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Buys, Fades, And Wildcards For The 2026 Masters
Apr 13, 2025; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Scottie Scheffler places the green jacket on Rory McIlroy during the green jacket ceremony during the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Buys, Fades, And Wildcards For The 2026 Masters

Originally posted on Stadium Rant  |  By Ken Brown  |  Last updated Apr 8, 2026 2:56 PM ET
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The weather will not be a factor this week for the 90th edition of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. With the course expected to play firm and fast, there are a number of top players in the game that I am buying and fading this week, as well as a few wildcards who could find themselves in the mix on the back 9 on Sunday.

5 Buys To Win The Masters

Rory McIlroy is the defending Masters champion after becoming the sixth player in golf history to complete the career Grand Slam last April. Although bombers will have an advantage this week with rock-hard greens that take off spin, Rory doesn’t make the cut.

  1. Bryson DeChambeau – Back-to-back top ten finishes at Augusta and winner of the last two events on the LIV Tour.
  2. Cameron Young – Top ten finishes in two of the last three years at Augusta. The Players Championship win could be a springboard.
  3. Jon Rahm – The 2023 Masters Champion is in the best form in recent memory with a win and three runners-up finishes on LIV.
  4. Xander Schauffele – The two-time major champion could finally break through in 2026 with five career top tens at Augusta.
  5. Patrick Reed – Already a two-time winner on the DP World Tour this season, the 2018 Masters Champion is built for this course.

Surprising Fades

Most of these Fades are still betting favorites to win the 2026 Masters, but the baggage they all carry coming in could prevent them from slipping on the Green Jacket.

  1. Colin Morikawa – A back injury derailed what was looking like a resurgence for the two-time major winner, and it still doesn’t look right.
  2. Matt Fitzpatrick – You can’t question his form this season (win at Valspar, 2nd at Players), but his short game is a question mark here.
  3. Rory McIlroy – He may play freer than he ever has this year at Augusta, but his inability to avoid big numbers this season will be a killer.
  4. Scottie Scheffler – The world #1 hasn’t been himself in months. A reset is coming after the birth of his 2nd child, but not this week.
  5. Ludvig Aberg – The rising Swedish star debuted at Augusta with a runner-up finish in 2024. His Players meltdown may linger awhile.

Wildcard Winners

It seemed preposterous a decade ago that Jordan Spieth would be considered a Wildcard Winner heading into Augusta, but the three-time major champion just isn’t the same player he used to be, making him a long shot.

  1. Jordan Spieth – Now 61st in the world golf rankings, if the Texan ever finds a renaissance to his career, it will be at Augusta.
  2. Jacob Bridgeman – Holding off a world-class field at Riviera showed the Clemson star could be ready for the bright lights of a major.
  3. Adam Scott – The 45-year-old Australian is in solid form, and the 2013 Masters Champion could make some noise one more time.

End Of My Rant On The 2026 Masters

With no rain in the forecast, a cooler Thursday and Friday, followed by warming temperatures for the weekend, Augusta National is going to play exactly how the great Bobby Jones Jr. intended it to in 2026. Rock-hard greens and firm, fast fairways are going to make for another jumbled leaderboard on the back nine on Sunday, and as always, we’ll all be watching the fireworks.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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