The first major of the 2026 PGA Tour season takes us to the iconic Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, for the 90th edition of the Masters Tournament. It’ll be tough to top last year’s drama-filled finish, when Rory McIlroy finally exorcised his demons at this event to don the coveted green jacket in a playoff win over Justin Rose.
Augusta National is a par 72 that runs over 7,500 yards and features multiple surfaces on its fairways, rough, and greens. Greens are comprised of ultra-fast bentgrass, with sloping undulations that add a huge layer of difficulty. Sprawling sand bunkers abound, along with doglegged, tree-lined fairways and perennial Ryegrass measuring 1.5 inches in length.
Accuracy tee-to-green is critical. Then, golfers will have to deal with the bentgrass greens. Previous winners are all household names, with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler winning twice in 2022 and 2024, Jon Rahm in 2023, and McIlroy’s thrilling victory last season. All three golfers are in the top five betting favorites ahead of Round 1, led by Scheffler at +510 odds.
My PGA DFS Lineup Advice: Top Golfers (2026 Valero Texas Open) had a couple of notable performances, but Tier 1 prospects disappointed. Russell Henley and Sepp Straka, our most expensive golfers, both missed the cut. Tier 2 made up for that with Sudarshan Yellamaraju (T14) and Ryo Hisatsune (T8) carding top 20 and top 10 finishes, respectively, at lower salaries. Tier 3 also saw Marco Penge and Sam Ryder card T21 finishes at a huge discount, so hopefully, you opted for different Tier 1 golfers to cash some lineups.
The first major of the 2026 PGA Tour season takes us to the iconic Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, for the 90th edition of the Masters Tournament. It’ll be tough to top last year’s drama-filled finish, when Rory McIlroy finally exorcised his demons at this event to don the coveted green jacket in a playoff win over Justin Rose.
Augusta National is a par 72 that runs over 7,500 yards and features multiple surfaces on its fairways, rough, and greens. Greens are comprised of ultra-fast bentgrass, with sloping undulations that add a huge layer of difficulty. Sprawling sand bunkers abound, along with doglegged, tree-lined fairways and perennial Ryegrass measuring 1.5 inches in length.
Accuracy tee-to-green is critical. Then, golfers will have to deal with the bentgrass greens. Previous winners are all household names, with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler winning twice in 2022 and 2024, Jon Rahm in 2023, and McIlroy’s thrilling victory last season. All three golfers are in the top five betting favorites ahead of Round 1, led by Scheffler at +510 odds.
My PGA DFS Lineup Advice: Top Golfers (2026 Valero Texas Open) had a couple of notable performances, but Tier 1 prospects disappointed. Russell Henley and Sepp Straka, our most expensive golfers, both missed the cut. Tier 2 made up for that with Sudarshan Yellamaraju (T14) and Ryo Hisatsune (T8) carding top 20 and top 10 finishes, respectively, at lower salaries. Tier 3 also saw Marco Penge and Sam Ryder card T21 finishes at a huge discount, so hopefully, you opted for different Tier 1 golfers to cash some lineups.
I’ve found six golfers who will shine and be productive at the Masters this week, leading to potentially lucrative lineup results. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more DFS picks and insight during the 2026 PGA Tour season.
PGA DFS: Top Golfers (2026 Valero Texas Open)
DraftKings Salary: $50,000 | FanDuel Salary: $60,000
TIER 1
| Golfer |
DK $ |
FD $ |
| Jon Rahm |
$10,000 |
$11,900 |
| Xander Schauffele |
$9,600 |
$11,300 |
We’re getting Jon Rahm at nearly $2,000 cheaper than Scottie Scheffler, despite Rahm being ranked first in the world in total strokes gained right now. The 2023 Masters champion carded a T14 finish at Augusta National in 2025, while a T42 result was sandwiched between his win and top 20 finish last season.
We’ll pair Rahm with Xander Schauffele to round out Tier 1. Schauffele is trending up, finishing third and T4 in his last two events played. He’s ranked 12th in total strokes gained, including 14th in SG: Approach, 36th in SG: Putting, and sixth in scrambling.
Schauffele’s previous Masters finishes go T10-8-T8 since 2023. He’s a phenomenal ball-striker who has plenty of finesse with his short game, which is why Schauffele has been a consistent name near the top of the leaderboard at Augusta National.
TIER 2
| Golfer |
DK $ |
FD $ |
| Matt Fitzpatrick |
$8,700 |
$10,900 |
| Sungjae Im |
$7,500 |
$9,000 |
Matt Fitzpatrick will undoubtedly be a popular selection in DFS lineups this week following his outright win at the Valspar Championship. The Englishman has gone runner-up and winner across his past two events, while ranked seventh in total strokes gained and in SG: Approach.
Fitzpatrick is coming off a meager T40 finish at the Masters in 2025. He does have a pair of top 10 finishes at this major, so based on his current form, let’s invest in the tee-to-green afficiando in DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
Sungjae Im is worth plugging into lineups at Augusta National. The South Korean has not played well with consistency, but the Masters is where Im tends to settle into a rhythm.
Im has four top 20 finishes and two missed cuts in six trips to Augusta. He’s coming off a T5 finish in 2025, while carding a T4 finish at the Valspar Championship, before a disappointing T60 finish at the Valero Texas Open. Im crumbled with the lead at the Valspar Championship, but his short game and driver are good enough to warrant a play in DFS lineups at a Tier 2 salary.
TIER 3
| Golfer |
DK $ |
FD $ |
| Nico Echavarria |
$6,700 |
$7,300 |
| Bubba Watson |
$6,300 |
$7,200 |
We’re digging deep into the value bin for our final Tier 3 golfers. Nico Echavarria won the Cognizant Classic over Shane Lowry with a late flurry of clutch birdies and a clean scorecard.
In his only trip to Augusta National, Echavarria made the cut but wound up 51st on the final leaderboard. In 2026, the Colombian golfer ranks 41st in proximity, 42nd at GIR percentage, 40th in driving accuracy, and 27th in putting average. It’s led to top 40 marks in par 4 scoring and birdie average.
Bubba Watson is the perfect Tier 3 golfer to anchor our lineups at a reduced salary. The two-time Masters champion has only missed the cut three times in 17 trips to Augusta National, so we’re set up to get a high-floor performance from the 47-year-old.
In 2025, Watson carded a T14 finish at the Masters. At this salary, if we even get a top 30 finish, it’ll be a successful return on investment. Let’s plug the two-time green jacket winner into our DFS lineups.
Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
