Sleeper picks to win 2026 Masters: Augusta winner, Europe’s Ryder Cup stars and 60/1 shot among contenders

The first major of the year is coming up and there are plenty of names in the mix for Masters glory.

From Danny Willett and Charl Schwartzel to Angel Cabrera and Mike Weir, the Masters has a history of throwing up some unlikely winners.

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The last four Masters have been won by Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm meaning we may be due a winner from further down the bookies’ lists this April.

A host of players are in good form and will be looking to take down the favourites at Augusta.

There have also only been four European major winners in the last seven years but Europe’s Ryder Cup stars will be looking to change that.

Patrick Reed – 33/1

Reed is close to being back to his very best and from his six events played this year, he has two wins and a runner-up.

He claimed victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Qatar Masters at the start of the year after confirming his plans to leave LIV Golf and return to the PGA Tour.

He’ll be eligible to play again in August and will be eager to show he still has the quality to mix it in the majors at Augusta.

Reed also knows exactly how to win a Green Jacket.

He claimed a convincing victory in Georgia in 2018 and finished third at the famous track last year.

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Robert MacIntyre – 40/1

Scotland has not had a major winner since Paul Lawrie clinched the 1999 Open.

But MacIntyre is the best player to come out of the spiritual birthplace of the game in decades.

The 29-year-old was brilliant at the Ryder Cup and has claimed some big victories over the past couple of years.

He showed he has major-quality at the US Open and Open Championship last year and has also performed well at Augusta before.

Lefties have historically done well at the Masters with Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson having five wins between them as several holes benefit a left-handed fade.

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Shane Lowry – 50/1

Lowry is overdue a victory but there are many signs that another breakthrough will come soon.

He was instrumental to Europe’s Ryder Cup win and, individually, has 16 top 20s over the past 14 months.

His consistency has been brilliant but he has squandered some golden chances to get back in the winner’s circle.

Lowry was poor in the majors last year and will want to hit back from those disappointments this summer.

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Chris Gotterup – 55/1

There has not been a first-time winner at the Masters since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 but Gotterup will be among the debutants looking to change that this spring.

The American has won four big tournaments over the past few years including the Genesis Scottish Open and February’s WM Phoenix Open.

He also finished third at the Open last summer in what was only his fourth major appearance.

He is yet to tackle Augusta National and the history books tell us that experience is key to doing well there.

But Gotterup has the game to face off against the very best and he could be a unlikely name near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.

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Akhshay Bhatia – 60/1

Another lefty, Bhatia is a man bang in form heading into the first major on the calendar. 

In his past five events, he has finished no worse than T16 while also coming third in Phoenix and winning the fiendishly difficult Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The next step for Bhatia is to start showing his best at the majors, having not cracked a top 10 in the biggest events yet.

But he does have previous at Augusta.

He became the first Drive, Chip & Putt finalist to play professionally at the Masters and has performed well in his two visits since.