The most highly awaited week in golf has finally arrived and it's a tradition like no other: it's Masters week at Augusta National Golf Club. This iteration of the event is among the most talked about in recent history in part to some off the course controversies, but nonetheless, the golf takes center stage this week. Rory McIlroy is looking to become the first back-to-back Masters winner since Tiger Woods, but there are plenty of other players with legitimate shots at taking home the Green Jacket.

The Masters 2026 Predictions

The Masters always is a loaded field, and being that this event is one of the most predictive on tour, that gives us a great chance to identify players who can win this event. Given the nature of this event, we do see some players from LIV in the field this week, such as Jon Rahm (looking for his 2nd Green Jacket) and Bryson DeChambeau (looking for his 1st), but we see amateurs, senior past champions, and DP World Tour members as well.

With such a diverse field of talent, and so much history about what it takes to be successful at Augusta National, who has what it takes to cement their name in history, but more importantly, who has the chance to make us some money?

 

 

 

The Masters Free Picks Featuring Patrick Reed & Jake Knapp

Patrick Reed To Finish Top 20 (+148 at DraftKings)

Patrick Reed is a polarizing name for many golf fans, but his return to the golf ranks from LIV given us reason to talk about him more frequently for good reasons this year. Since Reed left LIV, he's won twice on the DP World Tour, all but assuring he will regain PGA Tour membership in 2027, if not sooner. He's a former Masters winner but that's not the only reason I like him this week.

Patrick Reed is 4th since 2019 in Total Strokes Gained at Augusta National. That's the year after his win here by the way. Reed has consistently dominated at this venue, with 5 top 12 finishes in his last 6 starts here. He's playing perhaps the best golf we've seen out of him since LIV, and he's more motivated than ever to return to the PGA Tour. Recently, he's been gaining strokes in all facets of the game, and if Augusta is playing as firm and fast as reported early this week, he's going to be an absolute menace around the greens. Reed presents a great opportunity to start your cards in the placements markets.

 

 

 

The Masters One & Done Pick: Jon Rahm

I'm not sure there is a hotter golfer on planet Earth than Jon Rahm right now. Let's take a look at his placements dating back to the Open Championship in July: T5th, T2nd, 2nd, T13th, T9th, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 5th, 2nd. If these finishes were on the PGA Tour as opposed to the DP World Tour and LIV, we'd be talking about Rahm as the betting favorite for this event.

Not only does Rahm have insane recent form coming into this event, but he's also historically been a strong player at Augusta. From 2018 to 2021, he never finished worse than T9th, and while he's “struggled” comparatively since, 2023 was the year of his win, and in 2025 he finished T14th. This is where recent form comes back into play, as this is the best Jon Rahm we've seen. He's more motivated than ever to win a major, and this is a prime opportunity for him to do just that.

 

 

 

The Masters Long Shot Pick: Jake Knapp (67/1 at DraftKings)

Jake Knapp has been on fire in 2026, and is play is setting him up to have a legit chance to take home the Green Jacket this week. Knapp missed the cut at the Players this year, but past that has just one finish outside the top 10 in an event (and he finished 11th). He's been one of the best drivers of the golf ball on the planet, but more importantly he's on an incredible heater with the putter, as he currently ranks 2nd on tour in Strokes Gained: Putting. Perhaps more importantly, he leads the entire PGA Tour in Total Strokes Gained. If we were getting this type of profile at any event besides The Masters, we'd be talking about a betting favorite in the event, not a long shot. We know the Masters isn't an event that a long shot typically wins, but Jake Knapp is not your ordinary long-shot.