2026 Masters Pool Picks: AI Picks From the Field Research Tool

Here are our data-driven, tier-by-tier picks to help you win your 2026 Masters Pool. We fed the full 2026 field — world rankings, current odds, and results from the last 12 PGA Tour events — into AI, prioritizing recent form, Augusta course history, and pool differentiation.

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General Golf Pool Picking Strategy & How We Made These Picks

The goal of a tiered Masters pool is simple: pick one player from each tier and outscore your pool mates. Here's what the AI weighed when generating these picks:

• Recent form (last 12 PGA Tour events): We looked at results from the Sony Open through the Texas Children's Houston Open — the 12 tournaments leading up to Masters week.
• Pre-Masters momentum: A player winning or contending in the week before the Masters (Houston Open, Valspar) is a strong signal. Augusta rewards confidence.
• Augusta course history: The Masters rewards a specific skill set — long driving, elite iron play, and comfort on the greens. Past Masters finishes (2021–2025) are weighted heavily.
• Avoid groupthink: If everyone in your pool picks the same player, nobody gains an edge. The best Masters pool picks are the ones your opponents don't have. We deliberately chose the contrarian option when a comparable player was available at better odds.
• Make the cut: A player who misses the cut scores zero. We avoided picks with recent cut patterns at Augusta.
• How to generate your own picks: Export the full field CSV from our field research tool, then paste it into ChatGPT or Claude with your pool format and criteria. You'll get picks tailored to your specific pool structure.

Tier 1 Pick: Cameron Young (24/1)

Recent form: Won The Players Championship, T3 Arnold Palmer Invitational, T7 Genesis Invitational — three consecutive top-10 finishes.

Scottie Scheffler (4/1) is the clear world #1 with Masters wins in 2022 and 2024, and Rory McIlroy (10/1) won the 2025 Masters. Both will be the most popular picks in virtually every Tier 1 pool slot. That's exactly why we're picking Cameron Young at 24/1. Young just won The Players Championship — the biggest non-major event on tour — is coming off three consecutive top-10 finishes, and placed T9 at Augusta in 2024 and T7 in 2023. At 24/1, almost nobody will have him. If he contends, you almost certainly win your pool.

The risk: he missed the cut at the 2025 Masters. The reward: a player with three consecutive top-10s entering Masters week in a tier where 90%+ of pool players will pick Scheffler.

Tier 2 Pick: Hideki Matsuyama (39/1)

Recent form: T2 WM Phoenix Open, T8 AT&T Pebble Beach, T27 The Players, T28 Genesis Invitational. Masters history: Won in 2021, T21 in 2025, T38 in 2024, T16 in 2023, T14 in 2022.

Matsuyama is arguably the most underrated pick in any US-based Masters pool. He's a proven Augusta champion (2021 Green Jacket) with four consecutive top-25 Masters finishes. He was 2nd at Phoenix earlier this year and has been solid all season. Most pool players will gravitate toward Justin Rose (T2 last year at 36/1), Si Woo Kim (🔥 hot hand at 47/1), or Chris Gotterup (won Phoenix at 43/1 but has zero Augusta history). The differentiation angle is strong here — Matsuyama at 39/1 with a Green Jacket and four consecutive top-25 Augusta finishes is simply better value than his odds suggest.

Tier 3 Pick: Akshay Bhatia (66/1)

Recent form: Won Arnold Palmer Invitational, T13 The Players, T6 AT&T Pebble Beach, T3 WM Phoenix Open — 3 top-10 finishes in his last 4 events, including a win at one of the biggest events of the year.

Bhatia is one of the most in-form players in the world right now. He won the API (one of the most prestigious non-major events), was T3 at Phoenix, and T6 at Pebble. He has two Masters appearances under his belt (T42 in '25, T35 in '24) — he makes the cut and competes. Jake Knapp (69/1) is the other hot-hand option in this tier — four consecutive top-10s (6th Genesis, T8 Pebble, 8th Phoenix, T5 Farmers) — but has no Augusta experience beyond a T55 in 2024. Bhatia brings a bigger win (API) and proven cut-making at Augusta. At 66/1 he's an elite value pick in a tier that also includes Sepp Straka, who despite solid Augusta history (T16 in 2024), has been inconsistent lately (CUT Valero, CUT Phoenix, CUT Farmers).

Tier 4 Pick: Nicolai Hojgaard (84/1)

Recent form: T2 Texas Children's Houston Open (week before Masters), T3 WM Phoenix Open, T27 The Players, T6 Cognizant Classic. Masters history: T16 in 2024, CUT in 2025.

Hojgaard finished 2nd at the Houston Open — the final tune-up event before Masters week — and placed T3 at Phoenix earlier in the spring. He has Augusta experience (T16 in 2024) and is entering Masters week riding a very recent hot result. That combination — solid Augusta history and a top-2 finish the week before — is rare at these odds. At 84/1, virtually no one in your pool will have him. Sam Burns (72/1) is steady but lacks recent Augusta highlight finishes. J.J. Spaun (88/1) won Valero but has no Augusta record. Hojgaard's pre-Masters momentum and proven Augusta performance make him the standout Tier 4 value.

Tier 5 Pick: Sungjae Im (120/1)

Recent form: T4 The Players, T5 Augusta 2025, T16 Augusta 2023, T8 Augusta 2022, T5 Augusta ranking — best Augusta course history of any player in Tier 5.

Sungjae Im is the ultimate Augusta specialist in this tier. He has finished T5 at the 2025 Masters, T16 in 2023, and T8 in 2022 — arguably the most consistent Augusta performer in the entire Tier 5 field. His recent form has been quieter but he's made the cut at The Players and has posted top-5 Masters finishes in back-to-back recent years. Jacob Bridgeman (94/1 in Tier 4) moved up based on his hot recent form. At 120/1, Im's deep Augusta pedigree is the differentiator here — he finishes in the top 10 at Augusta at a rate few players can match. Almost no one in your pool will have him.

Tier 6 Pick: Ryan Gerard (170/1)

Recent form: T2 AT&T American Express, T11 Farmers Insurance Open, T27 The Players — world ranking #29, quietly one of the best-ranked players at long odds in the entire field.

Ryan Gerard is the ultimate pool-winning dart throw. He's ranked #29 in the world — stronger than many Tier 3 and Tier 4 players — yet sits at 170/1 because he's a first-time Masters qualifier with no Augusta history. He was T2 at the American Express and T11 at Farmers, showing elite ball-striking capability on courses that reward similar skills to Augusta. At 170/1 he will be in almost no pools. If Gerard's world-class ball-striking translates to Augusta National — which it historically does for elite iron players — this is the pick that wins your pool outright. Sam Stevens (210/1) and Brian Harman (200/1) are worth a look as alternates, but Gerard's world ranking gives him the highest upside.

Do Your Own Research With These Free Masters Pool Tools

Don't just copy my picks — do your own research and find the angles that work for your pool! Here are the best free tools available:

1. Masters Field Research Tool — Browse the full 2026 Masters field sorted by Official World Golf Ranking and current odds to win. Filter, sort, and export the field to CSV. Updated weekly with new qualifiers. Use this to generate your own AI picks by feeding the data into ChatGPT or another AI tool with your pool format.
2. Masters Power Rankings Tool — Customize the weight you assign to recent Masters finishes, major finishes, and other factors. Great for building your own data-driven rankings.
3. Masters Pool Tiers — See how the field breaks down by tier based on current odds. Know which tier your picks fall into before you submit.

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Have Fun & Happy Pooling!

Good luck with your 2026 Masters pool! Whether you copy these picks or use our free tools to find your own, the most important thing is to have fun. Reach out with any questions or other pool ideas via our contact page.