The Masters 2026 is almost here. The best players in Official World Golf Ranking are in the final stretch before the first major of the year at Augusta National. But when does the tournament start? Here are the full 2026 Masters dates and everything else you need to know ahead of the tournament.
What are the 2026 Masters dates?
Masters Tournament 2026 starts from April 9-12. However, plenty of action happens at Augusta National early in Masters week.
While Masters Week officially begins on Monday, April 6, with many players arriving on the course and beginning their final preparations for the tournament, Sunday is the unofficial kickoff. A day after 2026 Augusta Women’s Amateur Nationalsome top pros arrive at Augusta early to try and get any extra advantage they can.
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Then on Tuesday, April 7, the competitors will play practice rounds and a number of player press conferences will take place in the Masters Media Center. Later on Tuesday evening, all the former Masters champions in the field will gather for one of the most exciting (and exclusive) events of Masters week: Masters Champions Dinner.
On Wednesday of Masters week, which is April 8 this year, the popular Masters Par-3 Contest descends on the property, where the players’ children and families don white uniforms and join them on the Par-3 course.
Finally, on Thursday, April 9, the Masters the tournament starts with the first round.
Who are the 2026 Masters betting favourites?
The top two early Masters betting favorites for the 2026 event will be obvious to most golf fans.
World number 1 Scottie Scheffler leads the way with +300 odds to win. Scheffler is a two-time Masters champion and has dominated golf for years. He captured his 20th PGA Tour victory in his first start of the 2026 season, and although he has struggled with his lofty standards of late, he is still the biggest threat to win the green jacket.
In second place on the list of Masters honors is the reigning champion, world number 2 Rory McIlroy. McIlroy won his first Masters title last year to complete his career Grand Slam. Now with the monkey off his back, he’s expected to contend at Augusta every year he’s healthy and on the field. As of this writing, McIlroy’s pre-tournament Masters odds are +900.
The third betting favorite is the man who almost won the 2026 Players Championship: Ludwig Aberg. Aberg held a three-shot lead heading into Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, but he had a tough final round and finished T5. He’s got the game to be a Masters champion, and he’s playing well too. His odds of winning the Masters are +1200.
To complete the top-5 at the 2026 Masters, the odds are two LIV Golf professionals. Former Masters winner Jon Rahm tied with Aberg at +1200 odds to win, followed by the two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau at +1400.
We don’t know yet if Tiger Woods will return from injury and play the 2026 Masters. In case he does, the odds are including him at the moment. If you want to risk a bet on Tiger getting his sixth Masters title this year, you can get him at +20000.
