Ranking True Contenders at The Masters
It's finally the week of The Masters, the biggest competition in all of golf. The best in the world are headed to Augusta National. It's where Rory McIlroy will defend his long-awaited title and try to enjoy being there for once. It's where everyone else will try to dethrone him and cement their place in golf immortality.
Obviously, being a Major tournament, The Masters will have one of the best fields of the year (no Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson, though). But among those top-ranked golfers, who is really the best and who's going to win it?
Ranking The Masters contenders with betting odds
Justin Rose
If not for Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose would be the defending champion. He was brilliant on the back half just one year ago to force a playoff with McIlroy. Destiny wouldn't be denied, though. Rose came up short. Still, he proved he still has it and can definitely hang tough at Augusta, so there's no reason he shouldn't be considered a true contender this time.
Betting odds: +3000
Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau is a contender in every single Major tournament. He won the 2025 US Open and was T5 at the Masters that year. He's one of the game's best, but something usually goes wrong for him in these tournaments. He's more than talented enough, but perhaps the pressure of calling Augusta a par-67 is getting to him. His odds are pretty good, but they might be a tad inflated since he hasn't done that well at a Major in a while. He did win the last LIV Golf event, though.
Betting odds: +1000
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Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig Aberg is one of golf's brightest young stars. He has not yet broken through on the biggest stages, but he's been close. He's coming off three consecutive top-five finishes, and two were Signature Events. Aberg finished second in 2024 to Scottie Scheffler, so he's performed well at The Masters.
Betting odds: +1500
Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele won both the Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2024. He's clearly got what it takes to win the Masters, although he's seven years from his best finish there (T2). Still, he's one of the best in the world. Schauffele has back-to-back top-three finishes as well, so he's in pretty good form lately. Whether it will translate or not remains to be seen.
Betting odds: +1600
Jon Rahm
According to the odds, Jon Rahm has the second-best odds of winning The Masters. This does make sense. He's a former champion, and he's performed well at LIV Golf since moving over. His game hasn't noticeably declined, so he's still a contender whenever he gets on the course. It's hard to truly determine how well he's playing, but he hasn't finished outside the top five at a LIV event and has a win already this year.
Betting odds: +950
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy may not have the second-best odds, but that should be a surprise. He's the defending champion. McIlroy is the world number two. He's been mediocre so far this year, but all the pressure is gone. He can play freely this week, which is bad news for anyone hoping to dethrone him. If he won with the immense pressure last year, imagine how much better he might play in 2026.
Betting odds: +1200
Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler is the best golfer in the world. It honestly doesn't matter that he's been human this year and hasn't won since January 25. That's a slump for him alone. He's always the best bet in a field, and he's won twice at Augusta, so he knows how to play here. He cannot be counted out until the final putt is made.
Betting odds: +500
