The Official Barstool 2026 Masters Tournament Preview (Featuring The Entire Field Of 91 Players)

Augusta National. Getty Images.

It's the best time of year baby. 

Welcome to the official 2026 Barstool Masters Tournament preview. Please take a moment and press play on the video below and enjoy the smooth, sultry sounds of Augusta while you read the finest piece of golf blogging this side of ever.

Hello friends. 

We're back at the crowned jewel of the golf world, Augusta National Golf Club. It really doesn't get any better than this. We spend weeks and months counting down the days for the Masters to arrive and it's finally here. And better yet, it comes at a time when the golf world continues to be fractured… but this week? Not so much. Whole gang is back together. What a blessing.

2025 was certainly one to remember. Rory finally got one. It certainly wasn't easy nor boring, as it took a playoff against Justin Rose to get the job done.

I'm not sure if I've ever seen a single player hit a collection of such unbelievably awesome and terrible shots in the same stretch. It was honestly an insane back 9 (plus playoff) for Rors. Every time you thought he had it in the bag, he gave it away.

It all started with the wedge for his 3rd on 13 when he was holding a 3 shot lead. Pound for pound one of the worst golf shots in a given moment I've ever seen, especially given the way you can safely play away from this pin and let the slope take it down.

He played the 14 no better going wayward off the tee, forcing him to take a bogey and falling behind Rose entirely.

Then he TOTALLY REDEEMED HIMSELF with maybe the sickest shot I've ever seen in a big moment to set himself up for an easy birdie.

Up ahead Rose makes an insanely clutch birdie putt on 18 to tie Rory at -11 and stake that number to the clubhouse lead.

That puts it all in front of Rory to just go win the damn thing. And what does he do? Absolutely darts one on 17 for a kick-in birdie and the solo lead.

Standing on 18 tee and a one-shot lead, Rory absolutely smashes a perfect tee shot into the fairway.

Simple wedge into the green and 2-putt par your way to a green jacket, right?

WRONG

Rory splashed out to about 5 feet, leaving himself a quick tester to escape with the win…

And he misses.

Sure enough, Rory rebounded in the playoff, finding himself in a very similar position in the fairway and darting one off the backstop

Justin Rose missed a birdie attempt from a similar distance as his make on the 72nd, setting up Rory, finally getting the job done

Obviously incredible cinema and history for Rory, another gutting heartbreak for Rosey.

Last year's leaderboard and winners this side of the century…

2025 Leaderboard

Recent Masters Champions

The Course 

Come on y'all. We know what this course is all about. It's the only major that's played at the same course every single year. That's what makes this such a treat. It's a course that measures about 7,565 yards depending on the tee boxes on a given day, but can play a lot longer due to the massive elevation changes around the course. It's a course that rewards distance off the tee, but does not penalize accuracy as much as some others. There's no 2nd cut of rough anywhere on this course. You can find yourself in plenty of trouble in the trees, but a little creativity and patience can help you avoid a big number. Water is the one place where you can find yourself in trouble, and that exists over in Amen Corner and on the par 3 16th. We all saw what kind of role Rae's Creek can play a few years ago when everybody but Tiger put one in the drink on 12, and then we saw it bite Tiger himself in the ass the next year when he made a 10.

The thing that makes Augusta National what it is is the undulating nature of the entire place. Without any gnarly rough, the bumps and slopes are one of the few ways this place protects itself, which it's done pretty well for itself going on 86 years now. The greens are traditionally some of the fastest and most challenging on Tour. And the hills aren't just obstacles around the greens. There's hardly an even lie on the entire course that isn't a teebox. So these guys are going to be dealing with all sorts of side lies, downhill lies, uphill lies, and everything in between. Ton of shelves on this golf course so making sure you put the ball in the right spot is absolutely key here.

Most years there are a handful of tweaks to the course. That's not really the case this year. Still 7,565 on the card, just 10 yards longer than last year.

If you're looking for some historical data on the holes themselves, here ya go.

The Format 

91 golfers at this year's edition with a 36 hole cut for the Top 50 and ties. For a long time this Tournament had a rule where anyone outside the Top 50 that were within 10 strokes of the leader would also make the cut. They ditched it for the COVID-delayed Fall Masters a couple years ago (presumably due to daylight issues) and haven't brought it back since. Kinda a shame, sometimes it was fun to see how far out in front a leader could get on Friday and effectively boot guys out of the Tournament. Regardless, barring inclement weather, everybody goes off of 1 at Augusta National. No split tees. 

The Conditions 

It is going to be fucking spectacular out there this week. Greens should be good and crispy with no delays in the action. Wouldn't mind a little more wind, but certainly not going to complain about what we have out in front of us.

TV Coverage 

This is a little bit of an eyesore, so I'll spell it out for you.

The main broadcast is on Prime early afternoon on Thursday/Friday with ESPN picking up the main coverage at 3.

Saturday/Sunday they push you to Paramount+ (boo) for that early coverage starting at noon before CBS picks up their traditional coverage at 2 pm. 

They seemingly re-package every year the notion that they're bringing us all more golf (and earlier) through traditional platforms but they're really not.

That said, there is close to all the golf you could want and need streamed through the Masters website/app, Prime Video, Paramount+, ESPN+, etc online. In the mornings the golf is there to watch and you'll get good players through the featured groups, but there are pockets where you'll have to jump around channels and situate yourself accordingly.

Advertisement

My recommendation? Get as many screens going as possible and just have them all up - especially in the afternoon to supplement the main coverage. Really only way to do anything properly these days.

Here are the Thursday featured groups to give you a taste.

The Field 

Thursday and Friday Tee Times 

The Board (as of Monday night) 

Every year I compile a nice little cheatsheet with the entire field's career results at ANGC. I haven't seen this type of thing anywhere on the internet (or at least not behind a paywall), so you're welcome. 

I also jumped on The Stretch towards the end to talk a bit about the Masters.

We're back to categorizing every single damn player in the field. Without further ado:

The Former Champs

Harry How. Getty Images.

Legends, ghosts, and one guy who got out of prison last year. They aren’t winning. They know it. We know it. Let them soak in the love and reminisce. 

There's been a lot of retirements from this group in the last couple of years, and I felt it was time to add a younger wave of guys from this group. Many took the LIV bag and just haven't shown much of a pulse over there. 

A couple of them may make the cut, but that's it.

Advertisement

The Amateurs (Pronounced "Am-A-Toors")

Jordan Bank. Getty Images.

Bless their hearts. They’re here to chase the Silver Cup, soak up the vibes, and maybe get a handshake from Fred Couples. If one makes the cut, it’s a minor miracle. Appreciate the Crow's Nest, boys. 

The Debutants

Douglas P. DeFelice. Getty Images.

These guys are Augusta virgins — talented, but about to find out that AGNC doesn't care how good your strokes gained numbers look on paper. A couple may flirt with contention (Ludvig Aberg certainly did that last year) but only one debutant has ever won here (Fuzzy Zoeller) and it's been nearly 50 years since that happened. 

That said, this is not the comprehensive list of debutants. This is an especially strong group of them relative to other years, and those have actually earned a section of their own below.

But for these guys in particular, the goal is to make the cut and maybe pray for a backdoor chance to land in the Top 12 to earn a spot back here next year.

Thanks For Coming Out

Harry How. Getty Images.

The “happy to be here” crowd. Solid pros. Many got back here by winning a one-off Tour event over the past year, much like many of the debutants. 

Not winning. Probably not contending. Just soaking up Augusta and hoping to make the weekend for a sweet check. These are guys that could make or break your DFS teams if that's your bag.

I will say, damn near broke my heart to put Max Homa in this group. I think he bottomed out and is back on the rise, but the game just isn't there yet to justify him being in another group yet. He'll be back in the later groups next year though I'm sure.

The Little Known Internationals

Richard Heathcote. Getty Images.

This is a group I actually dropped off the docket last year, and they're back. Ok, maybe the Hojgaard twins aren't total unknowns given that they've each played in a Ryder Cup. But I think their place here is fitting. The common sports fan that tunes in to golf 4 weekends of the year aren't really familiar with them.

Same goes for the rest of the group. Solid golfers who would probably be a little better known if they honed their craft more stateside. This might be the weekend any of them make a name for themselves by contending early in the week, but highly doubt any of the 6 are in the mix on the second nine Sunday.

The Veterans

Andrew Redington. Getty Images.

This is a mish mash of guys that have certainly been around the block, but I just can't see winning this year. A few of these were tough to categorize - like DJ has shown some blips on LIV but he's so clearly not the same guy that won here 6 years ago… and he's not quite washed enough yet to simply throw into the ceremonial former Champs bucket. 

Others are certainly respectable golfers in their own rights that I could see contending at a major this year… but I just hate how their game fits this place. 

The Veterans With A Chance

Warren Little. Getty Images.

We're getting a little closer now. Loooot of major champions on this list below, especially towards the bottom of the list.

Spaun probably should be bumped to a stronger group given the win last week, but also I just don't like his game at ANGC. Burns is another guy who would be in a different group if I just didn't hate his left-to-right golf swing here.

A few guys have been heavyweights in the past, but are just not playing their best golf over the past year. Namely Hovland and Cantlay.

Spieth and Cam Smith are each interesting cases. I figured both would be guys to bet here well into the 2030's along with the likes of Will Zalatoris, who isn't even in this field.

Brooks Koepka hasn't shown me anything since being back on Tour, and the only reason he's even in this group is his reputation as a Big Game Hunter.

Gary Woodland contending would be one of the best stories in the history of golf.

Corey Conners and Jason Day are two guys that I like here every year. They ball-strike and have typically produced good results.

And Adam Scott would be a really fun turn-back-the-clocks, which there always seems to be one or two of those every year.

And lastly, Si Woo is a guy whose Data Golf ranking (15th) dwarfs his OWGR (30th), which says to me that his leaderboard results haven't quite yet matched how good of golf he's been playing.

The Debutants With A Chance

Alex Goodlett. Getty Images.

As I mentioned before, there's a few guys that have never played this tournament where I wouldn't be shocked if they were in the mix Sunday. All are inside the World Top 40. 

Gotterup especially, given that he's #9 in the world and has won 3 times on Tour since last year's Masters, including a big one at the WMPO a couple months back.

Ben Griffin had a helluva 2025 including also cracking the OWGR top 10, but has slipped to 16 and hasn't been playing his best.

Bridgeman has flipped a switch in 2026, having placed Top 20 in everything he's played. This includes a W at Riviera, a course known to translate well to ANGC.

Ryan Gerard feels like a bit of a reach, but he's top 30 in the world right now and that doesn't happen by accident.

Marco Penge is an even bigger reach, but also hits BOMBS and is actually first in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee on Tour in 2026.

The Young Guns

Andrew Redington. Getty Images.

This group is full of guys that could also fit into other categories, but all of these guys are just so fucking fun to watch. Knapp isn't even a young guy really, he's just exploded on Tour over the past year and has put up really strong results.

Bhatia has a very real chance at winning this tournament. The API is no slouch of a golf tournament, and he's sniffed around other wins at big tournaments. He's played here before, he's got the ability to hit creative shots, and being a lefty never hurts here.

Min Woo is cut from a similar cloth and just brings an energy about him.

And Potgieter is every bit of a young gun at age 21. Really has no shot at winning this year, but hits the shit out of the ball and isn't a debutant given he played this as an am a few years back.

Maverick McNealy is a guy who I don't think has reached his full potential yet, so I'm putting him here. He's like a Justin Thomas lite. He's also 30, but I wasn't sure where to put him because he's not quite a veteran and not quite 2nd tier either.

The 2nd Tier

Richard Heathcote. Getty Images.

Here we have some serious dudes. 

Rosey has lost twice in a playoff here obviously, but has a lot of deep results beyond that including an additional runner-up. The one time I bet heavy on him was 2019, and of course it was the first time he missed the cut.

A big part of me believes last year was that last push to win a green jacket. That said, he has won already in 2026 (at Torrey) and has been playing solid golf. The other part of me feels he's just too good of a golfer to retire with only one major championship. Who knows.

Russell Henley… guy is wallpaper. I would be so bored covering a Masters win by him. But he's 10th in the world. I can't bury him in a different group. I feel a lot of the same way about Sepp Straka too.

Bob Macintyre is somebody I believe in big time. He's played some respectable golf here and has continued to show that he's a big dog now that he's playing more stateside. Damn near won this past week in Texas too and he's got the lefty factor.

Matsuyama has won here and has been playing ok, but I can't justify making him a heavyweight.

Justin Thomas I've written in the past about how I think he's going to win one here some day. Such a talented ballstriker and shortgamer. But this year isn't that year. Hasn't shown enough form coming off the back surgery to have me believe otherwise.

Tyrell Hatton is a really good golfer who has stuck in the world top 30 despite LIV Golf hardly getting OWGR points. He also hates this golf course. It's one of the best rivalries going. I can't wait to see what he bitches about next.

Shane Lowry is playing average golf for his standards, but I'd be wrong to put a major champion like him lower than this group.

Lastly, P-Reed is one of the best short-gamers on the planet, which will give him a chance here every year. He's quietly been grinding over on the European Tour and has won twice this year there, so he's definitely getting a look from me.

The Heavyweights

Augusta National. Getty Images.

These are the guys to target. This tournament has become increasingly one the big dogs take down in recent years, and these are the best of the best right now.

Cam Young obviously won the year's biggest tournament to this point, and did so in clutch fashion. Big cojones from a guy who hits it big.

Tommy Fleetwood broke through for that elusive maiden PGA Tour win last year at the Tour Championship, and many have been waiting for the floodgates to open. He's made the weekend 8 straight times here and finished 3rd a couple years ago.

Matt Fitzpatrick damn near won THE PLAYERS, then went out and won the next week. That's actually the last tournament he's played. He is also on a made cut streak here, having made it 10 years in a row, but really hasn't been a factor on Sunday yet. He's playing as good as ever, so maybe this is the year.

Xander Schauffele tapered off a bit over the last 6 months as he battled a rib injury, but he's started to find it a bit with Top 5's in his last 2 starts, including at THE PLAYERS. He's obviously a multiple time major winner and has produced well here, with 5 Top 10's in 8 appearances… so he's as good a pick as anyone.

Morikawa was really coming on strong during the California swing including winning at Pebble, and he was my pick at Sawgrass before his back flared up on his 2nd hole. He hasn't teed it up since, which leaves a lot of questions. He was supposed to play last week in Texas but pulled out on Tuesday and supposedly didn't hit a full shot in his practice session on Monday. But like Xander, he's won multiple majors and is 3 for 6 on Top 10's here.

Ludvig Aberg is the latest youngster to come out of the gates strong at ANGC. He backed up his runner-up in his debut in 2024 with a T-7 last year. He's also Top 5'd in each of his last 3 tourneys played. The collapse at Sawgrass is well documented, but I don't buy into any idea that it's going to be scar tissue long-term. He's going to win a lot of golf tournaments in his career and that will just be a blip on the radar.

Bryson… oh Bryson… lost in the chaos of the Rory/Rose playoff last year was that the day actually started as a showdown between him and Rory, and Bryson totally folded. His 75 dropped him back to 5th. Howeva… he's won back to back tournaments on LIV and after years of this golf course getting the best of him (with well documented MC's in '22 and '23), he's contended each of the last 2 years and is coming in in as good form as ever.

Lastly… Jon Rahm. Datagolf still has him as the #2 player in the world, better even than Rory. His LIV results have been pretty insane in 2026. In 5 events, he's got 1 win, 3 runner-ups, and a 5th place finish. That's the same type of shit we saw in 2023 in the lead up to his Masters win. The books probably have it right with him as the next closest favorite to Scottie.

The Defending Champ

Harry How. Getty Images.

The monkey is off the back and Rory is free and clear to just go out there and have fun with it. The weight of not having won this tournament was something that clearly affected him over the years. Some years he would try to lock in and have laser focus, doing things like skipping the Par 3… and the results were terrible. Other years he tried to play it too cool and relaxed - that didn't work either.

Just having the mental burden of having crossed this one off the list should do wonders for him. If I'm a betting man, he probably wins another one of these before it's all said and done. Will it be this week? I'd wager no. He hasn't been playing bad golf, but he's certainly far from top form coming in. He's yet to notch a win this year and only has one Top 10 on Tour coming in.

The Favorite

Andrew Redington. Getty Images.

Scottie is the favorite as he is at every tournament, and it's hard to believe at this point that this is his FIFTH Masters in a row where he's come in as the World #1. A generational run in every sense of the term.

That said, the boat might be starting to leak a little oil. Dating back to last March, Scottie ripped off 19 straight Top 10's, including 7 wins. That Top 10 streak was snapped at the Genesis with a woeful (sarcasm) T-12, and he now comes into this week having played 3 straight tournaments where he's failed to register a Top 10. Each of those results were still top 25's, but it's a very clear drop off from the elite level of play we've seen going back multiple years now.

In particular, he was fighting a miss to the right at Sawgrass. It felt like every fade he hit (which is his stock shot shape) was overcooked. He's as good as anyone obviously at gaming what he's got, and there was something impressive about the way he got it around by just compensating for it… but it kept him from being in his usual position to attack pins. 

Augusta is not really a course where you can start the ball out way left and peel it in across 18 holes. It's exactly why I hate guys like Berger and Burns here. He has had about 4 weeks off to get it corrected, but he and his wife also gave birth to their 2nd son 11 days ago. Not exactly the environment that lends itself to getting in the lab and getting it corrected. 

I'm going to run the risk of leaving him off the card, but I think I'll have a pretty good sense pretty quickly of whether I made a terrible decision on that if he turns over a beautiful high draw on #2 on Thursday.

The Card

Outright Winners

Ludvig Aberg +1750

Xander Schauffele +1850

Collin Morikawa +3100 (going to continue to monitor the injury)

Robert Macintyre +4000

Patrick Reed +4500

Akshay Bhatia +6600

Jake Knapp +6900

Top Finishes (including ties)

Ludvig Aberg Top 20 -144 (throw this in parlays if you'd like)

Justin Rose Top 5 +580 / Top 10 +270

Patrick Reed Top 5 +300 / Top 10 +300

Jason Day Top 10 +380

Corey Conners Top 10 +435

Jacob Bridgeman Top 10 +485

Johnny Keefer Top 20 +500 / To Make The Cut -125

Props

Big Guns (Scheffler/McIlroy/Rahm/DeChambeau/Aberg/Schauffele) -112 v The Field

End of Round 1 Leader Justin Rose +3500

Jason Day Top Australia +255 / Top Oceania +295

Xander Schauffele Top American +980

Group D Winner Patrick Reed +335

Group G Winner Corey Conners +320

Mason Howell Top Amateur +230

Zach Johnson Top Senior -102

Total Tournament Birdies or Better - Hole 12 - Over 49.5

More props typically pop up closer to Thursday morning. Follow along at @BarstoolBanks for more on those.

There ya have it. 

Enjoy… The Masters.