Harry Hall during a practice round at the Masters. REUTERS For the first time in five years, the Masters feels unpredictable.
Scottie Scheffler is still a clear favorite, but his form has taken a dip (relative to his insane standards), and he’s not played much golf yet in 2026.
Rory McIlroy, the defending champion, is just a few weeks removed from withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with back spasms.
Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are in terrific form, but they’re still plying their trade on LIV, and who knows how much to read into those results.
All these question marks should leave the door open for some chaos, and that should make for great betting across the board.
We’ll start at the top, work our way down to the long shots, and then share some props and fades to get you set up for a tradition unlike any other.
It took ages for Fleetwood to get his first professional win in the States, but that monkey is now off his back thanks to the Merseysider’s triumph at the Tour Championship last September.
Fleetwood carried his splendid form into 2026, posting three top-10 finishes in five starts, two of which came in his most recent outings.
The 35-year-old has already made some decent Masters memories, most notably a T3 in 2024.
Five years removed from his triumph at Augusta, Matsuyama is flying under the radar this year.
An elite ball-striker, the Japanese superstar is built for this course, and his results show it. Not only does he have a Green Jacket in his wardrobe, but he’s also only missed the cut once in 14 trips to the Masters, and that came a dozen years ago when he was just 22.
I’ll happily take 40/1 on a player with a win, three top-10s, and nine top-25 finishes in his career at Augusta.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player in this range with better course history than Conners. The Canadian has four top-10 finishes in his last seven trips to Augusta, and he finished T8 in 2025.
The 34-year-old is also in terrific form with consecutive top-15 finishes in his two most recent starts.
An exquisite putter, Harry Hall is the sixth-favorite in this market, which is headlined by Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman.
Hall’s form may not be on the same level as Gotterup, Bridgeman, and Marco Penge, but his game should suit the Masters more than any other debutant.
You’re going to find trouble at Augusta, and Hall’s ability to erase mistakes around the green should give him a leg up on the other rookies.
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the favorites at the 2026 Masters for good reason, but there are some demons for the 32-year-old to sort through this week.
DeChambeau was in the Sunday final pairing with Rory McIlroy last year, but he capitulated midway through the round, fading to fifth while McIlroy and Justin Rose battled it out for the Green Jacket.
That round was a reminder that DeChambeau has yet to figure out Augusta. Before his T5 in 2024, the big-hitting Californian had never finished better than 21st, and he had back-to-back missed cuts in 2022 and 2023.
He’s much more likely to make the cut than miss, but DeChambeau’s popularity makes him an ideal fade option in Masters pools.
Not everybody in this field can win the Masters, but just about any player can be the first-round leader. That’s the beauty of this market. It’s volatile. And that means it makes sense to take a swing on a long shot or two.
He’s well past his prime as a golfer, but Johnson still has the chops to tame Augusta National. He proved that with last year’s T8, which included a 66 in the third round.
Johnson, 50, enters his 22nd Masters with a win and three top-5s in his last three outings on the Senior Tour.
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
