Masters 2026 Preview: The Field, the Favorites, and the Long Shots Worth Playing

Augusta Breaks Everyone Eventually

The Masters is the most anticipated week in golf every year. But it's also the most humbling. Courses that suit a player's game in February mean nothing when they're standing on the 12th tee at Augusta with a two-shot lead on Sunday.

The history of the Masters is littered with players who looked inevitable — right up until they weren't.

Here's our full preview of the 2026 field.

The Prohibitive Favorite

Scottie Scheffler enters Augusta as the most dominant player on tour and the heaviest Masters favorite in years. His driving accuracy off the tee combined with elite iron play is the exact blueprint for Augusta National success. He doesn't make mistakes. He doesn't panic. He's won here before and knows how to win here again.

The case against: Even Scheffler has bad weeks. Augusta rewards course management above all else, and while he's exceptional at it, the margins are razor thin. Any Masters contender can make seven birdies and win on Sunday.

Betting take: At his current odds, there's no value betting Scheffler to win outright. The play is him in top-5 or top-10 markets.

The Legitimate Threats

Rory McIlroy is playing the best golf of anyone not named Scheffler. The career Grand Slam remains the white whale of his career, and there's no better player who hasn't completed it. Every Augusta story has the same protagonist waiting for his chapter.

Collin Morikawa is criminally underrated in Augusta conversations. His iron play is the best on tour. Augusta is an iron play tournament. The dots are right there.

Viktor Hovland looked like a different player coming out of the desert events. His short game woes appear corrected. A healthy, sharp Hovland in spring is dangerous.

The Long Shots Worth Playing

This is where real value lives in major championships. Augusta has a history of producing unexpected champions who share a few common traits: elite iron play, course history, and comfort with the Sunday pressure.

The 30-to-1 range: Look for players with multiple top-10s at Augusta who aren't in the current narrative. The betting market underweights course history relative to current form.

The 50-to-1 range: Find the player who has won a major in the last 18 months and is currently ranked outside the top 15 in the world. These players know how to win on Sunday, which counts for more than their current ranking.

Conditions and Format Matter

Augusta's par-5s are the key. Any player who can reach all four in regulation and putt well on those massive greens gains a significant structural advantage. The course rewards power more than it used to, but not at the expense of accuracy.

Early-week weather matters too. Soft conditions in the first two rounds mean lower scoring, more players in contention Sunday, and more chaos. Hard and fast Augusta is a different test — one that rewards precision over aggression.

Our Bets

We're not posting our actual Masters card publicly — that goes to Pro Edge members in April. But directionally: we like the value in the 25-to-1 to 40-to-1 range on players with Augusta history who are trending up going into the event.

Top-5 and top-10 markets on the chalk. Outright futures on the field.

Follow @LatestGolfHQ for weekly tour analysis and our Masters betting card drops to Pro Edge members the week of the event.