Skip to main content Skip to navigation Skip to footer

2026 Masters Picks & Predictions: Best Head-to-Head Bets

Author image by Pat Fitzmaurice | Apr 8, 2026
Author image by Pat Fitzmaurice | Apr 8, 2026
2026 Masters Picks & Predictions: Best Head-to-Head Bets

The online sportsbooks offer a seemingly endless number of ways to bet on The Masters. Head-to-head bets give you a chance to target players and matchups you like. You can bet on matchups for a single round or for the entire tournament. Here are some head-to-head tournament matchups at DraftKings that I'm wagering with my 2026 Masters picks.

draftkings sportsbook offer Masters

2026 Masters Picks & Predictions: Best Head-to-Head Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Cameron Smith (-104) Over Kurt Kitayama (-128)

Here's an interesting matchup between a fine ballstriker with a so-so short game (Kurt Kitayama) and a mediocre ballstriker with perhaps the best short game in the world (Cameron Smith).

Smith won the Open Championship in 2022 and finished inside the top 10 at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open in 2023. But Smith hasn't won a tournament since 2023, and last year he missed the cut in all four majors.

But Smith has played respectably of late, shooting in the 60s in 10 of his last 12 rounds on the LIV Tour. And Smith's short-game wizardry plays well at Augusta National. In nine Masters starts, Smith has three top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes.

Smith has a big edge in experience at The Masters. Kitayama has played The Masters only twice before and has a 74.33 stroke average over his rounds at Augusta.

While Kitayama is long off the tee and terrific with his irons, ranking 11th in strokes gained on approach, his touch around the green is suspect. He ranks 117th in strokes gained putting and 126th in strokes gained around the green.

Take the -104 odds on the veteran with the amazing short game.

Patrick Reed (+125) Over Hideki Matsuyama (-162)

This matchup pits two Masters champions against each other. Patrick Reed was a surprise Green Jacket winner in 2018. Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese player to win The Masters in 2021.

Since his victory five years ago, Matsuyama has failed to crack the top 10 at The Masters, finishing 14th, 16th, 38th and 21st. The victory in 2021 was Matsuyama's only top-10 finish in his last nine trips.

Matsuyama got off to a fast start in 2026, finishing 13th or better in each of his first four events, but he's cooled off since, finishing outside of the top 20 in each of his last four tourneys.

Matsuyama's driver hasn't been cooperating this year. He ranks 105th in strokes gained off the tee and is outside of the top 75 in both driving distance and driving accuracy.

Reed, who has been playing on the DP World Tour after his LIV Tour contract expired, has been on a heater this year. Over three weeks in late January and early February, Reed won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, took second at the Bahrain Championship and won the Qatar Masters.

Reed's marvelous short game has served him well at Augusta. He's finished in the top 10 in four of the last seven years. Reed placed third last year, finishing two shots behind Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.

Odds of +125 for Reed seem generous in light of his wonderful short game and proven Masters track record. I'm backing him in this matchup with Matsuyama.

 

Xander Schauffele (-136) Over Matt Fitzpatrick (+104)

I'm betting on Xander Schauffele to win outright, and I'm betting him in this matchup.

Schauffele finished second at The Masters in 2019 and third in 2021. He's finished inside the top 10 in each of the last three years. In strokes gained tee to green at Augusta National since 2015, only Scottie Scheffler ranks ahead of Schauffele.

Schauffele’s fine all-around game is made for Augusta. His putter went cold on him last year, but Schauffele ranks 36th in strokes gained putting in 2026. His iron play is terrific. He does superb work around the greens. Schauffele also hits it a long way, which is always an advantage at Augusta.

And Schauffele is coming in hot. In his last two tournaments, he finished third at The PLAYERS Championship and fourth at the Valspar Championship.

Matt Fitzpatrick is a tough competitor who's having a fine year. He had a second-place finish at The PLAYERS Championship and a victory the following week at the Valspar Championship.

But Fitzpatrick hasn't had much luck at Augusta. In 11 career Masters starts, he's never finished in the top five, and he's only had two top-10 results.

While Fitzpatrick has worked to add distance off the tee, he ranks a modest 69th in driving distance. And he has not been great with the flatstick this year, ranking 96th in strokes gained putting.

Schauffele should probably be an even heavier favorite in this matchup. Back him at -136 odds.

Brooks Koepka (+124) Over Min Woo Lee (-162)

Surprisingly, Brooks Koepka is such a big underdog in this matchup considering his sterling track record in majors. He's won the PGA Championship thrice and the U.S. Open twice, and while Koepka has never won a Green Jacket, he's had a couple of near-misses, with a pair of runner-up finishes.

Koepka missed the cut in three of the four majors last year, but perhaps this steely competitor will regain his edge in golf's biggest events now that he's back on the PGA Tour after spending several years on the LIV Tour.

An ice-cold putter plagued Koepka earlier this year, but he's been striking the ball well, and his putter began to thaw on the Florida Swing, where Koepka had three top-20 finishes.

There's a lot of love for Minn Woo Lee in the betting markets this week, and it's understandable. He's finished sixth or better in three of his seven events in 2026. Lee's combination of power off the tee and touch around the greens should theoretically play well at The Masters.

So far, though, Lee has been unable to solve Augusta National. Since finishing 14th in his 2022 debut, he's failed to crack the top 20 in three subsequent appearances. Lee has broken par in only three out of 14 rounds at Augusta and has a Masters scoring average of 73.29.

Koepka so often delivers the good in majors. Take him at plus money in this matchup.

Individual Golfer Previews

BettingPros App 3.0