It’s Masters Week, which explains why we have a hankering for pimento cheese and anything with peaches in it. It also means we have an appointment viewing on Sunday for the final round of a tournament that surpassed iconic and historic decades ago.
Speaking of “iconic” and “historic,” the 2026 Masters marks the 40th anniversary of Jack Nicklaus’ charge for the ages; and if you want to trigger the goosebumps, find the YouTube broadcast of Sunday’s back nine, pour yourself a drink, and marvel at one of the greatest tournaments in golf history.
It also marks the first time since 1994—or only eight years after “The Bear came out of hibernation” (as we cue Jim Nantz’s memorable call after Nicklaus’ birdie on 16)—that neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson is in the field. It will be surreal and a little odd not to see one or both stalking the hilly fairways of Augusta National. But at the same time, it will allow CBS Golf Producer Sellers Shy and his team freedom from having to chronicle every Tiger/Phil twitch—eight combined green jackets aside.
Again, history marches on. And we might as well start with one of the primary writers of modern golf history—Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler Slump
Despite the fact that the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer hasn’t popped up in his usual top-10 leaderboard haunts since a top 10 at Pebble Beach in mid-February. That might as well be the Pleistocene Era for Scheffler, who has a T12 (Genesis), T24 (Arnold Palmer Invitational), and T22 (Players Championship) since.
We’ll put aside the peach cobbler for the moment and discuss Scheffler, because the betting favorite (+550 at BetMGM) and two-time (2022, 2024) donner of the green jacket hasn’t finished worse than T10 since 2022 and is 6-for-6 in top 20 finishes. Scheffler checks all kinds of boxes for a potential Masters winner, beginning with his low odds. Each of the last three winners: Rory McIlroy last year, Scheffler (2024), and Jon Rahm (2023) have gone off at single-digit numbers. And six of the last seven were 15-1 or less.
The Masters generally rewards its stars. Five of the last six champions were ranked in the top three on the Official World Golf Rankings, and Charl Schwartzel in 2011 was the last player ranked outside the top 25 to wear a green jacket. Except when it doesn’t. Yes, we’re talking about you, Schwartzel, Danny Willett, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, and Angel Cabrera. All five went off at 80-1 or greater.
Yes, Scheffler has led the world in Strokes Gained: Approach the last three seasons—always a reliable barometer for Augusta National success, given the course is a second-shot course that rewards approaches to the proper places. And while he’s currently an unScheffleresque 80th, we are talking about the most dominant player this decade. Add it up, and you understand why his Masters favored-nation status holds true.
But there’s better value elsewhere. And here’s where that elsewhere lies in terms of value and opportunity.
Cameron Young to Win:+2000 (BetMGM)
Here’s a trend that could be your friend. The last two players to win the Players Championship, Scheffler in 2024 and McIlroy last year, won the Masters. And Young certainly fits the profile of a player who could complete the trifecta of that trend. He has six top 10 finishes in major championships over the last four years, is ranked No. 3 in the world, and his tee-to-green game is a perfect fit for Augusta National—with two top 10s and two top 20s as proof. Both top 10s came in the last three seasons, and Young’s current form provides a function for success this week. His last three starts were T7 (Genesis), T3 (Arnold Palmer Invitational), and the Players win. Should you care to hedge, Young is +220 for a top 10 at Caesars.
Justin Rose to be Low Englishman:+350 (BetMGM)
One look at the odds board on this player prop reminds us how quickly we forget that Rose lost in a playoff to McIlroy last year. We also forget that Rose is a three-time Masters runner-up who is the only player in history to lose two playoffs: last year’s and in 2017 to Sergio Garcia. And, as we see both Matt Fitzpatrick (+240) and the ubiquitous Tommy Fleetwood (+275) ahead of Rose on this prop, we’re due for a reminder that Rose has seven top 10 and 12 top 20s in his 20 appearances at Augusta National. It would also behoove us to remember Rose dismantled Torrey Pines in February, setting the event scoring record (-23/265) in going wire-to-wire at the Farmers Insurance Open. And in case you need more mental refreshment, Rose is fifth in Greens in Regulation and ninth in Strokes Gained: Approach. Should your memory return and audacity set in, he’s +3000 to win at BetMGM.
Jacob Bridgeman to make the Top 10:+500 (Caesars)
Yes, it’s one of the shibboleths of the Masters that rookies not named Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 don’t win on a course that rewards knowledge and experience. But it’s also a fact that three rookies: Sungjae Im (2020), Will Zalatoris (2021), and Ludvig Aberg (2024) have finished second just this decade. Go back to the 2010s, and you find Jason Day (2011), Jonas Blixt, and Jordan Spieth (2014). And we’re expecting 2026 to reward Bridgeman in his Masters debut. Why the optimism in only his third career major? Bridgeman hasn’t finished outside the top 18 in eight PGA Tour events this year. That includes winning a Signature Event on one of the most storied courses in the country: the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, where he held off Masters champions McIlroy and Adam Scott. That was one of Bridgeman’s four top 10s this year, a season powered by consistency (No. 2 for Strokes Gained: Total) and putting (No. 1 for Strokes Gained: Putting). We think this travels very well, even at Augusta.
Akshay Bhatia to win:+5500 (BetMGM)
Yes, we’re missing Lefty Mickelson this week. But we have a potential left-handed substitute in three-time winner Bhatia, who captured his biggest victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month. That’s one of the 24-year-old’s five consecutive top 16 finishes since missing the cut in his first two 2026 events. So Bhatia brings good form to Augusta National, which leads us to one of our golf betting mantras: In every major, it’s worth it to take a flier on a long-odds prospect who fits the profile of that event’s typical winners. With a strong overall game (fifth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green), solid approach game (eighth in Strokes Gained: Approach) and putter (10th in Strokes Gained: Putting), Bhatia fits that profile. Plus, there’s that left-handed thingie. Lefties may represent only 10 percent of the American population, but they account for 25 percent of this century’s Masters winners.
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