The best week in golf has finally arrived, as all the world’s best players have descended on Augusta National Golf Club for the 2026 Masters Tournament.
This is a look at the best first-round leader bets to make for the event on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Masters Tournament: First Round Leader Picks
The greatest tournament in golf, the Masters, is being held at Augusta National Golf Club. Augusta National is a par-72 course, which ranges 7,565 yards. There will be a cut after 36 holes, with the top 50 and ties moving on to the weekend. The defending champion is Rory McIlroy, who cemented his career Grand Slam here at Augusta last year. The betting favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook is two-time green jacket winner Scottie Scheffler. Other top contenders include Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg and Xander Schauffele.
Augusta National is one of the most predictive courses on the PGA Tour calendar. That means players who have performed well here in the past typically continue to perform well year after year. Outside of course history, players who can hit the ball far off the tee and hit tight approach shots from over 150 yards out will always have a chance at the Masters.
Justin Rose FRL (+3600)
Justin Rose is one of the best competitors in the history of the Masters to never win a green jacket. Rose is tied for the record with three runner-up finishes at Augusta National. He famously finished as the runner-up last year, losing to his good friend Rory McIlroy in a playoff. Rose now has 20 career starts at the Masters, and he has finished in the top 10 in seven of his 20 starts. Justin Rose was also notably the first round leader last year after shooting an opening round of 65.
It has been a bit of an up-and-down 2026 season for Justin Rose, but he already has a win at the Farmers Insurance Open. Rose also had a solid T13 finish last time out at THE PLAYERS. Rose’s game is always a great fit for Augusta National because of his fantastic ball-striking and his meticulous mastery of these tough greens. He ranks ninth on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green and fifth in Green in Regulation percentage this season. With how well he putts here at Augusta, he always has a chance to go low with those incredible approach figures.
Patrick Reed FRL (+3800)
Patrick Reed is another consistent performer at Augusta National. Reed won the 2018 Masters Tournament as a sizeable longshot. Ever since then, he has proven that his performance that year was not a fluke. He has not maintained the same level of relevance since leaving for the LIV Tour, but every year he comes back and reminds the world what he can do at Augusta National. Reed announced earlier this year that he would be breaking his contract with LIV and returning to the PGA Tour. While he can’t play on the PGA Tour this year, he has been playing great abroad meanwhile. Reed won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and the Qatar Masters on the DP World Tour this year, plus he lost in a playoff at the Bahrain Championship. He also had a solid T10 finish at the Joburg Open in his most recent event.
Patrick Reed has been brilliant in this tournament since his win. In the eight Masters Tournaments since 2018, Reed has a win, three top-five finishes and six top-12 finishes, making all eight cuts. Reed was excellent at last year’s Masters, finishing in third place. Reed sits pretty far down the odds board for the 2026 Masters, but he ranks ninth in this field in Strokes Gained: Total per round at Augusta National over the past decade. Patrick Reed should turn in another great week at the Masters and has a real shot to be the first round leader.
