AUGUSTA, Ga. — The masses have labeled this 90th edition of the Masters as “wide open.” Without a dominant force running through the early part of the season like the four most recent champions — Scottie Scheffler (twice), Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy — did in the lead-up to their respective victories, some have settled on the notion that it is anyone’s ballgame.
A player like 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, however, would disagree, unless “wide open” really means a couple of handfuls.
“I just feel like with how deep golf has been, especially this past year to two years, that the fields are obviously getting a lot stronger,” Reed said on Monday. “I feel like the field this week is really strong, like always. I feel like it used to be five or six, maybe seven guys. No, I definitely feel like this year you have 10 to 12 guys who have a really legitimate opportunity to win the green jacket. It just makes this event a little bit more special and even more fun going out there and playing against the best.”
Of the 91 players in the field, Reed believes just 10 have a legitimate shot at winning. For our purposes, we have whittled it down by one more player with just nine candidates being given a chance to slip on the green jacket. Unfortunately, Reed was our 10th selection. Oh, the honorable-mention irony.
His read (no pun intended) is not far off with recent major and Masters trends, however. Six of the last seven Masters champions were among the top three favorites entering the week with Hideki Matsuyama being the exception in 2021. From a wider viewpoint, seven of the last eight major champions over the last two years have been top-five favorites entering the week with J.J. Spaun being the outlier last year at the U.S. Open.
So, let’s get into the selections and why, despite the sentiment, chalk is likely to reign supreme once again at Augusta National Golf Club.
Watch all four rounds of the 2026 Masters with expanded coverage from CBS Sports. It starts Thursday with Masters Live as we follow the best in the world on Featured Groups, Amen Corner and holes 15 & 16. Watch those streams live across Paramount+, CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App with extended broadcast coverage Saturday and Sunday from 12-2 p.m. on Paramount+ and 2-7 p.m. on CBS.
2026 Masters predictions, favorites to win
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
Who will win the 2026 Masters, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 16 golf majors heading into the weekend, including the past four Masters, and find out.
