Masters 2026 Contenders

Q: Matt Fitzpatrick

🔥 In-form Major Winner 22/1 Fresh off winning the Valspar Championship — holing a clutch 14-footer on the last — Fitzpatrick is generating serious early buzz and for good reason. He's a US Open champion, he's precise, he's analytical, and Augusta rewards both of those things. He came agonisingly close at the Players the week before Valspar too. Fitz is arriving at Augusta with momentum, confidence and a game built for the course. He's right at the top of our shortlist.

Q: Cameron Young

🏆 Players Champion — Riding the Wave 25/1 The Players champion. Let that sink in. Young has the complete game — length off the tee, iron play that makes Augusta's par-5s look like par-4s, and a short game that keeps him in contention on the trickiest greens in golf. Coming to Augusta as Players champion, full of confidence, with absolutely nothing to lose? That's a dangerous combination. Very much on our card.

Q: Justin Thomas

💪 Back from Injury — Something to Prove 28/1 JT has been quietly rebuilding after injury and looked sharp in recent weeks. Augusta suits his ball-striking profile perfectly — he hits it high, shapes it both ways, and has the course management brain to navigate Amen Corner without drama. When JT is healthy and confident, he's a major contender every single time. We think he's closer to full fitness than the markets are pricing in.

Q: Xander Schauffele

⛳ Five Top-10s in Last Seven Augusta Starts 16/1 The putting wobble that worried us earlier in the season showed signs of correction at The Players. Schauffele has been knocking on Augusta's door for years, and his record here is frankly extraordinary. Five top-10s in his last seven starts. If the flatstick is back — and there are early signs it might be — he's the most dangerous player in the field at 16/1.

Q: Justin Rose

🌹 The Eternal Augusta Threat 50/1 At 45, Justin Rose defies everything the modern game tells us about age and peak performance. He has more Augusta top-10s than most players half his age, his patience and course management are second to none, and he has a major on his CV already. He quietly contends at every tournament that demands precision over power. Don't sleep on Rosie. He's been lurking in Augusta's shadows for years waiting for exactly the right week.

Q: Ludvig Åberg

😤 Unfinished Business 14/1 Runner-up on his Augusta debut. Seventh last year. Then a final-day collapse at The Players that will have stung badly. Åberg is young, immensely talented and — crucially — he'll arrive at Augusta with a point to prove. Players who feel they owe Augusta something tend to go very deep indeed. The price has shortened since the season started, which tells you the market respects him too. We do as well.

Q: Sepp Straka

💧 Water Hazard Redemption Arc 66/1 Straka was playing some of the best golf of his life at The Players before the water hazards on the final day had other ideas. That kind of near-miss either breaks a player or fires them up for their next big stage. The Austrian is a beautifully consistent ball striker, has the temperament for major golf, and at 66/1 represents genuine each-way value for anyone looking for a punt with a decent payout. If he keeps the ball dry at Augusta, he could go deep.

Mar 27
4 min read

Forget the Favourites.

This Could Be Anyone's Green Jacket

Augusta National 12th hole — Amen Corner with azaleas in bloom, Masters 2026

Rory's carrying a niggle. Scheffler's in a slump. The LIV lads are out of competitive rhythm. Here's who we're actually watching at Augusta this year.

Every year, Augusta National hands out a green jacket to the player who holds their nerve over four days on one of the most demanding, beautiful, and unforgiving courses in the world. Every year, someone tells us it's Scheffler's to lose. And every year, the Masters does exactly what it wants. This year, we think it's going to do it again.

Let's start with the elephant on the fairway. Rory McIlroy arrives as defending champion — fresh off completing his career Grand Slam in one of the most emotionally charged moments in recent major history. Brilliant. Except he's nursing a back injury, his putting stats have fallen off a cliff (outside the top 100 in strokes gained), and he's had minimal competitive prep. Going back-to-back at Augusta is brutally hard even when you're at 100%. Right now, Rory isn't at 100%.

As for Scottie Scheffler — yes, he's the world No. 1, yes he's won two green jackets, yes he's a golfing machine. But he's also on a five-tournament losing streak by his own extraordinary standards, he's just withdrawn from Houston this week, and at 9/2 you're paying a serious premium for a player who isn't quite firing on all cylinders. The value isn't there.

And the LIV contingent? Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm both arrive with question marks. LIV fields — with all due respect — don't replicate the pressure-cooker intensity of a Sunday at Augusta. Rahm's Augusta record has actually deteriorated since joining LIV, and Bryson is as capable of a water-ball-water triple bogey as he is a birdie-birdie-eagle run. We love the entertainment. We're less sure about backing them with real money.

The Masters 2026 Contenders We're Actually Watching 👀

Matt Fitzpatrick

🔥 In-form Major Winner 22/1

Fresh off winning the Valspar Championship — holing a clutch 14-footer on the last — Fitzpatrick is generating serious early buzz and for good reason. He's a US Open champion, he's precise, he's analytical, and Augusta rewards both of those things. He came agonisingly close at the Players the week before Valspar too. Fitz is arriving at Augusta with momentum, confidence and a game built for the course. He's right at the top of our shortlist.

Cameron Young

🏆 Players Champion — Riding the Wave 25/1

The Players champion. Let that sink in. Young has the complete game — length off the tee, iron play that makes Augusta's par-5s look like par-4s, and a short game that keeps him in contention on the trickiest greens in golf. Coming to Augusta as Players champion, full of confidence, with absolutely nothing to lose? That's a dangerous combination. Very much on our card.

Justin Thomas

💪 Back from Injury — Something to Prove 28/1

JT has been quietly rebuilding after injury and looked sharp in recent weeks. Augusta suits his ball-striking profile perfectly — he hits it high, shapes it both ways, and has the course management brain to navigate Amen Corner without drama. When JT is healthy and confident, he's a major contender every single time. We think he's closer to full fitness than the markets are pricing in.

Xander Schauffele

⛳ Five Top-10s in Last Seven Augusta Starts 16/1

The putting wobble that worried us earlier in the season showed signs of correction at The Players. Schauffele has been knocking on Augusta's door for years, and his record here is frankly extraordinary. Five top-10s in his last seven starts. If the flatstick is back — and there are early signs it might be — he's the most dangerous player in the field at 16/1.

Our Dark Horse Trio 🎯

This is where it gets fun. Augusta has a long and glorious history of handing the green jacket to someone the casual fan didn't see coming. Here are three names we'd be having a small flutter on.

Justin Rose

🌹 The Eternal Augusta Threat 50/1

At 45, Justin Rose defies everything the modern game tells us about age and peak performance. He has more Augusta top-10s than most players half his age, his patience and course management are second to none, and he has a major on his CV already. He quietly contends at every tournament that demands precision over power. Don't sleep on Rosie. He's been lurking in Augusta's shadows for years waiting for exactly the right week.

Ludvig Åberg

😤 Unfinished Business 14/1

Runner-up on his Augusta debut. Seventh last year. Then a final-day collapse at The Players that will have stung badly. Åberg is young, immensely talented and — crucially — he'll arrive at Augusta with a point to prove. Players who feel they owe Augusta something tend to go very deep indeed. The price has shortened since the season started, which tells you the market respects him too. We do as well.

Sepp Straka

💧 Water Hazard Redemption Arc 66/1

Straka was playing some of the best golf of his life at The Players before the water hazards on the final day had other ideas. That kind of near-miss either breaks a player or fires them up for their next big stage. The Austrian is a beautifully consistent ball striker, has the temperament for major golf, and at 66/1 represents genuine each-way value for anyone looking for a punt with a decent payout. If he keeps the ball dry at Augusta, he could go deep.

🏌️ The ChippedIn Call

We're not writing off Scheffler entirely — the man is a freak of nature and two green jackets don't lie. Our gut says the real Masters 2026 contenders are being underestimated by the market. Fitzpatrick and Cameron Young for the each-way money, a small flutter on Justin Rose for the romance of it, and Åberg if you believe — as we do — that he's one week away from announcing himself as the next dominant force in major golf. Augusta, we can't wait.

The Masters begins Thursday 9th April. We'll be watching every shot, every putt, every agonising lip-out. And we'll be back with our round-by-round takes as it unfolds.

Who's your pick? Let us know in the comments — or come argue with us on social. ⛳

ChippedIn — Seriously good golf. Golf content, club strategy, one obsession.

Follow the journey. Share the post. Back a dark horse.