The 2026 Masters may look a little different to the most observant of golf fans thanks to a slight change at Augusta National. The 17th hole was extended 10 yards as the par 4 is now 450 yards in length. That is the only course change for the Masters 2026, compared to last year, as Augusta now plays at 7,565 yards. The length of the course is always a talking point as this yardage makes Augusta National the fifth-longest course in play during the 2026 PGA Tour season.<\/p>\n
Scottie Scheffler ranks 37th on tour in driving distance but still comes in as the +500 favorite per the latest 2026 Masters odds. Play begins on Thursday, with other contenders including Jon Rahm (+950), Bryson DeChambeau (+1000) and Rory McIlroy (+1200). Aldrich Potgieter, who leads the tour in driving distance, is a +25000 golf longshot to win his first major. Before locking in any 2026 Masters picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine<\/a>.<\/p>\n SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulates every PGA Tour event 10,000 times. This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters — its fourth Masters in a row — as well as last year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now that the 2026 Masters field is locked in, the model simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2026 Masters predictions for Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm<\/p>\n One shocker the model is calling at the Masters 2026: Rahm (+950), the 2023 Masters champion and one of this year’s favorites, stumbles and doesn’t even crack the top five of the leaderboard. Since winning two years ago, Rahm has just one other worldwide tournament victory over 72 holes. That lack of success has carried over to major tournaments, where he’s simply been non-competitive more often than he’d like. Following the 2023 Masters, Rahm has four major finishes in 34th place or worse, compared to just one top 5. Given his such short PGA odds, the Spaniard is one to avoid with Masters bets.<\/p>\n The model has also locked in its projection for Scheffler (+500), a two-time Masters winner who is this year’s favorite. Scheffler won in 2022 and 2024 with top 10s in each of his last four Augusta starts. He also won the PGA Championship and Open Championship last season as he was the PGA Tour Player of the Year for the fourth time in his career. However, Scheffler hasn’t matched his 2025 success thus far and seems to be going in the wrong direction. He won his first start of 2026 and then had top fives in his next two, but he fell outside the top 10 in his ensuing start before not even placing in the top 20 in his last two starts. He then withdrew from the Houston Open, robbing him of potentially his last tune-up before the Masters 2026.<\/p>\n The model has also examined McIlroy’s (+1200) chances of becoming the fourth golfer to win back-to-back green jackets. Not only was last year’s victory the crowning achievement of McIlroy’s career, but it was his first major victory in 11 years. This year, his long game metrics are strong as he boasts top-5 rankings in strokes gained: total, SG: tee-to-green and SG: off-the-tee, but he’s lagging on the greens by ranking outside the top 100 in SG: putting. The Irishman has had limited exposure to PGA events this year, having completed just three tournaments with varying success. He was runner-up at the Genesis and placed 14th at Pebble Beach but was 46th at the Players after winning the event in 2025.\u00a0See the full Masters projections from the model here<\/a>.<\/p>\n How to make 2026 Masters picks<\/p>\n The model is also targeting two longshots of +4000 or greater who could make a stunning run at Augusta this year.\u00a0You can only see the model’s picks here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Who will win the 2026 Masters, which massive longshots will stun the golfing world, and where will Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy finish? Check out the 2026 Masters odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 16 golf majors, including three in 2025, and four straight Masters<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2026 Masters odds, favorites\u00a0<\/p>\n