Masters 2026 Sleeper Picks: Best Longshots & Dark Horses to Win

Viktor Hovland (+5500)

Norway’s Viktor Hovland enters the Masters 2026 off a disappointing showing at the Valspar Championship, but that only enhances his appeal as a sleeper with strong betting value. At +5500, he stands out as one of the more intriguing long-shot candidates to win the green jacket.

Hovland has yet to win a major, though he’s been close. He owns four top-5 finishes in majors, including a 3rd-place result at the 2025 U.S. Open. Since then, his form has been uneven, but the price at +5500 is still attractive.

In six starts this season, Hovland has posted one top-10 and three top-25 finishes. While he did miss the cut at the Valspar Championship, he arrived there in decent form after back-to-back T13 results.

A chip-in from Viktor Hovland to move to T3!

The Norwegian is within one shot of the lead @THEPLAYERS.

📺 PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/0wCb1nc40f

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 12, 2026

He’s also held his own against strong fields. At THE PLAYERS Championship, Hovland finished 6-under par. At Augusta National, he’s been consistently competitive, finishing T21 at the Masters last year and earning his best result in 2023 with a T7. Overall, he has finished inside the top-25 in five of six Masters starts.

With approach play being crucial at Augusta, Hovland’s current ranking of 18th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green is a major positive. Coupled with seven PGA Tour victories already on his resume, the Norwegian offers compelling odds at +5500 to secure his eighth, and biggest win on golf’s grandest stage.

Patrick Cantlay (+7000)

It’s been four years since Patrick Cantlay won a tournament after he won six from 2020 to 2022. In January 2022, Cantlay had a career-high Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in 3rd. He sits 34th now as his drought continues, but he’s putting together a respectable campaign in 2026.

Patrick Cantlay could be turning a corner at just the right time to put himself in contention at Augusta National. With the Masters on the horizon, he’s trending in the right direction on leaderboards and in the underlying stats.

Oh so close to perfection 😫@Patrick_Cantlay narrowly misses an ace on the par-3 8th.

📺 Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/e2APu0qmvj

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 21, 2026

The 34-year-old is coming off a T7 at the Valspar Championship, his best finish of the season after posting a T13 at The American Express and a T14 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He also closed last season with a near-breakthrough T2 at the TOUR Championship.

The Long Beach, CA, native’s profile lines up well with what typically wins at Augusta. He ranks 23rd in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and 31st in Strokes Gained: Total, while also sitting 23rd in Greens in Regulation percentage.

Given Cantlay’s odds to win the 2026 Masters at +7000, the value is undeniable as one of the best Masters sleeper picks.

J.J. Spaun (+7000)

Before winning the Valero Texas Open this past weekend, the 2026 season has not unfolded the way Team USA Ryder Cup member J.J. Spaun envisioned. He missed the cut in three of his previous four events before finding his stroke again in Texas.

The encouraging sign for Spaun backers is that his ceiling remains extremely high. The 35-year-old is just one season removed from winning the 2025 U.S. Open and ranking among the PGA Tour’s elite by several key metrics. Last year, he finished eighth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, fifth in Strokes Gained: Approach, and seventh in Strokes Gained: Total.

If you had said back then that Spaun would be priced at +7000 to win the Masters after hoisting the U.S. Open trophy, it would’ve been absurd. Duplicating that success has been difficult for Spaun, but there were flashes of a champion at TPC San Antonio.

Denied by the flagstick 🚫

J.J. Spaun is just inches away from an ace on 12 @ATTProAm. pic.twitter.com/0UI11MHFDV

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 12, 2026

Still, Spaun finally flashed signs of shaking off the rust in his most recent start. His body language and overall demeanor were noticeably more positive than earlier in the season, and his game appears to be trending in the right direction. I expect him to build on that momentum and play his way into the mix by Sunday.

At this generous number, Spaun stands out as one of the most compelling longshot Masters bets at +7000.

Jacob Bridgeman (+10000)

Jacob Bridgeman at these monster odds at top golf betting sites has to be considered as one of the best 2026 Masters sleeper bets. The surging 26-year-old has finished in the top-25 in all eight events he’s played in this season.

Bridgeman has quietly put together an impressive season, recording four top-10 finishes and cashing in 50% of his starts. He hit a new career high with a win at The Genesis Invitational in February, then backed it up with finishes of T14, T5, and T18 in his next three events, avoiding any post-win letdown.

His form has held up under serious pressure, too. At THE PLAYERS Championship, one of the toughest tests on the schedule, Bridgeman shot 9-under par to finish T5. It’s been that kind of year and he’s clearly in the best form of his career.

263-yard 7-wood to 3 feet!

Jacob Bridgeman now leads by THREE.

📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/IoDFl2NAtg

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 21, 2026

That surge in performance shows up in the metrics. On the PGA Tour, Bridgeman now ranks 2nd in SG: Total and 1st in SG: Putting, while also sitting 25th in SG: Approach the Green for a strong all-around profile.

Given those results and underlying stats, +10000 is a massive number on Bridgeman, making him a prime candidate among Masters 2026 longshot bets.

Sam Burns (+10000)

Another intriguing longshot to consider backing to win the Masters is Sam Burns at +10000. While Burns faces steep odds, he’s worth a look at this attractive price.

The 29-year-old owns five career PGA Tour victories, with his most recent title coming in 2023. He nearly added another last season, losing in a playoff to Ryan Fox at the RBC Canadian Open. Burns has also found some success in 2026, particularly with his putter.

He ranks 16th in SG: Putting, which should serve him well at Augusta National. Burns is also above the PGA Tour average in several key metrics, sitting 50th in SG: Total and 46th in SG: Off the Tee.

Inconsistency has kept Burns from posting even stronger numbers, but when he’s on, the results have been impressive. He has three top-25 finishes this season, including a T6 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he turned in a promising T13 at THE PLAYERS Championship.

In the 2025 U.S. Open, Burns was the 36-hold leader after the third round and finished a solid T9, so he’s played well in recent majors.

Sam Burns remains at the top of the leaderboard following Round 3 of the U.S. Open ⛳ pic.twitter.com/NGSkk8UUTz

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 15, 2025

As of current momentum, Burns is coming off a respectable T21 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. While his recent results may not match those of the elite contenders, it’s hard to ignore him at +10000. It doesn’t need to be a large wager, but a small play on Burns is worth considering among your 2026 Masters sleeper bets.