How to Win Your Masters “Pick X” Golf Pool (2025)

We cover strategy for “Pick X” Masters pools, where you choose a set number of golfers without tier restrictions.

Some 2025 Masters Pools will require you to pick a certain number of golfers from among anyone in the field. We refer to these as “Pick X” pools, where “X” equals the number of specific golfers you must pick. Below, we’ll break down the strategy elements of these contests.

What Are Masters “Pick X” Pools?

Sometimes, it’s easier to show examples than to explain in theory. Here are a few common “Pick X” formats you might see:

• Pick three golfers – like Splash’s Pick 3 OAD Majors contests.
• Pick four golfers – used in many formats where you build a foursome.
• Pick eight golfers – like SZN’s Majors Roster Pick 8 contest.

The advice below applies to all of these formats—regardless of how many golfers you’re picking—as long as you’re free to choose any combination (not limited by tiers).

Pay Attention to the Scoring/Lineup Rules

The scoring rules in your pool can greatly impact strategy—especially in Pick X formats. These contests often differ based on how performance is scored, such as:

• Total strokes
• Finishing position
• Prize money earned

If your pool uses individual strokes, be aware: many formats include penalties for players who withdraw or miss the cut—and those penalties can be severe. That risk should factor into how you build your lineup. In these pools, balanced lineups with all golfers making the cut often beat those with the winner but multiple missed cuts.

In prize money formats, the opposite is true. You almost always need the Masters winner—especially if it’s a popular pick—and several other top finishers. A golfer who finishes 40th doesn’t offer much more value than one who misses the cut.

Here’s a clean closing line to finish that section flush:

Bottom line: Know your scoring rules, and let them guide how aggressive or conservative you need to be with your picks.

Pool Size and Pick Count Impact

In Pick X pools, your edge isn’t just about who you pick but how unique your entry is compared to the rest of the field. One of the biggest factors that influence uniqueness is how many golfers you need to select.

Fewer Picks = More Pressure to Be Unique

Let’s start with a basic example: In a Pick One pool, if you choose Scottie Scheffler and 20% of the field picks him too, you’re instantly grouped with that 20%. If he wins, you all split the pot.

Now, consider a Pick Two format. Scheffler might be even more popular (say 30%) because everyone has two spots to fill. But with more combinations in play, entry overlap drops. Even if most people pair him with other popular names, only a small percentage—maybe 5%—will end up with the same combo.

This trend continues as you increase the number of required picks. With each added golfer, individual pick popularity rises, but the likelihood of duplicated full lineups drops significantly. That gives you more freedom to include popular players—as long as you avoid stacking only the chalk.

Example: Unique Enough for a Large Pool?

Let’s use this hypothetical example for a Pick 6 pool with the following lineup:

• Scottie Scheffler (60% picked in the pool)
• Ludvig Aberg (40% picked)
• Hideki Matsuyama (25%)
• Tommy Fleetwood (15%)
• Tony Finau (10%)
• Corey Conners (5%)

Those are six picks from among the Top 25 options in betting odds, with three being near the top. None of those picks are extremely rare by themselves.

Even though each golfer is somewhat popular, this exact combination would have:

• Only ~5 in 100,000 entries would share all six picks
• Just 2 in 1,000 might overlap on five of the six

So an entry like that may be more than sufficient from a uniqueness standpoint, in a pool with 500 other entries, to take down first place if the right combination of outcomes hits. It may be too aggressive at a pool size of 50 or less, and you could get away with even more highly ranked golfers.

Masters “Pick X” Strategies

We reviewed top-performing entries from large Masters and Majors pools last year, and a clear pattern emerged. The best lineups shared a few key traits:

• Over half of their picks came from the Top 10 in pre-tournament win odds
• Nearly all picks were inside the Top 20
• Fewer than one-third of top entries included a golfer ranked outside the Top 30

Some of the rare picks outside the Top 30 hurt more than helping. So, instead of trying to guess which long shot might pop, we recommend a more focused and data-backed approach.

The “Rule of 24” for Masters Pick X Pools

Here’s a simple framework to guide your picks:

• Start with the Top 24 golfers (and ties) based on pre-tournament win odds
• Make sure at least half your picks come from the Top 12 in those odds
  • For example, in a Pick 6 pool, aim for 3–4 picks from the Top 12
• Adjust based on pool size
  • Smaller pools: Lean even more heavily into the Top 12
  • Larger pools (500+ entries): Spread more evenly across the Top 24 to differentiate

This strategy sets you up to compete against a subset of elite golfers, aiming to beat the others you didn’t pick from the same group. Yes, a few long shots will play well, but most entries that try to chase them end up picking the wrong ones and falling behind.

Stick to the best of the best, build around win equity, and let others make the risky mistakes.

Favorites for the 2025 Masters

We will have the pre-tournament favorites in our Data Grid within the Masters & Majors product, and that information will update regularly throughout the week.

Here are some golfers that we expect to be near the top of the odds board and in consideration for picks:

• Scottie Scheffler
• Rory McIlroy
• Collin Morikawa
• Ludvig Aberg
• Xander Schauffele
• Jon Rahm
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Justin Thomas
• Hideki Matsuyama
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Shane Lowry

If you want full pick popularity projections, win odds tailored to your pool, and detailed course history and recent form data, check out our Masters & Majors product—designed to help you win your 2025 Masters pool.