The early favourites to win the Masters

The 2026 PGA Tour season is underway, albeit under different circumstances than usual, as The Sentry—the traditional curtain raiser—was cancelled toward the back end of last year due to unplayable conditions on the Kapalua Plantation Course. Chris Gotterup claimed the first title of the season in the Sony Open, securing his third PGA title at the Waiʻalae Country Club in Hawaii.

Things will now start ramping up quickly, especially with the Phoenix Open and The Players in the coming weeks and months helping build anticipation for the Masters in April. The first major of the year is arguably the most prestigious, and every professional will be driving up Magnolia Lane hoping to leave with the sought-after Green Jacket following the conclusion of play on Masters Sunday.

Form and momentum will play a big part between now and April, but the betting markets have already laid out their favourites in the Masters odds, so let’s look at who leads the way in these early stages.

Scottie Scheffler

It will come as no surprise that Scottie Scheffler is currently the frontrunner. The American added the Open and the PGA Championship to his resume in a dominant 2025, but he could fare no better than fourth—three shots off the pace of McIlroy—on the defence of his Masters title.

After fitting the Northern Irishman into his green jacket on the 18th green last year, Scheffler will be keen that the roles reverse in April, and McIlroy returns the favour by presenting the World No.2 with his third. In what could be the year Scheffler adds his name to the Grand Slam roll of honour, as only the US Open evades him, kicking off the majors with a hat-trick of Masters would be the perfect start.

Rory McIlroy

There was a sigh of relief in the golfing world when McIlroy finally got over the line at Augusta National last year. Every pundit and fan had been through the rollercoaster of emotion with the Northern Irishman over the years, including his Masters downfall in 2011 and that infamous decade without a major, yet most still had a golf bet on him each April.

But he bested his demons in Georgia, beating Justin Rose in a dramatic play-off to complete the career Grand Slam. Only three players have ever successfully defended the Masters: Jack Nichlaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. But McIlroy’s name is now already amongst the elite in the sport, and achieving that feat will be his target in April.

Ludvig Aberg

The 2026 season marks the end of Ludvig Aberg’s ‘rookie’ era. This will be his third full year on the PGA Tour, and he’ll be hoping to mark that milestone with his first major title. That could very well be at Augusta National, as his best results in the big four tournaments have come at the Masters.

The Swede, who has two PGA Tour wins, was runner-up to Scheffler in 2024 on his first outing at the iconic course, and was seventh last year after a triple bogey on the last hole knocked him down from second. Aberg needs slightly more consistency across the four days, as he shot 68, 73, 69, 72 last year, but if he can hone in on those 60s, then he could easily win.

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Masters prep feels very different to the other majors. The cadence of the early PGA Tour season is designed to build towards the second week of April, and while the narratives will inevitably twist along the way, the early signals point toward another heavyweight battle at Augusta.

Scheffler is chasing a slice of history, McIlroy is defending something far more spiritual than just a title, and Åberg looks ready to graduate from prodigy to champion. As ever at the Masters, expectations are high — and so are the stakes.