The Masters: Golf One and Done Picks Strategy (2026)

We go through odds, popularity, stats, and future value to find the best Masters One and Done Picks this week.

by Jason Lisk - Apr 7, 2026

Matt Fitzpatrick is one of several recent winners on the PGA Tour that are looking to break through at The Masters. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire)

It’s Masters Week for Golf One and Done pools. We have made it through the first portion of the year, and now arrive at the first major, where we bring in not only top players from the PGA Tour but others playing on the LIV Tour or regularly on the DP World Tour.

Outside of THE PLAYERS Championship, it’s also the largest purse event we have seen. With so much on the line, it is likely to swing some pools dramatically this week. That’s especially true with so many golfers who look to be options this year.

We’ll break down the top Masters One and Done picks this week, who’s likely to be popular, and how you should approach this key event.

The Masters One and Done Picks: Purse Info

The Masters does not announce the official purse until later in the week, but last year, it was raised to a total prize purse of $21,000,000, with $4,200,000 going to the first-place winner.

If there is any increase this year, it will push closer to the $4,500,000 Cameron Young earned for winning THE PLAYERS Championship, and should be treated as a top-three event for One and Done pools.

If you want to see where this tournament’s purse ranks in your specific PGA One and Done pool, you can set up your pool entry in our Golf One and Done Picks product.

Playing in a Masters Tiers or Pick’em Pool?

We built a tool to help you find the best picks based on your exact pool rules — including odds, stats, and projected popularity.

The Masters Overview for One and Done Pools

This analysis is a complement to the data in our product, which provides customized weekly pick grades that account for factors like:

• The total number of picks you need to make this season
• The specific tournaments included in your pool
• The golfers you’ve already used so far

Here are a few notable highlights for the 2026 Masters field:

• 91 golfers in the 2026 field. Last year had 96 golfers, with 89 and 87 in 2024 and 2023, respectively.
• Top 50 and ties will make the cut. An average of 54.6 golfers have made the cut at the Masters over the last five years, which would represent 60% of this year’s field.
• No single dominant golfer so far in 2026 heading to Augusta: This year feels more open, at least in terms of contenders, as unlike the past 3-4 years, where one golfer was peaking entering the event and then won it (Rahm, Scheffler, McIlroy), we’ve had a wider group of big winners.
• Rory McIlroy, last year’s champion, last played at THE PLAYERS: Several of the top golfers have not played a tournament over the last three weeks, including McIlroy, who withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to a back injury, and then finished 46th at THE PLAYERS.
• Scottie Scheffler, trying to regain form, is the favorite: Scheffler won back in January at the American Express, but his play has been more uneven compared to the last three years entering the Masters week. He has failed to break 70 in any Thursday round since that American Express win, a run that has contributed to three straight tournaments finishing outside the Top 10.
• Hottest golfers include Young, Fitzpatrick: Five golfers come in with consecutive Top 5 finishes, including at THE PLAYERS. Those five are Cameron Young (won PLAYERS), Matt Fitzpatrick (won Valspar), Robert MacIntyre (second at Texas Open), Xander Schauffele (top 5 at Valspar and PLAYERS), and Ludvig Aberg (fifth at Texas Open and PLAYERS).

The Masters One and Done Picks Video

Jason Lisk and Stephen Andress dive into the Masters with an in-depth Masters One and Done breakdown, drafting the top golfers and discussing some sleepers and conviction plays for this event, out by Tuesday morning, April 7.

You can also see our video on The Top 10 Golfers for the 2026 Masters here.

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the PoolGenius YouTube Channel so you don’t miss when each Golf One and Done strategy breakdown is released.

The Masters One and Done Picks Advice

Top 15 in Win Odds

Here are the top 15 (and ties) in win odds for The Masters as of Tuesday afternoon, April 7: