Spring is here, the azaleas are in bloom and once again it is time for Jim Nantz to welcome us to the Masters. The Masters pools are closing soon and I have decided to correctly predict the entire top 15 for the 2026 Masters. No member of the media has ever correctly predicted or even attempted to accomplish such a feat. Get ready to take some notes and adjust your featured groups.
Post Masters Update: I correctly predicted 8 out of the top 15 golfers at The 2026 Masters. Is this good? I don’t know.
Adam Scott
A quick google search of Adam Scott will let you know that he has been feeling “relaxed” and “optimistic” about his chances in 2026 at Augusta. Unfortunately, optimism is only 10% of the ingredients required for success. If optimism was all we needed, I would still be with my first wife. Fortunately, Scott’s sweet classic swing makes up for about 70% of his shortcomings and when the putts start finding the hole on Friday, Adam makes his way into the top 15.
Adam Scott the actor still maintains a 25% edge over Adam Scott the golfer.
Pre Masters Prediction: T15
Round 1: T17
Scott shoots 72 on round 1 of The Masters which aligns perfectly with my predictions. The most impressive part of Scott’s 1st round was a particularly beautiful display of golf through Amen Corner. With a par on 11, a bomb birdie putt on 12 and an eagle on 13, Scott quickly picked up nearly 4 shots on the field.
Round 2: T39
Scott makes a double on 18 and cards a disappointing round of 74. At +2 going into the weekend, I still like Adam’s chances of holing some putts and finding a T15 finish. His chances at another green jacket are all but gone.
Round 3: T36
Scott shoots 70 and maintains a respectable position at even par. Gonna need some greatness to move into a tie for 15th.
Round 4: T24
Scoot shoots another 70 and finishes in the top 25. Adam Scott the actor, retains his 25% edge over Adam Scott the golfer.
Robert MacIntyre
With only ten rounds of competitive golf played at Augusta National and with just one of those scores in the 60’s, Robbie Mac is a long shot to put on the green jacket. However, I followed him for several days in the sideways rain at the 2025 Dunhill Links and I was seriously impressed with his mental fortitude and ability to execute shots in ridiculous circumstances. Unfortunately, Augusta is far less turbulent than the coast of Scotland.
Pre Masters Prediction: T15
Round 1: T82
Everything appeared manageable for the Scottish lad until Robert rinsed two golf balls in the pond on 15 en route to a freaking 9. The only cool thing about that 9 was that Fred Couples also made a 9 on 15 earlier in the day. Sadly, Robbie Mac hung a big fat 80 on the board, slammed some clubs and flipped off the golf course. He needs a miracle to make the cut and a great round to leave Augusta with some dignity.
Round 2: MC
There was an abundance of Friday broadcast coverage for a guy that shot 80 on Thursday. After an opening double, a solemn Macintyre found some birdies but never once looked like he was enjoying himself. This dude is going home early and grumpy.
Patrick Cantlay
Due to the exceptional timing of the broadcast crews that follow Patrick Cantlay, you probably don’t dislike him as much as you could. The camera only cuts to Cantlay after he has stood over the ball contemplating a series of life decisions for about 55 seconds. They are keenly aware that it is on the 60th second that something triggers in his brain and he finally swings the golf club.
Nobody really knows what Cantlay is thinking about as he stares at his golf ball for the same amount of time that it takes to buy a used car, but it really does not matter, because Patrick Cantlay is fucking great at golf. This dude almost always makes the cut and has a habit of finishing inside the top 25. He will not change his course or his pace of play in 2026.
Pre Masters Prediction: 13th place
Round 1: T65
Uninspired golf from Cantlay and a day one 76. I tried to watch the entire broadcast and I don’t think they showed him one time. A round with 5 bogies and 13 pars isn’t fun to watch and its especially less entertaining when Patrick Cantlay is doing it.
Round 2: T24
A bogey free 67 was just what Cantlay needed to minimize the damage of his opening round 76. Patrick is back on track for a 13th place finish. Given the unlikable nature of Cantlay, we can expect that all of this will happen behind the scenes of the broadcast.
Round 3: T9
Cantlay fires a blemish free blistering 66 to move into the top 10 placing him in prime position to take 13th place. As predicted the cameras shied away from Cantlay even with a round of 66. A 71 on Sunday should land him as projected.
Round 4: T12
Cantlay shoots 73 while nobody cares. This is about as accurate as you can be when predicting a finish at a golf tournament.
Justin Rose
Few things in golf have aged quite as gracefully as Justin Rose. Even with 3 runner up finishes at the Masters, he manages to learn something from every defeat. Were others will carry heavy scar tissue, Rosey has managed to wear his defeats with a level of decorum that inspires us all to relish 2nd place.
“If you’re going to be willing to win them, you’ve got to be willing to kind of be on the wrong side of it as well.”
Sadly, Rose, and 90 other players end up on the wrong side of victory again this year.
Pre Masters Prediction: 12th place
Round 1: T6
Despite a pair of late bogies on 17 and 18, Rosey is looking damn fine out there. 5 birdies shows some nice firepower and Rose is trending far better than my 12th place projection. Justin appears to be getting more and more comfortable with every trip around Augusta. I would love to see this trend continue.
Round 2: T4
Some great intensity from Justin Rose today. It wasn’t hard to feel the concentration from my seat on the couch as he played his way to a marvelous round of 69. Rose is only 7 shots back and if anyone wants a piece of McIlroy on Sunday, its gonna be Justin Rose. A 12th place finish is unlikely as Justin looks to be a man on a mission.
Round 3: T5
Rose delivers a mistake free 69 on Saturday. Nobody has been as calculated and precise as Justin Rose through 3 days. With only 5 bogies for the entire tournament, Rose has limited his mistakes while staying patient. If he catches a heater on Sunday, we could see Rose in a green jacket.
Round 4: T3
After opening with a front nine 32, Rose had a great chance to win this golf tournament. 3 bogies on the back nine, with an especially bad miss on 17, took him out of contention. While Rose had avoided bogies all week long, he found a handful when it mattered most. T3 is a great finish, but this one will sting for Rose.
Chris Gotterup
I don’t know much about Chris, but I do know enough about the people that know a lot about golf to know that Gotterup is a man that is worth keeping an eye on. Some half assed internet research will tell you that Chris has 4 PGA Tour victories, but somehow, he has never competed in The Masters before. Just like those t-shirts in the mid 1990’s this is a man that is gonna play with NO FEAR.
Pre Masters Prediction: 11th place
Round 1: T17
Things are going marginally better than I expected from Gotterup. 4 birdies and 4 bogies and a round of even par is awesome for anyone’s’ first round of competitive golf at Augusta National. This dude could sneak inside of the top 10 now that he’s got a feel for the Masters vibe.
Round 2: T13
Good stuff today from Gotterup as he shoots 69 with 7 birdies, 4 bogies, and just 7 pars. An 11th place finish looks likely as Chris gets more and more comfortable with Augusta National.
Round 3: T21
Gotterup came out of the gates with an eagle on 2 and it looked like we might see a first time break into the top 10. However, a handful of bogeys kept Gotterup from making a real solid charge. He’s gonna need some serious heat on Sunday if he wants to challenge for the lead, an 11th place finish still looks likely.
Round 4: T24
Chris shoots 73 on Sunday. At -2 for his first Masters, Gotterup has gotta be pleased with his performance. Not 11th but still a top 25 at The Masters.
Wyndham Clark
Despite causing excessive amounts of physical damage to previous major venues, golf’s greatest rage monster is still allowed to visit and actually compete on golf’s most pristine stage. Look for Wyndham to show some early signs of greatness and then lose his competitive edge after a series of mildly unfortunate bounces midway through his Friday round.
Pre Masters Prediction: Missed Cut
Round 1: T17
Wyndham managed to not punch any scoreboards or throw any clubs en route to a smooth sailing 72. If this keeps up, we will be forced to watch Wyndham on the weekend. Still looking forward to those unfortunate bounces on Friday.
Round 2: T7
Unfortunately for me, those unfortunate bounces never came on Friday. Wyndham drove the ball well and golfed his way to a solid 68. With my projection of a missed cut, a top 10 position for Clark is a major dent on my resume.
Round 3: T15
Wyndham graced the front page of the leaderboard after a 33 on the front nine. A 39 on the second nine brought him to the edge of striking distance at -4 under par.
Round 4: T21
Wyndham shoots 73 and took up exactly 0 minutes of airtime on the Sunday broadcast.
Tommy Fleetwood
I don’t think anyone is gonna be surprised when Fleetwood fires a first round 66 to lead the opening round of the 2026 Masters. They also aren’t gonna be surprised when he comes back to the field with a 76 on Friday.
Apparently, Fleetwood has some sort of magic 9 wood that allows him to navigate the par 5’s and longer par 3’s. While that may be true, it gives him little advantage over those hitting 7 irons into the same greens.
Pre Masters Prediction: T9
Round 1: T10
Aside from that opening round 66, Fleetwood fell in line with my predictions perfectly. Tommy and his long flowing English locks navigated Augusta National like a seasoned veteran. It’s a smooth 71 for Tommy and a great opening position. I am looking forward to more fireworks from Fleetwood over the next few days.
Round 2: T4
Towards the end of competition on Friday, Fleetwood made an eagle on 15 and moved to 6 under par. At the time, he was just a few shots off of McIlroy’s lead. At the end of the day, he finds himself 7 shots behind Rory, which is somehow one of the best spots to challenge McIlroy on the weekend. At this point, a T9 finish would be disappointing for Fleetwood.
Round 3: T15
It was a disappointing moving day for Fleetwood. A lot of golfers made some great moves towards the top of the leaderboard and Fleetwood shot 73 to severely diminish his chances at contending. A T9 finish is back in the cards for Tommy.
Round 4: T33
Another disappointing round of golf from Fleetwood on Sunday. A 76 sends him sliding down the leaderboard as I miss badly with my T9 prediction.
Brooks Koepka
After keeping the cash and shedding his LIV demons, Brooks has demonstrated an uncanny ability to navigate the world of professional golf. His cavalier attitude about the things that don’t matter has caused him to focus deeply about the things that do matter. Fortunately, Brooks has decided that one of the things that matters most in life is winning the Masters. While his wife celebrates her life long goal of becoming a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model for the 3rd time, Brooks will have to wait another year for his 1st Masters victory.
Pre Masters Prediction: T9
Round 1: T17
As expected, Brooks smelled a major and has begun the process of sniffing around the top of the leaderboard. After 18 holes, there are 16 players at even par. It’s only Thursday, but this is prime striking territory for a run at the green jacket. You gotta like Brooks in this position.
Round 2: T13
Brooks shoots 69 and is showing some great signs of moving his way in contention for Sunday. Even though he might be simply contending for 2nd place.
Round 3: T15
I am certain that Koepka is a little frustrated with a Saturday 71 on a day where a good score could have put him in a great spot for some Sunday drama. 7 shots is a lot to make up on Sunday, but I am certain that Brooks feels very capable. T9 finish is likely.
Round 4: T12
Brooks didn’t have a good chance at winning this tournament, but he did have a good chance at realizing his T9 potential. A few strokes better and Koepka slides inside of the top 10.
Scottie Scheffler
Scottie is a SAVAGE. Despite a recent dip in form, you would have to be a clown to believe that Scheffler won’t figure into the Masters weekend situation. One of the key developments to consider is that Scheffler recently welcomed his second son into the world on March 27th. This year’s test will be Scottie’s ability to flip the switch on Dad Mode and into Win the Fucking Masters Mode. I am pretty sure that was a switch that he flipped easily on his 2012 GMC Yukon. The question is, can Scotty find that same switch on this week’s sponsor vehicle.
Pre Masters Prediction: 8th Place
Round 1: T6
Scottie is looking a lot like the Scottie that has won 2 green jackets. An eagle on the 2nd hole put Scheffler in a great position and he kept making pars like a robot for the rest of the day. We can certainly expect more of the same from Scheffler. If he finds some momentum, the field is in trouble.
Round 2: T24
A slow start from Scheffler and a pair of balls in the water on 13 and 15 led to a disappointing 74. Given that 22 of the last 24 Masters champions have come from within 6 shots of the lead, a 12 shot comeback from Scottie is unlikely. However, 8th place is still within his grasp.
Round 3: T7
The big Saturday story belongs to Scheffler. Scottie made an eagle on #2 and piled on 5 more birdies to shoot a tournament low 65. He started the day 12 back and is now only 4 shoots shy of the lead. Just like Scotties feet, Scheffler was moving on moving day. While my T7 prediction is tracking nicely, Scheffler now has his eyes on the first place prize.
Round 4: 2nd Place
Scottie shoots 68 and finds solo second. The 11 hole par stretch in the middle of his round prevented Scheffler from finding the lead and giving Rory an extra dose of nerves down the stretch.
Hideki Matsuyama
Who remembers Matsuyama’s caddie taking a bow on the 18th green after his player’s victory in 2021?? EVERYONE.
What most people forget is that Matsuyama, the actual golfer, doesn’t fucking miss. The dude already has 5 top 25 finishes this year. Hideki has also spent the exact right amount of time not being a Masters Champion that his thirst for a second jacket is at its peak. Sadly, it takes more than thirst, experience and elite level ball striking to reach the pinnacle of golf for a second time.
Pre Masters Prediction: 7th Place
Round 1: T17
A smooth 72 from Hideki leaves him in great position after one day and in an even better spot to make my 7th place prediction come to life. 14 pars with 2 birdies and 2 bogies is a great way to come out of the gates.
Round 2: T16
Hideki shoots 70 and holds his ground in what would normally be a great position for the weekend. Making up 10 shots in two days against McIlroy isn’t impossible, but it would be historic. 7th place looks likely.
Round 3: T29
Hideki shoots even par with 6 birdies, 6 bogies, and 6 pars. Despite the satanic numbers, things are looking possible to see Hideki crawl inside of the top 10 tomorrow.
Round 4: T12
I nail another top 15 pick with Matsuyama finishing T12 with a 69 on Sunday.
Xander Schauffele
Everyone knows that if you want to win the Masters you have got to come into the tournament HOT… and not just a couple of top tens hot. At a minimum, you are gonna need Christina Aguilera 2002-2003 levels of hotness in order to hit the ground running at Augusta National. Fortunately, Xander has exactly the right amount of hotness that we are looking for. After a 3rd place finish at Sawgrass and a T4 finish at the Valspar, Schauffele will sprint down Magnolia Lane to lead the tournament early and contend late into the weekend.
Pre Masters Prediction: 6th Place
Round 1: T6
Schauffele is my only prediction from round 1 that is dead on balls accurate. Xander comes out of the gates with a solid 70 that bested 85 other players in the field. A bounce back birdie on the difficult 17th is gonna leave some good mojo with Xander as he looks to get into prime time position for the weekend.
Round 2: T16
Xander held the ship steady on Friday but he did miss some great opportunities to move further up the leaderboard. A short miss on 16 and a trio of bogies on Amen corner put Schauffele slightly off track from realizing his 6th place destiny.
Round 3: T15
After a Saturday 70, Xander finds himself amongst the group of hopefuls at -4. That is right on the edge of golfers that could realistically capture the green jacket. 6th place would be a great finish for Xander.
Round 4: T9
I nailed another top 15 pick with Xander’s T9 finish. A smooth Sunday 68 came up just shy of my 6th place prediction.
Patrick Reed
In 2025, approximately 3% of golf fans wanted to watch Patrick Reed win The Masters again. After not renewing his contract with LIV in 2026, that figure is now up to 5%. Fortunately for Patrick Reed, he doesn’t give a shit about golf fans.
Hilarious jokes like stating that his 2018 green jacket is “getting a little lonely.” have only marginally increased his chances for victory. More importantly, they have clearly indicated his intentions and realigned his psyche for success at Augusta. Despite how much you dislike him, this dude just wants to win. Fortunately for golf fans, he comes up short after a solid effort.
Pre Masters Prediction: T4
Round 1: T3
After going out in 31 with 2 freaking eagles, Patrick Reed was acting like he was going to shoot 62 and try to win the tournament on Thursday morning. But as Patrick Reed surely knows, the tournament doesn’t even start until the back nine on Sunday. My P Reed prediction here looks to be manifesting quite nicely.
Round 2: T2
A second consecutive 69 from Patrick Reed and a 2nd place position would normally be fantastic. However, Reed is still 6 shots behind McIlroy. Reed is playing some fantastic golf and his only misstep of the day was a bogey on 18. Reed’s best strategy is to keep his head down and keep playing quality golf and hope that Rory stumbles.
Round 3: T9
After 3 straight birdies to start the day, Reed quickly shot towards the top of the leaderboard. After fizzling on the final 15 holes, Reed still finds himself with a good chance to insert himself into contention. At -6 a top ten finish for Patrick Reed is likely.
Round 4: T12
Patrick had a chance on Sunday but quickly made everyone forget that he actually made the cut. Nobody really minded his absence as he hangs a 73 on the board to drop out of the top 10.
Bryson Dechambeau
Golf’s #1 YouTube golfer is also one of the outright favorites to find himself in a green jacket in 2026. After a devastating defeat last year at the hands of McIlroy, Bryson returns to avenge his loss. One of his key weapons this week could be his very own self made golf clubs. Apparently, Bryson is building irons and a driver that should allow him to satisfy his club manufacturing desires and finally reach the apex of sport. Will those clubs provide him the mental superiority that he needs to beat the field? No.
In success and failure, Bryson is almost always entertaining to watch. The answer is going to be another year of anguish as the back nine sends him reeling and questioning the heel toe weight ratio of his 6 iron once again.
Pre Masters Prediction: T4
Round 1: T56
Things were going along smoothly until Bryson starting slapping his ball around in the sandbox on #11 like a toddler. After 3 bunker shots and a 7, the early damage was done. Bryson can certainly recover from an opening round 76 but he doesn’t have much wiggle room left for adventures in the sand.
Round 2: MC
Bryson needed just a bogey on 18 to make the cut and he decided to slap it around in the sand again. 2 poor shots from the greenside bunker led to a triple bogey 7 and an early exit. My T4 prediction ending up in a missed cut stings. This one is gonna drive Bryson mad for at least a month.
Jon Rahm
Jon continues to dominate LIV Golf and heads into the 2026 Masters in peak form. But is it really peak form? It is hard to tell when the competition is often compared to a Saturday scramble with the boys. I know those LIV guys are better than Bob Does Sports but the very highest levels of performance are often inspired by intense competition. This lack of intensity leaves me with doubts. Rahm has also managed to get himself into some drama with the DP World Tour leading to questions about his Ryder Cup eligibility.
Rahm is clearly uncomfortable discussing anything other than the Masters this week and I wonder if he has the ability to drown out such a noisy narrative. For a golfer that only gets 4 chances a year to capture the golf world’s attention, Rahm needs to bring his A game. The good news is that most golfers would sell a kidney for his B+ performance this week.
Pre Masters Prediction: T2
Round 1: T73
Rahm was easily the biggest flop of the day with his worst round of golf in Master’s history. He made exactly 0 birdies and combined those with 4 bogies and a miserable double. Rahm needed some sort of kick start to his round and it looked like he might jump on the gas after a fortunate bounce out of the trees on 13. Instead he hooked one deep into the forest and made 7. The only positive note is the 5 hole par streak Rahm is riding into Friday. He’s not out of it, but my T2 finish is looking seriously foolish right now.
Round 2: T47
Rahm shoots 70 and makes the cut on the number. Rahm doesn’t care about another guaranteed paycheck and he is gonna come out swinging this weekend. Expect some fireworks from Rahm as he attempts to climb a massive mountain towards the front half of the leaderboard. Nobody comes back from 16 shots down and T2 is a near impossibility.
Round 3: T48
Rahm shoots 73 today and he is done for. Aside from missing the cut, this is the worst possible performance that we could have hoped for from Rahm.
Round 4: T38
A 68 for Rahm on Sunday with nobody paying attention. Since Rahm will only play 12 rounds of golf this year that matter, he needs to get these reps in.
Rory McIlroy
The golden goose returns to the scene of his historic triumph last year. Is McIlroy officially freed from the chains that bound him for over a decade? Probably. But there are a million other reasons why golfers don’t win the Masters.
Rory certainly relishes his role as a Masters Champion and has been heavily involved with the Masters festivities leading up to the actual tournament. This sort of appreciation and respect will go a long way towards creating a comfortable environment for Rory to execute the rare repeat. Only Nicklaus, Faldo, and Tiger Woods have been able to successfully defend a Masters title. This is going to be the main storyline and I can’t wait to watch.
Pre Masters Prediction: T2
Round 1: T1
The story of the day was undoubtedly Mr McIlroy. With just one blemish on the card, Rory fired an opening round 67 in defense of his 2025 title. Its hard to imagine a scenario where Rory doesn’t figure into the weekend after such a marvelous opening display of ball striking and mental strength. Just like pimpin’, repeatin’ ain’t easy, but Rory is gonna get another good look at history this weekend.
Round 2: 1st place
It is a true pleasure to watch one of the best athletes in our sport play to the peak of their abilities and that is exactly what we witnessed on Friday from Rory McIlroy. After a hot start, the jets cooled for a bit until Rory hit terminator mode on the 12th hole. Rory would play the last 7 holes in 6 under par including an amazing chip/pitch shot from well off the green on #17.
Rory shoots 65 and has a record 6 shot lead going into the weekend. If Rory starts driving the golf ball better and keeps his foot on the gas, he is gonna win by 10. This could be a coronation instead of a golf tournament.
Round 3: T1
With a 6 shot lead, all eyes were on Rory today. Fortunately for the field, Rory did everything but keep his foot on the gas pedal. With a surging Saturday field, it only took him 12 holes to find himself in 2nd place. After dropping one in the water on #11 and making a bogey on 12, things felt eerily familiar for a moment. Rory didn’t flinch and never lost control. He managed to steady the ship with birdies on 14 and 15 and eventually found himself in a tie for the lead after 54 holes.
Even with the evaporation of his 6 shot lead, Rory still remains firmly in the driver’s seat. Playing with a massive lead at Augusta has always proven to be one of the most difficult tasks anyways. Fortunately for the viewer, 13 players are now within 6 shots of the field and Sunday has been set up for some serious Masters drama.
Round 4: Masters Champion
Even though I had Rory finishing in second place it was a pleasure to watch him prevail on Sunday. McIlroy strengthens his legacy as one of the all time greats as he joins Nicklaus, Faldo and Woods as the only golfers to successfully defend their Master’s titles. The key moment came on 12 when he stuck his approach, made the putt and then hit an absolute missile down the fairway on 13. While there were plenty of golfers around the lead, not a single challenger rose to meet Rory. With a shot to give on the 18th hole, Rory was able to make an easy bogey and cruise to his second green jacket. It would be wise to put $100 on the very first 3 peat in 2027 right now.
Ludvig Åberg
Effortless power, simplistic precision and a marvelously brisk pace of play will only get you so far in life. Fortunately, for Åberg, that place is inside of Butler cabin on Sunday afternoon.
Ladies and gentleman… Ludvig Åberg is your 2026 Masters Champion.
After being in contention on Sunday for his first two Masters appearances, Ludvig has all the experience that he needs to push himself across the finish line. A recent Sunday fade at The Players has properly motivated this young lad to step into the circle of golf immortality at the ripe young age of 26.
Pre Masters Prediction: Masters Champion
Round 1: T40
The young lad had it going and was -3 through 8 holes before Augusta gave him his first major speed bump of the week. A more experienced player might have avoided the tricky spots that Ludvig dropped 6 shots in a 5 hole stretch. Fortunately, Ludvig showed some resilience and righted the ship on the way home. Åberg’s 74 and his Thursday evening position aren’t ideal, but things can change pretty quickly with this Swedish stud.
Round 2: T24
Åberg is headed in the right direction with a solid 70 on Friday. A birdie on 18 should send him into the weekend with confidence but he is still 12 freaking shots back from McIlroy. Like almost every other golfer in the field, he is gonna need some help from our frontrunner if he looks to don the jacket. Gambling odds after round 2 are 200:1.
Round 3: T21
Ludvig needed more than a Saturday 69 to put the green jacket into the realm of possibilities. At -3, a Sunday 61 is now Åberg’s only remaining option. I am mentally prepared for another year of incorrectly predicting the Masters champion.
Round 4: T21
Ludvig started out strong with the straight birdies and then fizzled out with a disappointing 72. Åberg finishes exactly 20 spots behind my predictions, its a solid showing from Ludvig and a 3rd straight top 25 finish at The Masters.