The Masters 2026: Preview and Leading Favourites
The first major of 2026 will take place from 9 to 12 April at Augusta National Golf Club in the United States. This will be the 90th edition of the tournament, with a field of 91 golfers. Rory McIlroy won in 2025, but no player has managed to win The Masters in back to back years since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002.
Who will win the 2026 Masters Tournament?
The Masters has one of the sport’s most distinctive traditions. Before the tournament begins, the previous year’s champion hosts a ceremonial dinner for the field and personally chooses the food and drinks.
In this piece, we take a closer look at the main contenders for the title, along with the favourite dishes of 2025 champion Rory McIlroy.
Favourites for the 2026 Masters Tournament
Bookmakers have priced up the market with Scottie Scheffler as the clear favourite. Rory McIlroy is only fourth in the betting, due in no small part to the so called Tiger curse.
There are no English players in the top five. Matt Fitzpatrick is sixth at
18/1
, while Tommy Fleetwood is ninth at
22/1
Scottie Scheffler: The World Number One Is Chasing a Third Title
Scheffler has already won The Masters in 2022 and 2024, and he finished fourth last year. On top of that, Scottie has continued to dominate both the PGA Tour and the majors, at times looking a lot like Tiger Woods at his peak.
Scottie Scheffler's stats in 2025
|
Number of titles |
Scoring Average |
Major Double Bogeys |
Birdies per Round |
|
6 |
68,1 |
2 in 16 rounds |
5,38 |
Over the past year, Scheffler has pulled well clear of Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele in the combined major standings, finishing a convincing first in scoring average. One stat deserves special attention as well: the number of double bogeys. At the 2025 US Open and the 2025 Masters, Scottie did not go over par with a single hole, something not seen since Tiger Woods.
Scheffler’s status as favourite is also fully justified by the way he has started the season. In 2026, he has already won The American Express, which became the 20th PGA Tour victory of his career. It is hard to see anyone stopping him if he maintains this level.
Jon Rahm: A Milestone Start and the Dark Horse Among the Favourites
Rahm fully deserves to be second favourite for the tournament. This will be his tenth appearance at The Masters, and this year his chances of finishing in the top three look as strong as ever. There was plenty of debate around Jon’s move to LIV Golf, but the results from last season speak for themselves.
Jon Rahm's stats in 2025
|
Greens in Regulation (rank) |
Strokes Gained (rank) |
Points (rank) |
|
74,86% (1) |
+2,16 (1) |
226,16 (1) |
Rahm is right at the peak of his powers. At the end of 2025, he won the Team Championship, and at the start of 2026 he triumphed in Hong Kong. On top of that, the individual LIV title for last season also went to the Spaniard. The PGA versus LIV storyline on American soil could become one of the biggest talking points of this year’s Masters.
Bryson DeChambeau: Chasing a First Masters Title
Another LIV Golf player sits among the leading favourites. For DeChambeau, this is not only a battle for the Green Jacket, but also another chapter in his rivalry with Rahm, his main opponent on the LIV circuit.
Which LIV player will finish higher?
Bryson is still searching for a breakthrough at Augusta despite winning the US Open twice, in 2020 and 2024. Even so, in 2025 the American made major strides with his play around the green and also sharpened up his Off-the-Tee game.
Bryson DeChambeau's stats in 2025
|
Driving Distance |
SG: Off-the-Tee |
Top-10 (Majors) |
|
318,4 yards |
+1,63 |
3 out of 4 |
DeChambeau ranks among the top three for distance and leads the field in driving. Combined with the consistency he has shown in majors over the past few years, Bryson could well prove to be the most dangerous challenger to Scheffler on open courses.
Who Else to Watch at the 2026 Masters Tournament
Major upsets are rare at Augusta. The last time a real outsider won the title was in 2016, when Danny Willett entered the tournament on the final day and was not even inside the top 20 in the world rankings at the time.
His outright price was 51.00. Even so, Willett stayed alert for Jordan Spieth’s mistake and seized the title. There are several players in the 2026 field who could also spring a surprise.
English Hopes: Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood
Matt Fitzpatrick may be heading into the tournament in the best form of his career. Matt finished second at The Players Championship and had already lifted the Valspar Championship shortly before that.
The Englishman had lacked consistency since winning the 2022 US Open, but his recent results suggest that issue has finally been solved. Even so, taking on the elite names in this field will be a much tougher challenge, and consistency alone may not be enough.
Tommy Fleetwood is also arriving at this major on the back of a strong season. He finished in the top four in every exhibition event and posted eight top 10 finishes.
Tommy has never won a major. Matching Rahm or Scheffler still looks unlikely, but could he stay patient, wait for a mistake and produce a clean round when it matters? He certainly has a chance.
Which English player will finish higher at the 2026 Masters Tournament?
Xander Schauffele: Still Not Fully Ready
Schauffele has been given a fair amount of respect by the bookmakers, sitting fifth in the outright market. After his breakthrough 2024 season, which included two major titles, the American suffered a rib injury that ruled him out for most of 2025.
Since returning, Schauffele has not looked convincing. There have been too many mistakes and loose shots, and most experts are saying openly that the golfer is not yet ready for a headline grabbing comeback.
A victory for the American still looks highly unlikely, but a push for the top 10 or top 20 is much more realistic. Even below his best level, Schauffele has enough quality to finish inside the top 20.
Schedule for the 2026 Masters Tournament
The tournament begins on 9 April and runs for three days. The final round will be played on Sunday, 12 April.
The Masters is also famous for its pre-tournament Champions Dinner, where the menu is chosen by the reigning champion. In recent years, players have often paid tribute to the cuisine of their home regions, and this year’s dinner followed that same tradition. McIlroy offered guests classic steaks, starters and aperitifs inspired by Northern Irish and Georgian cooking.
Could Scheffler’s Texas chilli be back on the table in 2027?
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