The first round of the 2026 Masters didn’t disappoint, setting the stage for a thrilling final three rounds. The 2026 Masters leaderboard looks somewhat similar to last year’s edition, as reigning champion Rory McIlroy sits atop at 5 under. He’s a co-leader entering Round 2, alongside Sam Burns, as the former LSU Tiger seeks his first major victory. A trio of golfers then follow at 3 under for the Masters 2026 with Kurt Kitayama, Jason Day and 2018 winner Patrick Reed.
McIlroy is the +270 favorite (risk $100 to win $270) in the 2026 Masters odds to become the fourth person to win back-to-back green jackets. Scottie Scheffler, the pre-tournament favorite, comes in at +350, while every other golfer to utilize in Masters bets is priced at double digits. Xander Schauffele is +1000, followed by Burns (+1300), Justin Rose (+1500) and Reed (+1800). Before locking in any 2026 Masters picks after the first round, be sure to see the 2026 Masters predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated every PGA Tour event 10,000 times and reveals golf betting picks that have a history of being extremely profitable.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters — its fourth Masters in a row — as well as last year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen huge returns on betting sites.
Now that the first round of the 2026 Masters is in the books, the model simulated the final three rounds 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.
Top 2026 Masters predictions
One surprise the model is calling for at the 2026 Masters: Burns (+1300), who enters Friday as a co-leader, stumbles down the stretch and barely cracks the top 10. Burns doesn’t have the greatest course history to comfortably rely on him with Masters bets as he’s never even had a top 25 across four prior starts at Augusta National. His best finish is tying for 29th as he’s missed the cut in half of his starts, but he does have a history of tumbling down the leaderboard after impressing early on.
At the 2023 Masters, Burns was in sixth place after both the first and second rounds, only to then falter on the weekend. He failed to break par on either day and finished tied for 29th for the tournament. His results at other majors aren’t much more inspiring, as across 22 starts, he has zero top-five finishes, with nearly twice as many missed cuts (seven) as top 25s (four). He’s one to fade with golf picks entering Round 2 of the Masters 2026. See who else to fade at SportsLine.
Another surprise: Tommy Fleetwood, a +2000 longshot who is four strokes back of the co-leaders at 1 under, makes a strong run at the title. The reigning FedEx Cup champion usually struggles in Round 1 at Augusta National, so it’s a promising sign that he’s near the top of the leaderboard entering play on Friday. Fleetwood was 2 over last year but still finished in the top 25, while at the 2024 Masters, he shot par on Thursday before putting together a strong final three rounds. The Englishman ended up in third place that year, marking his best finish at this major.
Fleetwood’s metrics on the PGA Tour this season indicate his name could stick near the top of the leaderboard all tournament long as he’s top five in both strokes gained: tee-to-green and strokes gained: around-the-green. Additionally, he’s in the top 15 in driving accuracy percentage and strokes gained: total. He also stepped onto Augusta National in arguably the best form of his career: four top 10s over his last five events, three of those coming at signature tournaments. See who else to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 Masters picks
The model is targeting three other golfers with odds of +2500 or longer who will make surprising runs over the next three rounds, including one monster longshot who returns well over +5000. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model’s Masters picks here.
So, who will win the Masters 2026, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the 2026 Masters odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected 2026 Masters leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 16 golf majors, including four straight Masters.
2026 Masters odds, contenders
Get full 2026 Masters picks, best bets and predictions here.
(odds via FanDuel and subject to change)
Rory McIlroy +270
Scottie Scheffler +350
Xander Schauffele +1000
Sam Burns +1300
Justin Rose +1500
Patrick Reed +1800
Tommy Fleetwood +2000
Jason Day +2200
Shane Lowry +3300
Kurt Kitayama +3500
Hideki Matsuyama +4000
Jordan Spieth +4000
Cameron Young +4500
Brooks Koepka +4500
Jacob Bridgeman +5500
Ludvig Åberg +5000
Chris Gotterup +6500
Matt Fitzpatrick +7000
Adam Scott +7000
Justin Thomas +7000
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