The Masters
Masters 2026: Underdogs To Consider On Eve Of Augusta National
There are significant questions about several of the golf betting favourites for the 2026 Masters. Scottie Scheffler has been far from his imperious best this year and Rory McIlroy is dealing with a niggling injury.
Form is more important with the Masters than perhaps any other event. It’s also paramount that players have experience at Augusta National, which rules rookies like Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman.
The first major of the year is wide-open, so which dark horses have a good shot to contend?
Sepp Straka
- Winner odds: 66/1
- Top 10 odds: 5/1
Sepp Straka has struggled at the Masters. He’s got one top 25 finish and didn’t even make the cut in 2025. Straka, though, tied for eighth at this year’s Players Championship and tied for 13th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Look back a bit further and Straka was tied for second at Pebble Beach and third at the Hero World Challenge. He’s got enough experience under his belt at Augusta National to feel more comfortable than he has in previous years.
With rock-hard greens and fairways, Straka’s high level of approach play should stand him in good stead.
Robert MacIntyre
- Winner odds: 22/1
- Top 10 odds: 13/5
Only seven players can better Robert MacIntyre’s shots gained mark in 2026. The Scot, like Straka, didn’t make the cut last year, but he finished the calendar year strongly with a tied seventh at the Open and a runner-up placing at the U.S. Open.
Fourth at the Players Championship, MacIntyre is one of the form players in the world. He narrowly missed out at the Texas Open and has once again been one of the premier putters in the sport.
Jake Knapp and Jacob Bridgeman are the only players with more shots gained tee to green and with better putting numbers than MacIntyre in 2026.
Justin Rose
- Winner odds: 22/1
- Top 10 odds: 13/5
No one has got as close to a green jacket without winning one as Justin Rose. He lost the 2025 Masters to McIlroy in a playoff after a spectacular final round. It was Rose’s fourth top five finish at the Masters and the third occasion he’s finished as a runner-up.
It would in many ways be the most romantic outcome for the veteran to finally get over the hump at Augusta National.
A slump after winning the Farmers Insurance Open was forgotten about with Rose’s bounce back at the Players – his experience could prove invaluable at Augusta National this weekend.
Patrick Reed
- Winner odds: 35/1
- Top 10 odds: 16/5
Former winner Patrick Reed finished third at the 2025 Masters. Waiting to return to the PGA Tour later this year, Reed has two DP World Tour titles to his name in 2026 but hasn’t played a competitive round in over a month.
Traditionally, players that have taken a long break before the Masters have struggled. Reed, who has three top 10 finishes since his win in 2018, shouldn’t be too rusty and it’s notable he finished 10 under par in Johannesburg in his last tournament.
We know Reed has what it takes to compete on Sunday at Augusta National. The 16/5 price seems very generous given his record.
Min Woo Lee
- Winner odds: 33/1
- Top 10 odds: 3/1
Sixth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained, Min Woo Lee is enjoying the most consistent spell of golf in his career. Hitting the ball high and long, Lee has the characteristics to create birdie opportunities around Augusta, and his ability to get the ball high in the air should help to stop it on firm greens.
The Australian hasn’t missed a cut since the turn of the year. He’s finished second, third, and sixth in his last five events, with a 12th thrown in for good measure at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Heading into his fifth Masters and boasting the lowest ever front-nine score at Augusta, it feels like this could be Lee’s time.
He struggled at the majors in 2025 and only has one top 10 finish at a major to his name despite often being tipped as an outsider, but Lee might not have a better opportunity to compete at Augusta National.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
