Fang +100000
Brian Campbell +100000
Vijay Singh +100000
Jose Maria Olazabal +100000
Brandon Holtz +100000
Naoyuki Kataoka +100000
Danny Willett +100000
Jackson Herrington +100000
Fred Couples +100000
Mateo Pulcini +100000
Mike Weir +100000