Masters Tips 2026 - Three each-way selections for Augusta major

The Masters Tournament at Augusta National is one of the most picturesque sporting events on the planet. Every year it captivates sports fans, drawing in an audience well beyond the weekly realm of golf. As the first men's major of the year approaches this week, HorseRacing.net's golf expert Joe Napier picks out his best bets for the event, with three selections for you to follow from Thursday through to Sunday.

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

Scheffler, by his extremely lofty standards, is suffering a significant blip in form. For the Texan, no top 10s in his past three starts represents a drought. McIlroy, meanwhile, has had back problems in 2026, while LIV golfers Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau may not have enjoyed the best preparation. They are yet to compete 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 first PGA Tour win, he impressively applied the accelerator at TPC Sawgrass. He mowed down Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick with a brilliant finish to win by one stroke and signify that he is a new name at the top of the men's game.

Young was superb at the Ryder Cup among a home US team that dismally 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 finishes of T9 and T7 in the other two. The man in-form looks a prime candidate to go from last name alphabetically to first name on the leaderboard.

Former Masters champion PATRICK REED is the next name for the shortlist. Reed shocked the world of golf by quitting LIV Golf earlier this year, pursuing a return to the PGA Tour which is almost secure already 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 off for five weeks before teeing it up at Augusta, which may not be ideal. However, his Masters record is stellar, making every cut since 2018, with four top 10s in his last six appearances, including a solo 3rd last year. But for a desperately short three-putt on the 13th in the final round, he may even have been in a play-off with McIlroy and Justin Rose.

We will lastly 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 in eight tournaments so far in 2026. His worst finish is a tie for 18th, while 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 as he was six shots clear with a round to go. However, he still got over the line and has continued his form since, finishing T5 behind Young at the Players.

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