**2026 Masters Thread**

[Fumbleweed]

The Masters is now just two weeks away and the field is rounding into form. For a few of us, it is just about our favorite sports weekend of the year. For most, probably not, but still a weekend of interest. Here are my initial top ten favorites for this year as has been done for several years now. List is subject to minor changes as there are two PGA events left before Augusta. Should be a great tournament!

Top Ten:

1. Xander Schauffele- Game has become mostly solid again after a down year in 2025. I think he can finally win here, but I think many will contend down the stretch

2. Jon Rahm- LIV golf has basically come down to Rahm and DeChambeau as they are lapping all others in that format. I expect good things from him here. 

3. Matthew Fitzpatrick- On a serious heater of late. Hard not to like his chances on a course he's contended on previously. 

4. Tommy Fleetwood- I am predicting that Fleetwood will win his elusive first major this year...just not this one. Still, a prime contender. 

5. Scottie Scheffler- Look for more early round frustration for Scottie…and a back door top five come Sunday afternoon. 

6. Jordan Spieth- Quietly having his best start to a season in quite some time. Augusta fits his game well, even when he's not elite elsewhere. 

7. Bryson DeChambeau- He's likely going to be top-ten at all four majors this year. Just not feeling a higher finish than this as of now. 

8. Akshay Bhatia- Another guy on a heater this season who looks the part of a major contender in at least a couple majors in 2026. 

9. Robert MacIntyre- A slow start in 2026 has given way to some better form recently. Not a player to sleep on. 

10. Cameron Young- The Players champion should be a factor in multiple majors this season and I may be underestimating him some here. 

 

Players outside of my top ten who still have a very legitimate shot at winning: Ludvig Aberg, Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Reed, Justin Rose

Highly ranked players who are off to slow start in 2026, but could catch lightning in a bottle for a week: Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, Ben Griffin, Viktor Hovland, J.J. Spaun, Justin Thomas

Young, exciting players with little Masters experience, but tons of game: Jacob Bridgeman, Nicolas Echavarria, Chris Gotterup, Nicolai Hojgaard, Rasmus Hojgaard, Jake Knapp, Min Woo Lee, Marco Penge 

Other LIV participants: Sergio Garcia, Tyrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Carlos Ortiz, Cameron Smith, Bubba Watson

Solid, tested players...wouldn't be a shocker if they won:  Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Wyndham Clark, Harris English, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama, Brooks Koepka, Haotong Li, Shane Lowry, Maverick McNealy, Alex Noren, Adam Scott, Sepp Straka, Nick Taylor, Gary Woodland 

Guys who have a punchers chance, but would make for a somewhat shocking winner: Michael Brennan, Brian Campbell, Fred Couples, Ryan Fox, Ryan Gerard, Max Greyserman, Harry Hall, Max Homa, Casey Jarvis, Naoyuki Kataoka, John Keefer, Michael Kim, Tom McKibbin, Matt McCarty, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Andrew Novak, Aldrich Potgeiter, Aaron Rai, Sam Stevens, Sami Valimaki, Danny Willett 

Guys who have no real shot at winning from my perspective: Angel Cabrera, Zach Johnson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Davis Riley, Kristoffer Reitan, Charl Schwartzel, Vijay Singh, Mike Weir, Tiger Woods, All amateurs

[Fumbleweed]

Categories beyond Top Ten will be updated later today... 

[edjr]

@Alias Detective  should be the one doing these.  

[Fumbleweed]

55 minutes ago, edjr said:

@Alias Detective  should be the one doing these.  

No joke. He is like the golf whisperer so far this year... 

[Fumbleweed]

The obvious omission from the top ten is the guy I chose at #1 last year- Rory. I just don't like the way he's looked so far this season in limited action. 

[supermike80]

Tiger Woods

[Fumbleweed]

Happy to add Gary Woodland to the list of participants this morning. Good story. 

[edjr]

how is schefflenuts the odds favorite? do they not pay attention?

[BiffTannen]

I want to talk about this so much, but I'm not disclosing any EdEx info. 

[edjr]

10 hours ago, BiffTannen said:

I want to talk about this so much, but I'm not disclosing any EdEx info. 

Jose Maria Olazabal?

[BiffTannen]

2 minutes ago, edjr said:

Jose Maria Olazabal?

He's on the short list. 

[Fireballer]

Phil out…wonder if his wife’s cancer is back.

 

[edjr]

38 minutes ago, Fireballer said:

Phil out…wonder if his wife’s cancer is back.

 

Another LIV hack that took the money and stopped caring. That is why he is not playing. He would miss cut and shoot a 160

[BiffTannen]

4 hours ago, Fireballer said:

Phil out…wonder if his wife’s cancer is back.

 

First time in 32 years the Masters will not have Tiger or Phil. 

[Fireballer]

24 minutes ago, BiffTannen said:

First time in 32 years the Masters will not have Tiger or Phil. 

Damn

[listen2me 23]

I dont think anyone thinks of Xander as a Masters guy.  But he has 5 top 10s two of which a t2 and a t3.  He is in solid form.  

I cant bet the guy.  His odds of 18-1 are probably value.  I cant stand that twerp.  Ive had him WD on me.  Ive had him flat out miss a cut like the only cut he missed that year....when had him in a long to make cut parlay.   Ive had him tank a day 4 holding a ticket.  I cant with that guy.  He shut me up by finally breaking through for 2 majors.  But I still silently loathe him and always doubt him winning.  Well silently until now.  

[WhiteWonder]

5 hours ago, edjr said:

Another LIV hack that took the money and stopped caring. That is why he is not playing. He would miss cut and shoot a 160

Hard for me to give my opinion on him without sounding like TigerKSB but cmon now. Other majors? Maybe. Masters? Phil could make the cut in his sleep no matter his form. He’s the next Freddie and I wouldn’t be surprised to one year see him challenging his current oldest major champ record here. 
t2 in 2023 and before last years MC, hadn’t missed a cut since 2016

[edjr]

nippleson is a hack

48th last tourney. LIV out of 57

[listen2me 23]

LIV is great for DJ and guys like Phil.  

But its a shame Bryson.and Rahm are irrelevant much of the year over on LIV.  World class players in their prime.  

Cam Smith is probably not that caliber of player but he could show up any week and was one of my favorite guys to watch.  Its too bad he doesnt care anymore.  

I watch golf each week. Never been a huge Brooks guy but its been nice to see him out there grinding and playing a lot back in the states.  Im honestly shocked hes the one that changed his mind so much.  

The rest of the LIV guys dont matter much to me.  I like watching Hatton stomp around I guess.  Niemann?  Who cares.  

[WhiteWonder]

1 hour ago, listen2me 23 said:

LIV is great for DJ and guys like Phil.  

But its a shame Bryson.and Rahm are irrelevant much of the year over on LIV.  World class players in their prime.  

Cam Smith is probably not that caliber of player but he could show up any week and was one of my favorite guys to watch.  Its too bad he doesnt care anymore.  

I watch golf each week. Never been a huge Brooks guy but its been nice to see him out there grinding and playing a lot back in the states.  Im honestly shocked hes the one that changed his mind so much.  

The rest of the LIV guys dont matter much to me.  I like watching Hatton stomp around I guess.  Niemann?  Who cares.  

LIV plays 6 of their 14 events in the US.. but anyway Brooks wasn’t all that competitive over there in 2025 after doing really well prior, and he only cares about the majors. His exemptions would run out in 2028 for most of them so my guess is coming back now to get out ahead of that. LIV gets owgr points now but only for top 10 finishers which I don’t think Brooks was doing a lot of last year. 

[listen2me 23]

5 hours ago, WhiteWonder said:

LIV plays 6 of their 14 events in the US.. but anyway Brooks wasn’t all that competitive over there in 2025 after doing really well prior, and he only cares about the majors. His exemptions would run out in 2028 for most of them so my guess is coming back now to get out ahead of that. LIV gets owgr points now but only for top 10 finishers which I don’t think Brooks was doing a lot of last year. 

The PGA plays most all tournaments in the States.  Whats your point?  I didnt say LIV doesn't have events here.  

That could be it.  And probably is much of it.  Hes playing solid now.  I have no clue what his thinking is, but its possible he got sick of playing in events that not only arent majors but matter less than a run of the mill PGA event.  Going to different corners of thr earth to play in fairly meaningless events with minimal points that no ones cares about.  Like I said you are probably mostly right. There is probably something extra with his reasons than just pts.  Like we all know he cares most about big events, he probably started to feel lame going out to grind in meaningless tournaments.   He could have personally identified that it hurt his game.   

I think he was nervous his first couple tournaments, he almost said as much.  But has 3 top 20s in 6 tournaments in much tougher fields.  Seems like he upped his game some just by coming back.   

[BiffTannen]

Augusta National tells Jason Day no go on his outfits. 
 

https://talksport.com/golf/4160296/jason-day-masters-2026-malbon-bird-outfits-banned/

[edjr]

55 minutes ago, BiffTannen said:

Augusta National tells Jason Day no go on his outfits. 
 

https://talksport.com/golf/4160296/jason-day-masters-2026-malbon-bird-outfits-banned/

just make them wear all white like wimbledon.

remember when Agassi tried wear colors?

[BiffTannen]

9 hours ago, edjr said:

just make them wear all white like wimbledon.

remember when Agassi tried wear colors?

I had to look that one up. I was only 8 years old at the time and have never really followed tennis. 

[WhiteWonder]

20 hours ago, listen2me 23 said:

The PGA plays most all tournaments in the States.  Whats your point?  I didnt say LIV doesn't have events here.  

That could be it.  And probably is much of it.  Hes playing solid now.  I have no clue what his thinking is, but its possible he got sick of playing in events that not only arent majors but matter less than a run of the mill PGA event.  Going to different corners of thr earth to play in fairly meaningless events with minimal points that no ones cares about.  Like I said you are probably mostly right. There is probably something extra with his reasons than just pts.  Like we all know he cares most about big events, he probably started to feel lame going out to grind in meaningless tournaments.   He could have personally identified that it hurt his game.   

I think he was nervous his first couple tournaments, he almost said as much.  But has 3 top 20s in 6 tournaments in much tougher fields.  Seems like he upped his game some just by coming back.   

i just brought up that LIV plays almost half of it's events in the US because you had mentioned it was good to see him back playing a lot in the states. 

Of course I don't know exactly what he is thinking, but i doubt it has to do with playing overseas/different corners of the earth for a guy who made himself on the DP world tour... but maybe he is indeed sick of that and feels like he "made it" too much to have to do that. You could be correct. 

I'd also bet most of the guys who went to LIV understood that their events were not going to matter in comparison to PGA events at the onset. No new thing ever does. The fedex cup didn't for quite some time.... BUT they likely did think they would be playing all the majors all the time

I don't think LIV will ultimately make it, and that is more than fine with me. I think LIV served it's purpose in exposing the PGAs faults.  I'd prefer to see all the guys you've mentioned (plus others) back playing together with the PGA stars

[edjr]

last hole in one on 12 (3 all time)

Curtis Givemesome Strange 1988

[edjr]

schefflenuts still the favorite by a lot, why?

Scottie Scheffler +500
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Jon Rahm +1000
Rory McIlroy +1200
Xander Schauffele +1600

[BiffTannen]

3 hours ago, edjr said:

schefflenuts still the favorite by a lot, why?

Scottie Scheffler +500
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Jon Rahm +1000
Rory McIlroy +1200
Xander Schauffele +1600

Lots of square money will come in on him. They have to CYA

[WhiteWonder]

3 hours ago, edjr said:

schefflenuts still the favorite by a lot, why?

Scottie Scheffler +500
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Jon Rahm +1000
Rory McIlroy +1200
Xander Schauffele +1600

2 time champ? Still the best golfer in the world. Augusta is a place that doesn’t usually care about “slumps”. It’s probably a great value unless you think he’s entered a Spieth like slump

[listen2me 23]

21 hours ago, edjr said:

schefflenuts still the favorite by a lot, why?

Scottie Scheffler +500
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Jon Rahm +1000
Rory McIlroy +1200
Xander Schauffele +1600

Not that I will be betting him but im not following here.  

Is Scottie not hands down the best player on earth with a great track record at Augusta?  What should odds be?  

I get its not a great start to year for Scheffler, by his standards.   But the guy has three top 4s in 6 tournaments, one being a win.  Of thr 6, hasnt finished below 24th.  Its not that bad even if he does look a little off.  

[listen2me 23]

Been dry there and looks like a dry sunny week.  Downright hot on the weekend.  Looking forward to a firm fast Masters for once.  I could be making this up but seems like its been rainy in a lot of recent ones.  

[edjr]

1. Cameron Young ---

2.Robert MacIntyre ---

3. Sam Burns ---

4.Patrick Cantlay ---

5.Ryan Gerard ---

6.Brian Harman

[edjr]

On 4/6/2026 at 9:18 AM, listen2me 23 said:

Not that I will be betting him but im not following here.  

Is Scottie not hands down the best player on earth with a great track record at Augusta?  What should odds be?  

I get its not a great start to year for Scheffler, by his standards.   But the guy has three top 4s in 6 tournaments, one being a win.  Of thr 6, hasnt finished below 24th.  Its not that bad even if he does look a little off.  

he isn’t practicing like he used to, he has 2 kids now

[edjr]

The 2026 Masters Tournament (April 9–12) is forecast to have ideal, dry, and warm conditions, featuring sunny skies and very little rain throughout the week. Temperatures will start in the low-70s on Thursday, gradually warming to the mid-80s by the weekend, creating firm course conditions. 

[edjr]

I know why they call it Rae’s creek.

and a 6 iron 180 yards? that’s a full wedgie today

[WhiteWonder]

On 3/23/2026 at 10:11 AM, Fumbleweed said:

The Masters is now just two weeks away and the field is rounding into form. For a few of us, it is just about our favorite sports weekend of the year. For most, probably not, but still a weekend of interest. Here are my initial top ten favorites for this year as has been done for several years now. List is subject to minor changes as there are two PGA events left before Augusta. Should be a great tournament!

Top Ten:

1. Xander Schauffele- Game has become mostly solid again after a down year in 2025. I think he can finally win here, but I think many will contend down the stretch

2. Jon Rahm- LIV golf has basically come down to Rahm and DeChambeau as they are lapping all others in that format. I expect good things from him here. 

3. Matthew Fitzpatrick- On a serious heater of late. Hard not to like his chances on a course he's contended on previously. 

4. Tommy Fleetwood- I am predicting that Fleetwood will win his elusive first major this year...just not this one. Still, a prime contender. 

5. Scottie Scheffler- Look for more early round frustration for Scottie…and a back door top five come Sunday afternoon. 

6. Jordan Spieth- Quietly having his best start to a season in quite some time. Augusta fits his game well, even when he's not elite elsewhere. 

7. Bryson DeChambeau- He's likely going to be top-ten at all four majors this year. Just not feeling a higher finish than this as of now. 

8. Akshay Bhatia- Another guy on a heater this season who looks the part of a major contender in at least a couple majors in 2026. 

9. Robert MacIntyre- A slow start in 2026 has given way to some better form recently. Not a player to sleep on. 

10. Cameron Young- The Players champion should be a factor in multiple majors this season and I may be underestimating him some here. 

 

Players outside of my top ten who still have a very legitimate shot at winning: Ludvig Aberg, Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Reed, Justin Rose

Highly ranked players who are off to slow start in 2026, but could catch lightning in a bottle for a week: Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, Ben Griffin, Viktor Hovland, J.J. Spaun, Justin Thomas

Young, exciting players with little Masters experience, but tons of game: Jacob Bridgeman, Nicolas Echavarria, Chris Gotterup, Nicolai Hojgaard, Rasmus Hojgaard, Jake Knapp, Min Woo Lee, Marco Penge 

Other LIV participants: Sergio Garcia, Tyrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Carlos Ortiz, Cameron Smith, Bubba Watson

Solid, tested players...wouldn't be a shocker if they won:  Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Wyndham Clark, Harris English, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama, Brooks Koepka, Haotong Li, Shane Lowry, Maverick McNealy, Alex Noren, Adam Scott, Sepp Straka, Nick Taylor, Gary Woodland 

Guys who have a punchers chance, but would make for a somewhat shocking winner: Michael Brennan, Brian Campbell, Fred Couples, Ryan Fox, Ryan Gerard, Max Greyserman, Harry Hall, Max Homa, Casey Jarvis, Naoyuki Kataoka, John Keefer, Michael Kim, Tom McKibbin, Matt McCarty, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Andrew Novak, Aldrich Potgeiter, Aaron Rai, Sam Stevens, Sami Valimaki, Danny Willett 

Guys who have no real shot at winning from my perspective: Angel Cabrera, Zach Johnson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Davis Riley, Kristoffer Reitan, Charl Schwartzel, Vijay Singh, Mike Weir, Tiger Woods, All amateurs

 

Solid top 10. I know you don;t want to go chalk but I think aberg needs to be in there over Akshay or Bobby Mac. 

Also, not because i drafted him, but I think Hatton would fit in more with the "Solid, tested players" category unless it's just because any LIV guy not in the top 10 goes into the LIV category?

and splitting hairs but I see little difference between the likes of Kitayama, Li, Noren, Taylor    and the likes of Fox and Homa.... i'd probably have Fox and Homa up in the Solid, tested players category and at least Li down in the punchers chance realm.

[GobbleDog]

I know less about golf than any white middle-aged American. But love to gamble. So everyone can have a good laugh when my big money bet tanks:

Jacob Bridgeman finishes top 20.  Got decent odds and #1 in FexEx rankings.  What the hell do I know. 

[edjr]

Jose Maria 2 under  

[edjr]

14 hours ago, GobbleDog said:

I know less about golf than any white middle-aged American. But love to gamble. So everyone can have a good laugh when my big money bet tanks:

Jacob Bridgeman finishes top 20.  Got decent odds and #1 in FexEx rankings.  What the hell do I know. 

You should bet on Edex

[listen2me 23]

The 2 best LIV golfers who are in great form.....stink.  

Meanwhile Schef apparently in a funk or had a kid is off....yet will win this thing again.  (Good call Ed)