The Masters
Five Dark Horse Bets To Follow At The Masters 2026
The 2026 Masters market is understandably dominated by the usual green‑jacket suspects, but Augusta has a habit of throwing a curveball or two onto the Sunday leaderboard.
Below are five dark horses who could shake things up this year at Augusta National.
Patrick Reed – 33/1
Patrick Reed’s relationship with Augusta is undeniable. He has a Green Jacket in the wardrobe and, more importantly from a betting angle, five top‑12 finishes in his last six starts there. That level of repeat success strongly signals a player who sees lines on these greens the rest of the field does not.
Reed arrives in 2026 with real momentum after winning both the Dubai Desert Classic and Qatar Masters and losing a playoff in Bahrain.
He still divides opinion, but from a purely betting perspective you get a multiple‑winner in red‑hot form at a track he loves. For punters willing to lean into the “villain” narrative, Reed is one of the more logical dark horses in the outright market.
Shane Lowry – 45/1
Shane Lowry sits at 45/1, reflecting his status as a proven major champion who hasn’t quite converted a flurry of chances into wins lately. Over the past 14 months he has racked up a stack of top‑20 finishes on both Tours, driven largely by consistently positive strokes‑gained tee‑to‑green numbers.
Lowry’s high, soft ball flight and imaginative short game fit Augusta’s firm greens and shaved surrounds. He was disappointing in last year’s majors, but that dip keeps his price from crashing into the 25/1 zone. If you believe class eventually shows in big events, Lowry at 45/1 in a 90‑plus‑man field looks a solid each‑way starting point.
Min Woo Lee – 55/1
Min Woo Lee is available at 55/1 might be the most upward‑trending young player in this price range. This will be his fifth Masters start; he’s already posted finishes of 14th and 22nd with just one missed cut, gaining valuable experience of how Augusta plays when the pressure’s ramped up.
On suitable tracks he’s a highlight reel waiting to happen. Lee is one of the longer hitters in the field, yet pairs that power with a creative short game and a putter that can catch fire. His lone PGA Tour win came at Memorial Park, a course whose green complexes and strategic demands often draw comparisons to Augusta’s. A 12th place at Riviera, runner‑up at Pebble Beach and 6th at Bay Hill this season suggest his game is peaking at the right time.
At 55/1, you’re paying for upside rather than a rock‑solid floor, but his combination of distance and touch gives him a realistic path to contend if he drives it well.
Sahith Theegala – 80/1
Sahith Theegala is priced 80/1, placing him firmly in the high‑upside outsider bucket. Augusta National historically favours players who can move the ball right‑to‑left off the tee, and Theegala’s natural draw fits that brief perfectly. His iron numbers have trended up for two seasons and he consistently gains strokes around the green, an essential skill when you miss in Augusta’s tight run‑offs.
The concern is volatility. Theegala still produces the odd blow‑up hole, and doubles are far more damaging at the Masters than your average Tour stop. With limited course history, he must also prove he can handle the strategic discipline required over 72 holes. But if you are hunting a 64‑on‑Sunday type with genuine win chances from outside the core favourites, Theegala at this price is one of the more exciting tickets on the board.
Adam Scott – 80/1
Adam Scott currently trades at 80/1, which feels generous for a former champion who continues to make cuts and pop onto leaderboards at demanding venues. This will be his 25th appearance at Augusta, and he has missed the weekend only once since winning in 2013.
Scott’s 2026 form is quietly impressive: fourth at Riviera (where he’s already a two‑time winner) and 11th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational against a stacked field. He’s still one of the best long‑iron players in the game, and the broomstick putter has turned the flatstick from liability into something close to neutral – often all he needs given how well he hits it.
He may not have the ceiling of the very top names anymore, but as an experienced operator who knows every contour on Augusta’s back nine, Scott is exactly the kind of veteran who can sneak into the each‑way places at a high price.
