Masters Each Way Tips: Three selections for the 2026 Augusta major

The first major of the 2026 golf season is nearly here and anticipation is building for a fantastic edition of The Masters, HorseRacing.net's golf expert Joe Napier picks out his best bets for the event, with three selections for you to follow from Thursday to Sunday at the stunning Augusta National.

Even once-a-year golf watchers would be confident in naming Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as the current top two players in the world. The world number three is a tougher name to recall however, but that berth currently belongs to CAMERON YOUNG, the recent Players' Champion. The big-hitting New Yorker has the tools to claim his first major championship this week.

Scheffler, by his extremely high standards, is in the midst of a significant blip in form. For the Texan, no top 10 finishes in his past three starts represents a drought. McIlroy, meanwhile, has had back problems of late, while LIV golfers Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau may not have enjoyed the best preparation. They are yet to play in the United States in 2026.

Young arrives off a longer layoff, taking four weeks off since his Players title. However, for a player who struggled for much longer than expected to claim a maiden PGA Tour win, he impressively applied the accelerator at TPC Sawgrass - mowing down Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick with a brilliant finish to win by one stroke and signify that he is a new name at the very top of the men's game.

Young was excellent at the Ryder Cup amongst a home US team that gravely underperformed. He has now enjoyed three top 10 finishes in a row, but while he has missed two out of four Masters cuts, he has finished T9 and T7 in the other two demonstrating an ability on the tricky Augusta track. The man in-form looks a prime candidate to go from last name alphabetically to the first name on the leaderboard.

Former Masters champion PATRICK REED is the next name on my shortlist. Reed caused a major shock by quitting LIV Golf earlier this year, pursuing a return to the PGA Tour which is almost secure after two early wins on the DP World Tour. Those victories came in the Middle East and he nearly racked up a hat-trick, losing a play-off in between wins at the Dubai Desert Classic and Qatar Masters.

Reed will have been absent for five weeks when he arrives at Augusta, which may not be ideal. However, his Masters record is exceptional, making every cut since 2018, and earning four top 10s in his last six appearances, including a third placed finish last year. But for a desperately short three-putt on the 13th in the final round, he may even have been in the play-off with McIlroy and Justin Rose.

Finally, I'd like to take a punt on the biggest improver so far in 2026. No Masters debutant has won since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, but JACOB BRIDGEMAN is well-placed to make history in an open year. 

Bridgeman has played eight tournaments so far in 2026 and his worst finish is a tie for 18th He has enjoyed four top 10s, three top 5s, and a win at the Genesis Invitational. That success at Riviera Country Club saw him steer his way nervously to victory and he has continued his form since, finishing fifth behind my other pick Young at the Players Championship.

He warmed up for The Masters with a respectable T14 finish at the Valspar Championship three weeks ago and I feel the bookmakers are still underestimating him. He is arguably one of the top five players in terms of form arriving into this week.