2026 Masters: Time for the Range

Posted on April 7, 2026
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Augusta National is looking brilliant and with no rain expected in the coming days, is sure to speed up and give the players significant challenges.

The famed course, welcoming us all into major season, with its “never gets old” quote of “Welcome to The Masters” will bring a smile to every lucky patron.
Which of the hollows, bumps and mounds have been moved or changed? Which of the trees have grown or been moved? The course is always changing and members keep these quirky adjustments to themselves. The Masters will start to show off - with practice days already underway for patrons and players alike.

No time for a long preview mail? Just head over to get your PICKS in!


The key majorpunter rules, with no-subs, include 6 picks including 2 wildcards per day. See the RULES on the site, which also include a no-sympathy approach to players withdrawing once the first tee shot has gone off.

The Course
The course is expected to be fast, no rain predicted, though this can change. The fairways look lush and an interesting fact - Augusta has been growing its fairways longer in an effort to reduce roll and increase the chances of players getting stuck with the famed hanging lies at The Masters.


There are some course tweaks with new greens at 11 and 14, plus new hanging trees on 2 and 9, which will impact those hitting cuts on those tee shots. None of these will bother the patrons who will be buzzing around the Concessions - eager to try the new “candy bar” that can only be purchased at Augusta.


The Masters is potentially wide open - the last few winners have all been the Rolls-Royce and each can win again, perhaps DJ excluded. However, a good argument can be made for any of The Feed, JR, Gary DoubleU, plus rookies like GotterUp, Bridgeman or Penge which makes this major so much more exciting.


Stat Attack
1. 12 of the last 13 winners had gained at least 0.25 shots per round “around the green” in the 4 events leading up to The Masters.
2. 14 of the last 14 winners at The Masters had gained at least 18 shots Tee to Green in their 4 events before their win.
3. 16 of the last 16 winners at The Masters were ranked in the top 30 in SG: T2G in the year before their Masters win.

Leading these trends in 2026: Tommy, Scottie, Rory, Ludvig, Fitzy, So-Woo are all ranking well.


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Picking a winner is always tough for an event of such immense importance and pressure. Players face so much more than just a physical and technical test.

For Augusta, much is made of trends, with the course repeating year on year - though many who should have been destined to win, don’t. 2026 is also, seemingly, the most open Masters of recent memory - mainly caused by a lack of apparent form of Scottie & Rory plus the relative unknown potency of the LIV crew.

The Big Boys: A big course always seeks out the biggest and best. Rory, Scottie & Rahmbo are recent winners and expect to be in the mix. Rahmbo seems to be the man most in form, though was beaten recently in the LIV events.

TommyLad: there will be a few Englishmen chasing a green jacket, where so few of them have succeeded in the past. The feel good winner would be Tommy, but Augusta does not care for resumes, records or heroes, but his stats for approach and around the green are outstanding and make him a real contender, despite his putting challenges.

Ludwig: Can yield a rare feat with a 3rd consecutive top 10 from his 1st 3 starts - matching Spieth & Zala, but he will be keen to go a few deeper - keen to get his arms into a green jacket!


The Challengers
The top 10 is littered with top, high performing talent: Scottie, Rory, Rahmbo, X & Fitzy are all major winners, leaving 5 searching to break their duck.

But what of the rest who are not on everyone’s radar?
Si Woo: He is carrying some superb form into the Masters, which runs from deep in 2025.
JR: with a win in 2026, plus such good records at Augusta, this guy knows how to score here. In typical fashion, his prep has been superb, focussing on the finer details, like bunker play in what he calls, very particular Augusta sand.
The Feed: Two wins in the desert before the chaos erupted there, which opens up his pursuit of the PGA Tour card. Has been rested for a few weeks, but knows a win here and a 2nd major is all the ticket that he needs.


For an in-depth analysis of the top candidates, check out GOLF DIGEST for this Masters examination.
Beyond the favourites, it really is wide open. Pick a stats leader like Noren who has been resurgent of note, go with wily veteran like JR or The Feed or just a supreme front runner Scottie. Back a youngster like Cam or a rookie, each of them with wins already in 2026.

Your Picks
Go check out DATA GOLF RANKINGS for the splits and PICKS.

The Top bucket: The best of the best - 1 from the top 10. All in supreme form and so tough to pick, with so many proven champions, including the last 3 green jacket winners.

Time for a breakthrough winner? TommyLad, Bobby Mac or Cam all look like exciting calls.


The 2nd bucket: Lots of talent, including the red-hot BDC who has contended in 2024 and 2025 at Augusta, otherwise the bucket is filled with next best of merging talent including Si-Woo who been flying for over 18 months and is due a big win.

The 3rd Bucket: The runner-up from 2025 JR is in the mix here but so are former winners Jordan & Scotty plus a stack of other major winners. 2 to pick here and many seem to have good days at Augusta as routine.

The Bottom Bucket: 2 spots to slot and with only 91 players including a host of amateurs and former champions, we are left with less options than normal. There is still a decent stack of top quality players to choose, including recent major winners like Cambo & BK who have both enjoyed top 10s at Augusta too.


Head over to DATA GOLF RANKINGS to find your team and make those PICKS.

Take on your mates
As always, the more the merrier so send this on to the other golf fans in your life to get them involved and swell the winner's purse!


Remember we have Side Pots for punters to directly compete with each other’s friends, families, colleagues, local clubs, whatever you feel necessary. Give it a try and maybe get some side wagers going!

LIVE SCORING will be up and running on the site for all punters to see where they stand in real time. We are constantly looking to improve so keep us updated on some new trends that we might have missed.
For more news and those picks, head over to majorpunter!

Remember to ensure your teams are entered and paid before the first tee off time wherever you might be around the globe.