The Masters First Round Leaders Odds & Best Bets

• The 90th Masters tournament tees off Thursday, April 9th
• Scottie Scheffler is the +1450 favorite to lead after 18 holes over Bryson Dechambeau
• Read below for five picks of mine to be leader after day one of the Masters tournament

The first major of 2026 is finally here and the world’s best golfers will compete to win the Masters and the coveted green jacket that goes along with it. Scottie Scheffler is the favorite in the Masters betting odds to win outright, which would be his third title in the last five years.

Instead of waiting until Sunday to potentially collect our earnings, this article will explore bets that can be made that will settle at the conclusion of the first round, searching to find who will be the first-round leader after 18 holes.

2026 Masters First-Round Leader Odds

The weather will be in the low 50’s early in the morning, reaching the low 70’s in the afternoon, with a mix of sun and clouds all day. The wind gusts will consistently be between 10-15 MPH all of Thursday as well.

Keep in mind, if you’re inclined to wager on a FRL selection on a player in the afternoon, patience can be a virtue. Invariably someone will go super low in the AM, perhaps rendering most of the PM players obsolete in terms of winning a first round leader wager.

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Odds as of April 8th at DraftKings Sportsbook at 11:20am ET. Claim the top sportsbook promos before the Masters Tournament.

Masters Tournament First-Round Leader Picks and Predictions 2026

• Justin Rose +3600
• Chris Gotterup +4200
• Nicolai Hojgaard +5600
• Corey Conners +6400
• Sungjae Im +6900
• Harris English +7400

My first choice is last year’s hard-luck runner-up Justin Rose (1:20pm, +3600), who lost to Rory McIlroy in a playoff. In 2025, Rose led after 18 holes, which was an all-time record fifth time leading the Masters following the completion of the first round.

In his illustrious career, the Englishmen has racked up seven top-10s at Augusta, including thrice was the eventual runner-up (twice in playoffs). Rose won the FedEx St. Jude Championship last season, then followed that up with a victory at the Farmers Insurance Open a few months ago. He’s coming in off a respectable T-13th at the Players Championship.

Next I have my sights set on Chris Gotterup (1:08pm, +4200), who has lifted two trophies this year, at the Sony Open and WM Phoenix Open. He’s tops in first round scoring average on the campaign (67.13), with two opening rounds of 63 and also a 64. Though he is a rookie at the Masters, he’s the only two-time winner on the circuit in 2026, and he’s eighth in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Gotterup also has four titles to his credit since 2024.

Then I’ll pivot to Nicolai Hojgaard (11:39 am, +5600). His last start two weeks ago, the Dane nearly picked off his first career PGA Tour victory, resulting in a second place showing at the Houston Open. On the season, he’s been stellar, with two other top-6s, no missed cuts, and is ninth in total strokes gained. In his Masters debut, he was solid, with a T-16th in 2024.

2026 PGA Tour First-Round Scoring Average Leaders

Longshots Who Could Lead 2026 Masters Tournament After 18 Holes

My final three choices are longer shots, including Canadian Corey Conners (12:44pm, +6400), Sungjae Im (11:03am, +6900), and Harris English (1:56pm, +7400).

Conners is an Augusta National savant, putting together four top-10s in the last six years at this venue. He was in the second to last group teeing off in the final round last year, as he was in contention through 54 holes. Sungjae Im led going into the final round two events ago at the Valspar, and he was runner-up at Augusta in 2020, and fifth a year ago.

Finally, English has been solid, if unspectacular in 2026, with seven of eight tourneys inside the top-30, and three top-25s in the last four trips to this course. He’s placed second in two of the last three major championships a year ago.