2026 Masters Dark Horse Picks, Sleepers and Long Shot Predictions

Augusta National rarely has out-of-nowhere winners but our expert has a few players that could surprise and have generous odds.

Jacob Bridgeman is a great bet as a longshot at 86-1 at this year's Masters. | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

For anyone who loves to bet long shot golfers, I have good news and bad news heading into the 2026 Masters. The bad news is long shots rarely win at Augusta National, with the most recent being Charl Schwartzel pulling it off by finishing his tournament with four straight birdies in 2011. The good news is, if that streak is going to end, there's a good chance that it happens this year.

Scottie Scheffler's game is in a bit of a rut, Rory McIlroy has looked bad in his last two starts, and the door is open for a golfer far down the odds list to put himself in contention on the weekend.

Whether you want to bet on a few longshot golfers to make the cut, finish in the top 20 or win the whole damn thing, you're in the right place. Let's take a look at three dark horses I like to make some noise at Augusta National this week.

Masters dark horse picks

Nicolai Højgaard +8500 (Bet365)

People forget that Nicolai Højgaard was in the mix at the 2024 Masters. He was T6 or better after each of the first three rounds but then fell off on Sunday, eventually finishing T16. The point is, he has already shown he can contend at Augusta National, and now he's coming into the 2026 edition of the event in strong form. He has posted three finishes of T6 or better across his last six starts, including a runner-up finish at the Texas Children's Houston Open, where he gained +1.68 true strokes per round with his approach play.

At 85-1, he's an interesting dark horse to contend at the Masters for the second time in three years.

Jacob Bridgeman +8600 (DraftKings)

What if I told you that you can bet on a golfer at 86-1 who's third in the entire field this week in true strokes gained over the past three months? That's exactly what you get with Jacob Bridgeman. The only golfers in the field who have been statistically better than Bridgeman over the past three months are Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler. Let's also remember that he has proven he can beat the best golfers in the world, having already won a signature event, the Genesis Invitational in February.

The biggest argument against him is that there has only been one Masters debutant to win the tournament in its history, but that streak is going to be snapped at some point; it's only a matter of time. Bridgeman is absolutely worth a look at 86-1.

Ryan Fox +27500 (Bet365)

For the true sickos out there who are looking for a golfer that's near the bottom of the odds list, the name that comes to mind is Ryan Fox, who's available at odds as long as 275-1. He has had two solid outings at the Masters, finishing T26 and T38 in 2023 and 2024. He's also had decent results so far in 2026, finishing inside the top 25 in four of his five starts, including a T7 finish at the Genesis Invitational.

He has the distance off the tee and the short game to contend this week, but he'll need his irons to be better than they have been of late. With that being said, he could be worth a look in a few betting markets at his current price tag.

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