🎯 Masters Long Shots & Sleeper Picks 2026: +5000 Outrights, Plus Bonus Props
🎯 SBR Edge: Elite players win the Masters, but we can still get value
Each of the last 10 winners of the Masters was in the top 25 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) at the time of their victory, per Pat Mayo. Yet, two of the last 10 winners still had pre-tournament odds of at least +5000 (Danny Willett and Hideki Matsuyama).
We can find our Masters sleeper picks by comparing and contrasting the OWGR and the latest Masters odds. While only one of my three picks below has shown strong recent form (and results), we're trusting in overall skill, and past experience at Augusta National Golf Course.
🎯 Masters long-shot picks
Here are our best long-shot golf picks for the 2026 Masters based on the odds from our best golf betting sites.
| 💰 Pick | 🔢 Best odds | ⚖️ Units | 📝 Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viktor Hovland | +5000 via FanDuel | .25u-> 12.5u | 9th in proximity from 150-175 yards; T-7 three years ago |
| Akshay Bhatia | +6000 via FanDuel | .25u -> 15u | 6th in par-4 scoring; T-42 or better in first two Masters |
| Harris English | +10000 via BetMGM | .10u -> 10u | Top 20 in proximity and par-4 scoring; T-12 last year |
🔢 World ranking vs. Masters long-shot odds
Reducing our pool of eligible Masters winners to the top 25 players in the OWGR as of this week, here are the latest world rankings and the best Masters odds for each player:
| 🌎 World ranking | ⛳ Golfer | 🔢 Best odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | +550 via BetMGM |
| 2 | Rory McIlroy | +1200 via Caesars |
| 3 | Cameron Young | +2300 via DraftKings |
| 4 | Tommy Fleetwood | +2300 via DraftKings |
| 5 | J.J. Spaun | +7200 via DraftKings |
| 6 | Matt Fitzpatrick | +2350 via DraftKings |
| 7 | Collin Morikawa | +3500 via FanDuel |
| 8 | Robert MacIntyre | +3400 via DraftKings |
| 9 | Justin Rose | +3500 via DraftKings |
| 10 | Xander Schauffele | +1800 via DraftKings |
| 11 | Chris Gotterup | +4500 via BetMGM |
| 12 | Russell Henley | +5500 via BetMGM |
| 13 | Sepp Straka | +8000 via FanDuel |
| 14 | Hideki Matsuyama | +2800 via BetMGM |
| 15 | Justin Thomas | +6500 via Caesars |
| 16 | Ben Griffin | +15000 via BetMGM |
| 17 | Ludvig Aberg | +1800 via FanDuel |
| 18 | Jacob Bridgeman | +8600 via DraftKings |
| 19 | Alex Noren | +20000 via BetMGM |
| 20 | Harris English | +10000 via BetMGM |
| 21 | Akshay Bhatia | +6000 via FanDuel |
| 22 | Viktor Hovland | +5000 via FanDuel |
| 23 | Patrick Reed | +4300 via DraftKings |
| 24 | Bryson DeChambeau | +1200 via BetMGM |
| 25 | Min Woo Lee | +3500 via DraftKings |
💰️ Masters betting picks
Our Dustin Saracini dove into the most popular betting markets with his best Masters picks and predictions and Masters prop bets.
💰 Best Masters sleeper bet
Viktor Hovland (+5000)
Hovland's excelling in approaching the green from this week's key distance of 150-175 yards. He ranks ninth on the PGA Tour in that metric while averaging 0.84 strokes gained: approach per round since January 1.
He's making a sixth straight appearance at Augusta National Golf Course and seventh for his career. He had a top finish of T-7 three years ago. While the short game is typically the greatest weakness for Hovland, he has gained strokes on the difficult greens of ANGC in four of his last five Masters appearances. He also gained strokes around the greens in three of his last five trips to the Masters.
He's averaging 0.34 SG: around-the-greens this season and seems to have prioritized rounding out his game. It earned Hovland an honorable mention in my Masters power rankings.
💰️ Viktor Hovland Masters prop bet
While I'm sprinkling a quarter unit on Hovland to win the Masters, I'll be making a proper bet on him to finish in the top 20 at inflated +195 odds via FanDuel. He recorded his second career T-21 finish at Augusta National last year while gaining 0.82 strokes per round on the greens.
I'm impressed by his newfound short game, and trust that to be the difference for him in this year's major championships.
🐎 Masters dark horse picks
Akshay Bhatia (+6000)
Bhatia has improved from 45th to 21st in the world rankings this calendar year, but his Masters odds aren't moving as quickly as his ranking. The winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational has four other top-20 finishes and three missed cuts through eight events this year.
He ranks sixth in par-4 scoring this season, and he gained strokes on and around the greens of Augusta National in each of his first two Masters appearances.
A lefty hasn't won the Masters since Bubba Watson's second green jacket in 2014, but Bhatia will be my pick from this year's contingent. The top lefty market is one of my favorite Masters props each year.
💰️ Akshay Bhatia Masters prop bet
bet365 offers +275 odds for Bhatia to be the top left-handed player in the Masters, and I'm jumping on that ticket. Though he missed the cut in last week's DP World Tour Hero Indian Open as his final tune-up for the Masters he had a run of five straight finishes of T-16 or better on the PGA Tour that included his win in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He's in as good of form as anybody on the PGA Tour right now, and I'm taking advantage of the +275 odds in what's essentially a head-to-head matchup against Robert MacIntyre.
Harris English (+10500)
Harris English would be the biggest Masters long shot since Angel Cabrera in 2009 (+12500). He enters the first major of the year at No. 20 in the OWGR and made the Ryder Cup team last fall. He's making a seventh career appearance at ANGC with last year's T-12 finish as his best result to date.
He ranks in the top 20 of both proximity and par-4 scoring, and he gained strokes putting in each of his last four Masters appearances. Last year's result was despite losing 0.48 strokes off the tee per round, and he's corrected that this season with 0.60 strokes gained per round.
💰️ Harris English Masters prop bet
The best bet on the board for English is for a top 30 finish at +124 odds via DraftKings. The American Ryder Cup team member has three such finishes in his past four trips to ANGC, with all those finishes being T-22 or better. We have plenty of breathing room to cash this prop bet.
English has excelled on and around the greens of Augusta National each of the past four years. His putter has remained a strength this PGA Tour season, and he showed improved driving distance in four of his past five events.
💡 How I'm handicapping the Masters
Here are the stats I'm looking at for my Masters bets:
| Stat | Weight | Why it matters for Augusta National |
|---|---|---|
| Strokes gained: approach | 25% | Toughest greens in golf require approach shots to the proper tier |
| Strokes gained: around-the-green | 20% | Getting up and down is essential while avoiding wasted shots and high scores |
| Proximity: 150-175 yards | 15% | The most common approach range the last three years |
| Par-4 efficiency: 450-plus yards | 15% | All but 1 of 6 such holes played over par last year; any strokes gained are key |
| Scrambling | 15% | See the above on approach and short game; recovery is a must |
| 3-putt avoidance | 10% | More predictable and sustainable than SG: putting |
💰️ Masters bets to make before Round 1
Looking for more plays to sweat prior to Thursday? I've got you covered with my Masters first-round leader predictions and Masters parlay picks, while Saracini keeps things moving with his projected cut line predictions.
🎟️ Masters ticket information
Here's how the betting action is coming in on the Masters' outright winner at BetMGM:
| Highest ticket % | Highest handle % | Biggest liabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Bryson DeChambeau (10.3%) | Bryson DeChambeau (14.7%) | Bryson DeChambeau |
| Scottie Scheffler (9.4%) | Scottie Scheffler (14.3%) | Scottie Scheffler |
| Ludvig Aberg (6.4%) | Jon Rahm (7.3%) | Ludvig Aberg |
And here are the most popular bets in the top finish market by tickets:
| Most bet Top 5 (tickets) | Most bet Top 10 (tickets) | Most bet Top 20 (tickets) |
|---|---|---|
| Ludvig Aberg (+275) | Xander Schauffele (+130) | Patrick Reed (+105) |
| Bryson DeChambeau (+220) | Ludvig Aberg (+130) | Akshay Bhatia (+140) |
| Scottie Scheffler (+110) | Bryson DeChambeau (+100) | Justin Rose (+100) |
| Jon Rahm (+220) | Matt Fitzpatrick (+188) | Corey Conners (+175) |
| Xander Schauffele (+275) | Tommy Fleetwood (+175) | Jacob Bridgeman (+175) |
⛳ Masters tournament info
- When: Thursday, April 9 - Sunday, April 12
- Where: Augusta National Golf Course (Augusta, Ga.)
- Betting favorite: Scottie Scheffler (+550 via BetMGM)
- Defending champion: Rory McIlroy ($4.2 million prize)
- How to watch: CBS and ESPN
- Streaming: Paramount+ and Prime Video
- FedEx Cup points: +750
📊 Live Masters odds 2026
Here are the live 2026 Masters odds from our best sports betting sites. The odds update in real time to help with your golf picks:
💰 Masters betting history
Here is a look at recent Masters winners and their odds prior to Round 1:
| Year | Masters winner | Winning score | Masters Odds (Prior to Round 1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rory McIlroy | -11 | +650 |
| 2024 | Scottie Scheffler | -11 | +500 |
| 2023 | Jon Rahm | -12 | +1000 |
| 2022 | Scottie Scheffler | -10 | +1600 |
| 2021 | Hideki Matsuyama | -10 | +6000 |
| 2020 | Dustin Johnson | -20 | +800 |
| 2019 | Tiger Woods | -13 | +1200 |
| 2018 | Patrick Reed | -15 | +4000 |
| 2017 | Sergio Garcia | -9 | +3000 |
| 2016 | Danny Willett | -5 | +5000 |
Historical odds via Sports Odds History.
💵 More Masters picks & predictions
See all of our golf picks from the best Masters betting sites ahead of the 2026 Masters.
| Masters picks and predictions | Masters picks | Masters power rankings | Masters long shots | Masters AI predictions |
| How to bet the Masters | Masters prop bets | Masters parlay picks | Masters first-round leader picks | Masters projected cut line |
| Masters odds and analysis | Masters odds | Masters win probability | Live Masters odds | Masters expert picks |
| Masters news and betting tips | Masters weather forecast | Collin Morikawa injury update |
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