2026 Masters Betting Roundtable: Favorites, Sleepers, Props and Best Bets for Augusta National

Major championship season is here, and our attention is locked on Augusta for the 90th playing of the Masters. This year’s edition won’t include Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson, but it does feature defending champion Rory McIlroy and top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, who roll into Georgia as the early betting favorites. This Masters also features a swanky new player-services building, a new candy bar, and it’s the 40-year anniversary of one of the greatest Masters of all time. Plenty to be excited about.

This week is essentially the Super Bowl of golf betting and there are many angles to explore, including props, value bets and sleeper picks. We’ve got all of it covered.

Here to break it down we have convened a panel of Sports Illustrated golf writers and editors: Bob Harig, John Schwarb, Max Schreiber and Jeff Ritter, along with Iain MacMillan and Cody Williams, two betting experts from our partners at SI Betting and FanSided. With that, onto the Masters.

Let’s kick things off with the defending champion, Rory McIlroy, who at least on paper may face steep odds: the last repeat winner at Augusta was Tiger Woods in 2001-02. Is McIlroy on your betting sheet, or is back-to-back too much to ask?

Bob Harig, SI Golf: Too much to ask. Rory’s odds are not going to be enticing enough given how strong of a player he is and the fact that he is No. 2 in the world. But there’s a reason defending is difficult. Winning is hard to begin with, as he showed. And with all the other stuff going on, it just doesn’t seem likely even if Rory might play quite well.

John Schwarb, SI Golf: Picking a winner is a process of elimination and crossing off last year’s winner is an easy one. McIlroy, rightfully so, is soaking up everything right now as the past champion and that can be a little exhausting too.

Iain MacMillan, SI Betting: McIlroy hasn’t shown us enough since his Masters win last year to trust him in this spot, especially at his current odds. He has posted just two top fives on the PGA Tour since that win, and a T46 at The Players Championship doesn’t exactly instill confidence in me. Remember, last year he won the Players before parlaying that momentum into a win at Augusta.

Max Schreiber, SI Golf: For the record, I’m not betting on anything, but if I were, I wouldn’t be putting anything on McIlroy. Sure, he can contend. But nothing in the past 12 months suggests that he is primed to successfully defend his title. It seems he’s still riding high from last year’s triumph.

Cody Williams, FanSided/SI Betting: I love Rory and do believe that a weight has been lifted off him after his victory last year. That said, being unburdened doesn’t mean going back-to-back will be easy, especially considering that the signs aren’t quite as strong as they were heading into Augusta last year. Never say never, but I won’t be there for the repeat should it happen.

Jeff Ritter, SI Golf: An unburdened Rory just might repeat this year, but given his own history of major-championship near-misses and how rare repeat winners are here, I’m going elsewhere. Especially with his current odds of around 10 to 1.

Scottie Scheffler is as high at +500 at some shops, which qualifies as an inflated number for him. Is that a "buy" price on the world No. 1?

Bob Harig, SI Golf: Yes, I’d be willing to take a go at Scheffler this time with odds that are a little bit better than the Tiger-like odds we’ve seen at times with him. He’s coming off—for him—a relatively poor run of form, which basically means he’s been normal. If Scheffler has been able to work on his game at home while on baby watch, it’s hard to envision him not being right back in form.

John Schwarb, SI Golf: Scheffer went Win-T3-T4 to start the season but has finishes of T12-T24-T22 since as his ball-striking has slipped a hair below his standard—which is the best in the world. This is not the stuff of catastrophes and instead represents an opportunity for bettors especially if Scheffler has, say, an even-par opening round that fattens his odds even more. He will be there Sunday afternoon, period.

Iain MacMillan, SI Betting: If Scottie’s recent struggles were related to his short game, I could be convinced to buy low on him at Augusta at 5-to-1 odds, but his putting hasn’t been his issue. Elite iron play is what made Scheffler the No. 1 golfer in the world, but his approach play has been average at best of late. In his last three starts, his true strokes gained approach numbers are +0.17, -0.33, and +0.51. Unless he’s been grinding on the range since the Players and figured out his ball-striking problems, I’m staying far away from the two-time winner.

Max Schreiber, SI Golf: I’d consider Scheffer. Sure, he might not be playing well recently for his standards, but he surely knows the winning recipe in Augusta. And, even though he hasn’t won since January, he’s still the best player in the game—by far.

Cody Williams, FanSided/SI Betting: It feels like there are two different questions here. Is it technically a “buy” price on Scottie? Absolutely, especially considering how depressed his odds have been for well over a year now. Will I be buying that price, though? Most likely not. Not only has he been absent for about a month now, but he’s also not been displaying the elite overall form that pushed his odds to those previous lows.

Jeff Ritter, SI Golf: Because he’s been away since the Players, and didn’t look particularly sharp at Sawgrass, Scheffler is a bit more of a wild card now compared to most of his run as the game’s top-ranked player. I think he deserves to be the favorite, but Scheffler’s form is a fair question. Couple that with the historical unlikelihood that McIlroy repeats, and it makes sense to take a few shots on underdogs this week.

The popular saying is "the Masters doesn't begin until the back nine on Sunday." Is that when bettors should jump into live markets and bet players who are a few shots back?

Bob Harig, SI Golf: No question. The back nine has proven to be so volatile in each direction that it makes for an intriguing way to take chances.

John Schwarb, SI Golf: Yes! This is my favorite way to bet golf. We’ve seen multiple players collapse down the stretch already this year, and late Sunday afternoon at the Masters is the game’s biggest pressure cooker. Pick a guy or two in the chasing pack at good price and buckle up.

Iain MacMillan, SI Betting: I don’t think that’s a blanket statement that can be used when it comes to live betting, because it’s extremely situational. If there’s a golfer who’s going for his first-ever major, holding a two-stroke lead with some big-name guys breathing down his neck, then absolutely. If it’s a former Masters winner who is in full control of his game, holding a 4+ stroke lead, then no. Let’s wait and see on that.

Max Schreiber, SI Golf: It depends. The past few years, we’ve seen a few runaways. But if someone is making a charge like Justin Rose did last year, sure. If a player is two or three back heading to the iconic yet difficult par-3 12th, might as well throw some coin.

Cody Williams, FanSided/SI Betting: It’s one of the times to jump into the live market, and perhaps the best one. As has been said, live betting is situational and finicky, no question. You have to watch the statistics and the models to see whose success is sustainable and, perhaps to that degree, whose early shortcomings might actually be bad luck that could turn around in short order.

Jeff Ritter, SI Golf: Live-betting is not for the faint of heart, but I agree that it’s worth tossing a few bucks on a guy a few shots—maybe even 4 or 5 shots—off the lead at the Sunday turn. If you listen closely you’ll hear every yacht-owning Danny Willett bettor nodding in agreement.

The Masters boards are stuffed with prop bet opportunities. What’s your favorite prop this week?

Bob Harig, SI Golf: An ace at the 12th hole. Amazingly, there’s been just three in the tournament’s history, none since 1988. How? That seems crazy.

John Schwarb, SI Golf: DraftKings has a +148 price on “First Time Major Winner/Yes,” which is a way to bundle Cameron Young, Ludvig Åberg and Tommy Fleetwood—all in the top 8 of DK’s odds board as I write this—not to mention mid-range picks like Bob MacIntyre, Chris Gotterup and Viktor Hovland. Very fun pizza-money bet that surely will be live on someone late Sunday.

Iain MacMillan, SI Betting: DraftKings is offering “Big Guns vs. The Field” at -120 odds, which includes Scheffler, McIlroy, Rahm, DeChambeau, Åberg and Schauffele. That’s a pretty generous bet, considering the Masters has historically been an event that’s more often than not won by a top-tier elite golfer at the time of the tournament. Longshots winning at Augusta are few and far between.

Max Schreiber, SI Golf: I’d take 62-year-old Vijay Singh to make the cut. Usually, one of the elder past champions has a surprising week, and the 2000 champion made a PGA Tour cut earlier this year, albeit on a much more benign layout.

Cody Williams, FanSided/SI Betting: Rory is +125 to simply finish inside the top 10 this week. While I don’t love his chances to get the green jacket again, his fit and ability when it comes to Augusta are far too good for him to be at plus money in a small major championship field.

Jeff Ritter, SI Golf: It’s almost unfair where they stick that Sunday pin on 16, but it would be fun to pull for an ace there all afternoon in the fourth round. Also, just a gut call: I like Patrick Reed, Bobby MacIntyre and Cam Young for top-10 finishes.

Give us one sleeper with odds 60-1 or longer who could surprise.

Bob Harig, SI Golf: Sepp Straka. He seems to always hang around in the majors.

John Schwarb, SI Golf: Gary Woodland at 110-to-1 is admittedly a sentimental pick but that also seems like an awfully high price on a guy who won convincingly two weeks ago in Houston and has a cannon off the tee.

Iain MacMillan, SI Betting: Jake Knapp at 69-1. He’s leading the PGA Tour in total strokes gained so far this season, above even Scottie Scheffler, who comes in at third in that metric. He has finished T11 or better in six of his seven starts in 2026, continuously putting himself in the mix on the weekend. Whether or not he has the game to win a major is yet to be seen, but his underlying metrics certainly show he’s worth a bet at his current odds.

Max Schreiber, SI Golf: Max Homa at 66-1. Despite his struggles the past few years, ANGC seems to bring out the best of him, with a T3 in 2024 and a T12 last year. He has the ability to strike the heck out of the ball, so I like him for a good week.

Cody Williams, FanSided/SI Betting: You can find Corey Conners as high as 82-1 this week, which feels criminally disrespectful. He has four top-10 finishes in his last six starts at Augusta and is coming in after top-15 finishes at the Players and the Valspar. While he didn’t come to TPC San Antonio as per usual, something about the Masters suits him, and he’s hitting the ball better coming in than the odds suggest.

Jeff Ritter, SI Golf: Si Woo Kim, who I’m seeing at 65-1, has made seven straight Masters cuts, and he has three top 10s this year. I don’t know if this is his spot for a major breakthrough, but a top-10 would be a career-best finish, and I think it’s very gettable.

There can only be one: who wins the green jacket on Sunday and why?

Bob Harig, SI Golf: Scottie Scheffler. I’m sticking with my preseason pick. The Arnold Palmer every-other-even-year symmetry seems about right and would give three Masters victories.

John Schwarb, SI Golf: Like Bob, I took Scottie Scheffler months ago and see no reason to change now—I’m not the least bit fazed by the recent run of finishes outside the top-10. Scottie is one of a handful of players that knows he can win this week and that makes all the difference. He becomes the ninth man with at least three green jackets.

Iain MacMillan, SI Betting: I have bet on Xander Schauffele to win the Masters every year since 2019, and I’m not stopping now. He has a great course history, posting three straight top tens along with a T3 finish in 2021 and a T2 finish in 2019, and he’s coming into this year’s edition of the event in great form. He’s coming off a solo third place finish at The Players Championship and a T4 finish at the Valspar Championship.

Max Schreiber, SI Golf: Xander Schauffele. After an early-season injury derailed his 2025 season, the two-time major winner appears to be on the verge of a breakthrough, coming off consecutive top 5s at the Players and Valspar championships, and hasn’t finished outside the top 25 since the WM Phoenix Open. Since 2019 at ANGC, he’s finished T2-T17-T3-MC-T10-8-T8. Not too shabby. He gets over the hump this year.

Cody Williams, FanSided/SI Betting: Last year, the narrative that Rory couldn’t get it done at Augusta got thrown aside. This year, the notion that Ludvig Åberg can’t finish in the big moments will be the one that gets erased. His garnered two years of pressure-packed experience, is hitting it gorgeously right now, and is about to announce his presence with a maiden major championship victory.

Jeff Ritter, SI Golf: Scheffler is the chalk pick, but this Masters feels sneakily wide open. I think it’s time for a first-time major-winner to snag a jacket, and I’ll go with the same pick I made in SI’s print edition a couple of months ago: Tommy Fleetwood is now a PGA Tour winner and playing the best golf of his career. He’s made eight straight cuts at Augusta and was T3 in 2024. His time is now. I think this is his spot.