2026 Masters First-Round Leader Odds and Prediction

Justin Rose cashed tickets last year after Round 1 at Augusta National and our expert has two players to consider for Thursday.

Bet on Min Woo Lee to be the first round leader at the Masters. | Grace Smith-Imagn Images

There are plenty of ways to bet on this week's Masters, but if you don't want to wait all four rounds to find out if your bet cashes or not, I have good news for you. The first round leader market is available, which is a bet on which golfer will be leading after Thursday's action.

Justin Rose was the first-round leader in 2025, cashing in as a popular first-round bet. For 2026, there are two golfers I'm looking at to lead after the opening round. Let's dive into them.

2026 Masters First Round Leader Bets

Min Woo Lee +4000 (BetMGM)

Min Woo Lee is fifth on the PGA Tour in Round 1 scoring average this season at 68.29. His strong iron play lately has been a strong indicator heading into the Masters this year. He averaged +1.52 true strokes with his approach play en route to a T6 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and then +1.25 true strokes with his iron play in his most recent start, resulting in a T3 finish at the Texas Children's Houston Open.

Adam Scott +5200 (via DraftKings)

Last year, it was an old veteran in Rose that led after Round 1; this year, I'm going to take Adam Scott to fill his shoes. The former Masters champion has brought his best stuff in the opening round so far this PGA Tour season, ranking third amongst all golfers in Round 1 scoring average at 68.14. He's coming into this week's edition of the event with a peaking approach play, gaining more than a stroke per round with his irons through his past four starts. If his approach play can be dialed in on Thursday, there's a chance he goes low in the opening round of the Masters.

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