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Who will lead after 18 holes at Augusta? Masters first-round leader forecast, picks

Players offer early impression on Augusta National
Competitors in the 2026 Masters Tournament offer some early thoughts Monday at Augusta National Golf Club.

The countdown continues to the start of the 90th Masters Tournament.

A week from now, we’ll have a new champion. Who will it be? Before we look too far ahead though, let’s focus on the first 18 holes.

2026 Masters first-round leader odds (as of Monday afternoon, courtesy of DraftKings)

  • Scottie Scheffler (+1325)
  • Jon Rahm (+1900)
  • Bryson DeChambeau (+1950)
  • Rory McIlroy (+2100)
  • Ludvig Åberg (+2400)
  • Xander Schauffele (+2900)
  • Cameron Young (+3000)
  • Matt Fitzpatrick (+3200)
  • Tommy Fleetwood (+3300)
  • Justin Rose (+3500)
  • Brooks Koepka (+3500)
  • Hideki Matsuyama (+3500)
  • Collin Morikawa (+3700)
  • Min Woo Lee (+3800)
  • Robert MacIntyre (+3800)
  • Chris Gotterup (+3900)
  • Viktor Hovland (+4100)
  • Jordan Spieth (+4100)
  • Patrick Reed (+4100)
  • Justin Thomas (+4200)

    One could argue that this is the most wide-open Masters in recent memory, and here is a ranking of all 91 players in the field at Augusta National.

Masters first-round leader prediction

Collin Morikawa was an attractive option until a slew of withdraws left questions looming over his health. If you have a high-risk tolerance, go for it. We’ll stay safe and offer Cameron Young at +3000.

The reigning Players Championship winner is getting a nice number here. By most metrics, he’s playing better than Scheffler and McIlroy right now, and you have to think he holds a mental edge over Åberg after the Swede’s pair of recent weekend collapses.

Round 1 leader longshot pick for Augusta

Jake Knapp and Casey Jarvis were handed out earlier and fit the bill as longshots, so there’s two right off the bat without lifting a finger.

But the beauty of this is the generosity, why hoard? One more name that is blinking in addition to Knapp and Jarvis is Si Woo Kim, who at +4800 is indeed not a favorite for this field.

Kim finished T-10 at the Valero Texas Open after a strong, 5-under 67 final round in San Antonio. The 30-year-old South Korean has finished T-13 or better six times this year and has flirted with the first-round lead at Pebble Beach and Coachella Valley.

With the 2026 Masters upon us, a look back at milestone moments from the last 60 years of Augusta National history.

2026 Masters best bet for Round 1

DraftKings has such a wide-ranging board that we’d be remiss not to try one or two of the first-round props offered. How about Justin Rose to be bogey-free through 18 holes at +2250? Where’s the handshake emoji when you need it.

And just because we don’t have him on the card anywhere else and it’s sitting there for the taking: Jon Rahm to make three birdies in a row during Round 1 at +305.

It’s fun to have some stakes, even if these won’t last until Sunday.