The 2026 Masters Pool Cheat Sheet

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The first major championship of the 2026 PGA Tour season is finally here, which means you’ve likely already received an invite or two for the annual Masters pools.

I’ve got a few tricks of the trade to share, in addition to a number of my favorite Masters picks to help you finish in the money in this year’s pools.

Keys to winning a Masters pool

• Making the cut and playing the weekend is critical
• Course history and current form go hand-in-hand when targeting favorites
• Picking the right favorite likely won’t win a pool, but picking the wrong one can lose it
• Prioritize a contrarian or against-the-grain golfer or two, but don’t overdo it
• Identifying the right middle-tier players is paramount

2026 Masters player tiers

Favorites

You’re going to need the winner and multiple players at the top of the leaderboard to win your pool, and thankfully, betting favorites have played well, and course history at Augusta National annually proves as predictive as any track on the PGA Tour circuit.

Xander Schauffele: Has gained true strokes across the board in each of his past five events and each of his past three trips to the Masters, so you want him on your team and betting card this week.

Scottie Scheffler: It’s been a unique start to 2026 for Scheffler, and while he could be leading by six going into Sunday, the other end of the extreme is probably finishing Top 20 and still incredibly good.

Rory McIlroy: The last golfer to win the Masters in consecutive years was Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002, so while McIlroy winning might be a bit rich, it might not be, given his undeniable elite form and track record at Augusta National.

Bryson DeChambeau: Consecutive LIV Golf wins and major championship pedigree should have DeChambeau on your radar with a T5-T6 run at Augusta.

Jon Rahm: If there’s a LIV Golf discount attached to Rahm, there shouldn’t be, and the 2023 Masters champion is back in top ball-striking form.

Contenders

This is the tier where the pool contenders truly separate themselves from the pretenders. Pinpointing the right golfers from the middle of the pack who will show up on the Sunday leaderboard will leapfrog you up the standings.

Collin Morikawa: Has gained true strokes across the board during an active win-T7-5th run, and he has five consecutive Top 20s with two Top 5s at the Masters.

Ludvig Aberg: It’s when and not if Aberg will don the Green Jacket — is 2026 the year?

Cameron Young: One of the hottest players on the planet, and he’s carded a pair of Top 10s in the Masters, so you’re fading him at your own risk in pools.

Matt Fitzpatrick: It’s impossible to poke holes in current form ahead of Fitzpatrick’s 12th trip to Augusta National.

Akshay Bhatia: The three-time PGA Tour winner’s entire game is dialed, and lefties have a winning track record at Augusta.

Sleepers

A quick peek at the Masters odds is an excellent way to prepare for your pools, and here are a handful of players whose game carries far more weight than their name recognition might. You don’t need to go overboard with sleepers and longshots, but identifying one or two who go low this week can separate you from the pack.

Min Woo Lee: Executing golf shots all over the track is Min Woo’s speciality, and improved accuracy off the tee ahead of his fifth visit to the Masters could have him cooking late Sunday afternoon.

Si Woo Kim: Bank on Si Woo playing well at Augusta National, and while a win is probably asking too much, he’s playing the best golf of his already solid career.

Jake Knapp: Don’t sleep on Knapp because he’s been incredible in strong fields in 2026 and has the distance, approach play, and short game to contend.

Maverick McNealy: An underrated player with a well-rounded game that earns paycheques, including McNealy’s T32 here as a debutant last year.

Nicolai Hojgaard: While there are no current holes in Hojgaard’s game, and he contended here in 2024, you’ll still want to temper expectations of a win and be giddy about four solid rounds.

Big names to avoid

Often, who you don’t pick is just as important as who you do when it comes to finishing in the money in a pool, and these are well-known players I’m avoiding this year.

Justin Thomas: The T8 at THE PLAYERS shouldn’t give you enough confidence to back JT in betting markets, and he’s probably too risky for most pools while working his way back from offseason back surgery.

Patrick Cantlay: His one and only Masters Top 10 was in 2019, so Patty’s more can’t than can ahead of the 2026 edition.

Shane Lowry: This is a tough read with peaks and valleys on Lowry’s Masters resume, and I don’t think he’s fully recovered from his 2026 Bear Trap collapse.

Viktor Hovland: Hovland will need to flip the switch because he’s currently a tough sell with a hit-or-miss game on and around the greens, in addition to off the tee.

Cameron Smith: There aren’t legitimate signs of Smith being a true major championship contender at this stage of his career, and his ball-striking numbers stink.

Three best bets for the 2026 Masters

Xander Schauffele to win outright (+1850)

In addition to three consecutive Masters Top 10s while gaining true strokes across the board all three years, Xander Schauffele has a T3 and T2 on his Masters resume, too. 

He’s also heading to Augusta National in similar well-rounded form with five straight Top 25s while gaining true strokes across the board in each event, and the run includes a solo-third at THE PLAYERS and a T4 at the Valspar in his past two stops.

Collin Morikawa to win outright (+3500)

Collin Morikawa is one of only two players with five consecutive Top 20s at the Masters and a 2026 PGA Tour win, and he was also the definition of dialed from tee-to-green before a back injury caused him to withdraw after a single hole at THE PLAYERS in early March. 

Because he hasn’t played since, we’re landing an incredibly long number for the two-time major champion who knows his way around Augusta National and has an elite tee-to-green game.

Akshay Bhatia Top 20 (+175)

Akshay Bhatia is scorching along a five-PGA Tour event heater with a win at the Arnold Palmer mixed in between a T3-T6-T16-T13 stretch while gaining true strokes across the board, including ranking second in this field on approach, seventh in tee-to-green play, and fourth in putting.

This will also be Bhatia’s third consecutive trip to Augusta National, and he’s carded respectable T35-T42 finishes while gaining true strokes on and around the greens both years. His best Masters finish is coming in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.