2026-03-30 Masters Tournament

Masters Tournament

Your weekly guide to fantasy golf on the PGA TOUR

⛳ This week on the PGA TOUR

MASTERS EXTENDED EDITION!

Tournament: Masters Tournament
Date: April 9 – 12, 2026
Venue: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Purse: $21,000,000+ (winner $4.2+ million) TBD
Cut Rule: Top 50 players and ties after 36 holes
Course Details: Designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie in collaboration with Bobby Jones, this par‑72 masterpiece will stretch to 7,565 yards this week, demanding both precision and creativity in equal measure. While it doesn’t overwhelm with bunkers, the real defense lies in its dramatic elevation changes, sloping fairways, and some of the most demanding green complexes in championship golf. Approach play and distance control are everything — shots that land on the wrong tier or miss long can quickly turn birdies into stress‑free bogeys (or worse). Length is a factor, but power alone isn’t enough. Players must shape shots both directions, control spin into elevated targets, and understand that recovery shots around the greens are often more valuable than raw driving numbers. Historically, the par‑5s decide the tournament, while mistakes tend to compound quickly on the closing stretch.
What’s New This Year: The setup remains largely traditional, but there is one subtle yet meaningful tweak: the par‑4 17th hole has been lengthened to 450 yards, pushing total course yardage to its longest ever. It was already among the toughest holes on the property, and the added length reinforces the premium on strong long‑iron play late on Sunday.
Weather: Mother Nature looks poised to cooperate this week in Augusta, with temperatures climbing from the low 70s on Thursday into the low-to-mid 80s by the weekend and minimal rain chances throughout — a rarity given that the Masters has seen rain in seven consecutive years. Expect the course to play firm and fast, which should reward players with sharp iron play and the ability to handle slick, dried-out greens.
FedEx Points: 750 points to the winner.

It’s Masters week — the crown jewel of the golf calendar — and the 90th edition of the tournament feels as wide open as any in recent memory. Rory McIlroy returns to Augusta as defending champion after last year’s dramatic playoff victory over Justin Rose completed the career Grand Slam, and he’ll chase history this week: only Jack Nicklaus (1965–66), Nick Faldo (1989–90), and Tiger Woods (2001–02) have ever gone back-to-back in a green jacket. Standing in his way is a loaded 91-player field headlined by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who’s hunting a third Masters title in four years despite not having teed it up in nearly a month. The LIV Golf contingent adds serious firepower with Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau both among the betting favorites, while Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Ludvig Åberg represent the next wave of elite talent looking to break through at Augusta. Notably absent this year are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who won’t be on the grounds at all — a reminder that the torch is well and truly being passed. With new qualifying criteria bringing in winners from several international opens for the first time and dry, fast conditions in the forecast, this week has all the ingredients for a memorable first major of 2026.

Past Champions:

2025: Rory McIlroy (-11)
2024: Scottie Scheffler (-11)
2023: Jon Rahm (12)
2022: Scottie Scheffler (-10)
2021: Hideki Matsuyama (-10)

Play This Week on Majors Challenge

🏌️ Players to Watch (and a Few to Fade)

Augusta National has a way of separating pretenders from contenders, and course history matters here more than almost anywhere else on tour. This week’s 91-player field is one of the smaller Masters fields in recent memory, and it arrives with an unmistakable changing-of-the-guard feel — for the first time since 1994, neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson will be on the grounds, with Woods stepping away to focus on his health and Mickelson tending to a private family matter. But what this field lacks in nostalgia it more than makes up for in firepower. Twenty-two Masters rookies will make their first walk down Magnolia Lane, including several who earned invitations through Augusta’s newly expanded qualifying criteria for international open winners. Ten LIV Golf players are in the mix alongside the PGA Tour’s best, and the 26-and-under crowd has been doing serious damage on tour this season. Experience still reigns at Augusta — over the last two decades, the average Masters champion has been playing in his ninth tournament here — but this feels like a week where the next generation could make a serious statement.

Here are some notable names to consider—and a few to be wary of:

Scottie Scheffler – The world No. 1 has won two of the last four green jackets (2022, 2024) and has been the most dominant player in golf over the last three years. He hasn’t played in nearly a month after the birth of his second child, but his putting has been elite this season — 17th on tour in strokes gained: putting — and this is a course where his iron play and course management make him almost matchup-proof. He’s the rightful favorite for a reason.
Jon Rahm – The 2023 Masters champion has quietly been one of the hottest players in golf, finishing inside the top 10 in five of his last nine starts. Rahm has five top-10 finishes at Augusta since 2018, tied for the most in that span. His right-to-left ball flight is tailor-made for this course, and his experience as a former champion gives him an edge that’s hard to quantify.
Rory McIlroy – The defending champion finally broke through here last year in a playoff over Justin Rose, completing the career Grand Slam. Only three men have ever gone back-to-back at the Masters, and while that’s a tall order, McIlroy’s game has never been more complete. The pressure of the Grand Slam chase is gone — he might actually play more freely this time around.
Bryson DeChambeau – DeChambeau has finished top 6 in each of the last two Masters and won his last two LIV Golf starts in March, so the form is there. His length gives him a huge advantage on the par 5s, and he’s clearly figured out how to manage this course better than he did earlier in his career.
Ludvig Åberg – The Swede was runner-up at the 2024 Masters in just his first appearance and followed that up with a solo seventh last year. At 26, he already looks like he belongs at Augusta, and his elite ball-striking profiles perfectly for this course. He’s quickly building the kind of course history that wins green jackets.
Hideki Matsuyama – The 2021 champion knows every inch of this place. Matsuyama’s approach play remains among the best in the world, and his experience navigating Augusta’s treacherous greens gives him a floor that most of the field can’t match.
Matt Fitzpatrick – Flying a bit under the radar, the 2022 U.S. Open champion currently ranks second on tour in strokes gained tee-to-green and seventh in approach — exactly the stats that matter most this week.
Russell Henley – One of the quieter contenders in the field, but Henley has finished in the top 10 in four of his last six major starts. That kind of consistency in big moments at big courses is hard to ignore.

Potential Fades:

Xander Schauffele – This one might be controversial given his talent, but Schauffele has had a rough start to 2026 with missed cuts and poor finishes. He’s dropped to 76th in total putting after ranking third in 2024, and he has more missed cuts than top-5 finishes over his last four trips to Augusta. The form simply isn’t there right now.
Tyrrell Hatton – Multiple experts are fading Hatton this week. While his game has improved since joining LIV, Augusta’s demand for precision around the greens has historically been a poor fit for his tendencies.
Viktor Hovland – Hovland has just one top-20 finish in six Masters starts, has struggled with his driver this season, and has lost strokes around the green in four of his last five starts. Until he proves he can handle Augusta’s short-game demands, he’s a risky play at his price.
Collin Morikawa – The two-time major champion has been battling a back injury that forced him to withdraw from The Players Championship after just one hole and pull out of the Valero Texas Open entirely last week. He says he’ll tee it up Thursday, but he admitted Monday that he’s “taking it day by day” and that parts of his body aren’t cooperating the way he wants. Despite four straight top-15 finishes at Augusta including a T3 in 2024, it’s hard to trust a player who hasn’t completed a tournament round in nearly a month and is managing his way through Masters week rather than attacking it.

Win great prizes at THE MASTERS

Play in the Perfect Team Challenge sponsored by Shot Scope at The Masters for your chance to win $250,000 and great prizes from Shot Scope. Enter now for FREE!

🧐 Did You Know?

The Par-3 Curse is real. Every Wednesday before the tournament, players compete in a lighthearted par-3 contest where kids and family members often serve as caddies. Sounds harmless enough — except no winner of the par-3 contest has ever gone on to win the Masters in the same year. Ever. Some players who find themselves in contention have been known to intentionally concede the par-3 title just to dodge the jinx.
A pimento cheese sandwich at Augusta will set you back just $1.50 — a price that hasn’t budged since 2003. In a world where a beer at most sporting events costs more than a round of golf at your local muni, Augusta National’s concession prices remain frozen in time and are part of what makes the patron experience unlike anything else in sports.
Each of the 18 holes is named after a tree or shrub found on the property, a nod to the course’s origins as Fruitland Nurseries — one of the largest commercial nurseries in the South. Before it was hallowed golfing ground, the land was growing azaleas, magnolias, and camellias. You’ll still see those plantings lining every fairway, and if you’ve ever wondered why the place looks like a botanical garden on TV, now you know.
The green jacket never leaves the clubhouse — unless you just won it. First-year champions are allowed to take the jacket home for a year, but after that, it must be returned to Augusta National and stored in the champion’s locker. Every past winner has a jacket hanging in the clubhouse at all times, and if they want to wear it, they can only do so on the grounds. The one exception? Gary Player accidentally took his home to South Africa after winning in 1961 and reportedly got a stern call from the club asking him to bring it back.

🤔 Fantasy Strategy

If you’re building lineups for the Masters, the stat you should be weighting most heavily is strokes gained: approach. It’s the single most predictive metric for success at Augusta, and it has been for years. The greens here are enormous but wildly contoured — missing the correct tier almost guarantees a three-putt, so finding the right portion of the green on your approach is everything. Over the last five years, approach play has accounted for nearly 30% of all strokes gained for players finishing inside the top 5. For five consecutive years, the Masters winner has also finished inside the top 10 in strokes gained: around the green, so short game matters just as much as the long stuff once you’re inside 50 yards.

The other key to cracking Augusta in fantasy formats is par 5 scoring. The four par 5s are all reachable in two for the longer hitters, and winning scores typically feature somewhere between 8- and 12-under on those holes alone. Players who can overpower the par 5s while staying disciplined on Augusta’s demanding par 4s are the ones who post the numbers that win you contests.

With dry, firm conditions expected all week, prioritize ball-strikers over pure putters — the greens will be fast and the fairways will be running, making accuracy into the green even more critical than usual.

Sleepers to Consider:

Adam Scott – The 2013 champion is quietly having a solid season and still owns one of the prettiest swings in golf. More importantly, he’s made 21 of 24 career cuts at Augusta and currently ranks fifth on tour in strokes gained: approach. He knows every slope on these greens, and at this price, you’re getting elite course history and the exact stat profile that wins here.
Corey Conners – Conners is one of the best iron players on the PGA Tour and has been for several years. At a course where approach play is king, his ball-striking gives him a high floor. He’s made the cut in four of his last five Masters starts and profiles as the type of steady, accurate player who can quietly post a top-15 finish.
Sungjae Im – Im has four top-15 finishes in six Masters starts, including a runner-up in 2022. He’s a tireless competitor who plays well in big fields and big moments, and his consistency at Augusta makes him one of the safest mid-tier plays in the field.
Cameron Smith – The 2022 Open champion is a short-game wizard, and that skillset translates beautifully to Augusta’s slick, undulating greens. Smith finished top 5 here in both 2020 and 2022 and has the kind of creative touch around the greens that can save pars others can’t.
Tommy Fleetwood – The reigning FedEx Cup champion brings elite form and confidence into the week. Fleetwood’s ball flight and course management suit Augusta well, and he’s playing with the kind of consistency that makes him a reliable floor play in any format.

⭐️ Pro Tip: In a week where dry conditions will make Augusta’s greens play like glass, stack your lineups with elite ball-strikers who gain strokes on approach — the guy who can land it on the correct shelf of these massive greens will beat the bomber chasing birdies from the wrong tier every single time.

Looking to run a fantasy contest this week?

Add this week’s tournament to your existing Majors Challenge league or start a new one and invite your friends to join the action.

CREATE A LEAGUE

❎ One-and-Done Corner

The Masters does not announce the official purse until later in the week, but last year, it was raised to a total prize purse of $21,000,000, with $4,200,000 going to the first-place winner. If there is any increase this year, it will push closer to the $4,500,000 Cameron Young earned for winning THE PLAYERS Championship, and should be treated as a top-three event for One and Done pools.

This year feels more open, at least in terms of contenders, as unlike the past 3-4 years, where one golfer was peaking entering the event and then won it (Rahm, Scheffler, McIlroy), we’ve had a wider group of big winners

It’s not a week to get too crazy, as the top tier of golfers includes many veterans who have won here, along with others who are among the leaders in form heading into Augusta. Translation: go with a big name this week.

The temptation in a one-and-done format this week is to burn a premium name like Scheffler or Rahm at a course where the cream almost always rises to the top — and that’s not a bad play if you still have them available. But if you’ve already used the big guns, this is a week to target experienced, high-floor players who fit Augusta’s DNA rather than swinging for the fences on a longshot. The ideal one-and-done profile here is a player with multiple Masters starts under his belt, elite strokes gained on approach, a reliable short game, and the ability to score on the par 5s. Think accuracy and creativity over raw power. Course history is arguably more predictive at Augusta than at any other venue on tour, so lean toward players who have consistently made the weekend and posted top-25 finishes here rather than a first-timer riding hot form.

Looking for more articles, help with your picks or One-And-Done strategy?
Check with the experts at Pool Genius.

💰 Select Betting Odds

Top Favorites
Scottie Scheffler +500
Jon Rahm +1000
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Rory McIlroy +1300
Ludvig Åberg +1800

Mid Tier Contenders
Patrick Reed +4000
Collin Morikawa +3500
Russell Henley +4500
Jordan Spieth +4500
Robert MacIntyre +3000

Long Shots
Sungjae Im +7000
Cameron Smith +8000
Adam Scott +7000
Jason Day +8000
Sepp Straka +8000

Visit Shot Scope for the latest in golf tech

Majors Challenge is the leading fantasy golf platform designed for everyday golf fans. Trusted by golf clubs, state golf associations, and charitable groups, we make it easy to run engaging, customizable fantasy golf contests. Whether you’re playing with friends or supporting a cause, Majors Challenge brings people together through friendly competition around the sport they love.

Masters Tournament

Discover more from Majors Challenge