With each passing week comes another PGA Tour event and, more importantly, another step closer to the first major of the 2026 season: the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. We have already had statement performances at the Phoenix Open and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, while March will see the likes of The Players Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational take centre stage.
But all roads lead to Augusta in the second week of April. Rory McIlroy will be hoping to defend his title, Scottie Scheffler will be chasing a third Green Jacket, and several others will be aiming not only to win the Masters for the first time but to break their major duck on the sport’s grandest stage.
There is no better place to land a first major than under the Georgia pines, and with the early Masters odds already taking shape, here are four players who could finally get over the line in 2026.
Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig Aberg is the obvious starting point. The Swede has only been a professional for a couple of seasons but has already climbed to fourth in the world rankings and collected two PGA Tour titles, including a signature victory at the 2025 Genesis Invitational.
Augusta National can be unforgiving for newcomers, yet Aberg has looked entirely at home. He finished runner-up on his Masters debut in 2024 and was firmly in contention again last year. Tied with McIlroy and Justin Rose at 10-under with two holes to play, a costly finish at 17 and 18 saw him slide back to six-under and into a tie for seventh.
That experience could prove invaluable. The talent is undeniable, but he will need to sharpen up his early-season form after missed cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open and Pebble Beach. If he arrives in Georgia with momentum rather than questions, this could be the year he turns promise into a Green Jacket.
Tommy Fleetwood
Last season was a landmark campaign for Tommy Fleetwood. After years of near misses and more than 40 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, the Englishman finally broke through with victory at the 2025 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on his 164th start.
The win was made even sweeter by the $10 million FedExCup prize, and he carried that confidence into the latter part of the year, contributing to Europe’s success in the Ryder Cup on American soil.
Fleetwood’s Augusta credentials are solid. A tie for third in 2024 showed he can handle the unique demands of the course, from the sloping greens to the pressure of Amen Corner. Now that he has shed the burden of being a PGA Tour nearly man, the next logical step is a major title. Few would begrudge him finally getting it done at the Masters.
Chris Gotterup
Chris Gotterup has been the standout performer in the early months of the 2026 season. Wins at the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Phoenix Open, where he edged out Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff, have propelled him to a career-high world ranking of fifth.
The Masters will mark just his fourth major start and his first appearance at Augusta National. That lack of experience is a clear question mark, but he answered similar doubts last summer with a superb third-place finish at The Open Championship.
Form counts for plenty in golf betting conversations, and right now Gotterup has as much momentum as anyone in the field. With prices hovering around 55/1 in some markets, he represents the type of confident, upwardly mobile contender who could take to Augusta’s challenges quicker than expected.
Viktor Hovland
Another European with unfinished business is Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian has climbed back to third in the world, matching the career-high ranking he first achieved in 2022. A tie for 10th at TPC Scottsdale earlier this season, just four shots behind Gotterup, suggests his game is trending in the right direction.
Hovland has recorded at least one top-10 finish in each of the four majors, including a tie for seventh at the 2023 Masters. However, his Augusta record is mixed overall. He missed the cut in 2024 and finished just outside the top 20 last year.
To contend in 2026, he will need to tighten up around the greens and maintain patience on a course that punishes even slight lapses. The talent is unquestioned, and the experience is building. If he pieces together four disciplined rounds, Hovland has the pedigree to finally secure that elusive first major title.
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The 2026 Masters promises to be another compelling chapter in the tournament’s history. While proven champions like McIlroy and Scheffler loom large, Augusta has a habit of crowning new major winners. Aberg, Fleetwood, Gotterup and Hovland all have the tools. The only question is who will seize the moment when it matters most.
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