It’s time to think about who will win the Masters. They said the winner has historically come from the top 15 players in the world. The last golfer outside the top 15 to win the Masters was Charl Schwartzel ranked 29th when he won in 2011.

So here are my thoughts and predictions for the 2026 Masters.

Will Rory McIlroy win back-to-back Masters: No. The last back-to-back winner at the Masters was Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. It’s not that Rory isn’t talented enough but I don’t think he is “dominating” the PGA Tour in 2026; and there are many other players that could catch fire this week.

My Sentimental Winner: Justin Rose. At 45 years old and as the runner up last year to Rory I would love to see Rose win this year. Rose has a good history at the Masters with six top ten finishes; runner-up three times; and lost in two playoffs. He is playing well this year; winning at the Farmers Insurance Open by seven strokes.

My “First Time At The Masters” Winner: Chris Gotterup. It is Gotterup’s first time at the Masters but he has had a great start to his 2026 season winning both the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and the WM Phoenix Open in February.

My Guess for who WILL win: If my “sentimental” pick or “first time at the masters” pick do not win then I think a more realistic prediction might be to go with the obvious player:

I have no idea if any of my predictions for the winner will come true but it’s always fun to have players you want to cheer for at the Masters.

Who is the player you hope will win the Masters in 2026? Leave me a comment!

Prediction for the Amateur Winner: First it’s important to know how these amateurs get into the field. There are five key events: The U.S. Amateur (USGA), The Amateur (R&A), The Asia-Pacific Amateur, the Latin America Amateur, and the U.S. Mid-Amateur. The winner of each gets invited to the Masters; and the runner-up at the U.S. Amateur gets an invitation too.

The obvious prediction for the winner is Mason Howell the winner of the U.S. Amateur. Howell is 18 years old, still in high school but a University of Georgia commit. And, he played in the Houston Open this year shooting a 73 and 66 missing the cut by just one stroke.

I also always root the mid-am player because I just think it is fun to see a “thirtysomething” man living every working guys dream. This years mid-am is Brandon Holtz. He tried to make a run at being a professional golfer after college even though he was not a college D1 golfer. He played mini-tours with no success. He got married, had kids, a career in real estate. However, it was just recently that he reinstated his amateur status.

Side bar: There is serious debate on if a former professional should be allowed to be reinstated as an amateur and play in the amateur events. So far the USGA has allowed this with a “waiting period” usually six months from the last professional event. I’m guessing that may change. With respect to Holtz, he’s not been a professional (on tour) for years but never change his status until recently. My view is that perhaps the waiting period should be longer (at least a year); but it will be interesting to see what the governing bodies decide if more “professionals” convert to play the mid-am to get a chance at the Masters.

If you want to read about all six Amateurs you can find their bios on The Masters Website.

The weather looks beautiful for The Masters and I will be happily sitting in front of my television watching all the coverage. Coverage Schedule Page website.

Happy Masters week!!