2026 Masters Picks & Predictions: Round 2 Head-to-Head Bets
The opening round at the 90th edition of the Masters Tournament saw last year’s winner, Rory McIlroy, take a slice of the first round lead at -5-under-par alongside Sam Burns. McIlroy bogeyed the third hole before draining five more birdies thanks to a potent combination of hitting greens in regulation and putting.
Other veteran names made their way up the leaderboard on Thursday. The dry conditions, especially for afternoon tee times, became a huge hazard, leading to errant lies and difficult scrambling scenarios. Jason Day, Patrick Reed, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, and Scottie Scheffler all managed to go -2-under-par or lower to set the tone in Round 1.
My 2026 Masters Picks & Predictions: Round 1 Head-to-Head Bets turned a nice profit at 2-0-1. Akshay Bhatia struggled on the back-nine with multiple bogeys, but it was enough to get a voided wager (push) against Jake Knapp at +1. Our winners included Viktor Hovland’s 3-ball prop at +150 odds, beating Alex Noren and Patrick Cantlay by two strokes at +3. Adam Scott also played well enough to beat Si Woo Kim by three strokes as an underdog in his matchup prop at -108 odds.
Let’s keep cashing tickets on Friday with three more Round 2 head-to-head bets. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more free bets and PGA Tour analysis throughout the 2026 PGA Tour season.
2026 Masters Picks & Predictions: Round 1 Head-to-Head Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Round 2 Matchup – Adam Scott vs. Jacob Bridgeman
Adam Scott came through in the clutch for us in Round 1. However, I’m going to recommend fading the former Masters winner against Jacob Bridgeman in Round 2.
Bridgeman looked solid in his debut at Augusta National. He leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting and is second in total strokes gained metrics. In Round 1, Bridgeman took until Hole 13 to make a birdie, then he wound up -2-under-par on the final three holes to finish -1-under-par.
A dazzling 83 percent green in regulation (15/18) rate is impressive, which kept Bridgeman afloat as he battled the lightning-fast bentgrass greens, which ran even faster due to firmness. Scott, conversely, went only 50 percent for greens hit in regulation, despite finding 12 of 14 fairways.
Scott’s a veteran at Augusta National. However, Bridgeman is the young gun who is playing the best golf of his career in 2026. Let’s bet on Bridgeman as an underdog to beat his 45-year-old opponent in Round 2 at -110 odds.
Pick: Jacob Bridgeman (-110)
Round 2 Matchup – Brooks Koepka vs. Chris Gotterup
We should be in store for a fun round of golf with Brooks Koepka and Chris Gotterup paired in this Round 2 matchup prop. Koepka logged five birdies in Round 1, but he failed to break par with five additional bogeys. Gotterup followed suit with four birdies and four bogeys to also finish at an even par 72.
Koepka has the experience edge in this matchup prop, which is why oddsmakers value him as a marginal favorite. Gotterup is making his debut at Augusta National, but he’s one of the very few golfers who can out-drive Koepka, averaging over 360 yards per drive on Thursday.
Neither golfer had a hot putter on the fast, dry bentgrass greens. It’s going to come down to tee-to-green efficiency, which I think Gotterup can win, hitting 71 percent of fairways compared to Koepka’s 50 percent driving accuracy rate.
Bet on another Masters debutant, Chris Gotterup, to take down his veteran counterpart in Round 2 at a solid price of -108 odds.
Pick: Chris Gotterup (-108)
Round 2 Matchup – Viktor Hovland vs. Russell Henley
Let’s pick a favorite with our third and final Round 2 matchup prop. Russell Henley profiles well against Viktor Hovland, available to bet at -122 odds ahead of Friday afternoon’s tee time.
Henley finished Round 1 at +1 (73), carding back-to-back bogeys to finish over par. Hovland was even worse at +3, so expect both golfers to come out focused in search of making the cut line and playing over the final two rounds.
Notable metrics include both Henley and Hovland finding 79 percent of fairways (11/14), while Hovland found more greens in regulation at 61 percent, compared to Henley at 50 percent. However, Henley gained 0.18 strokes putting (1.61) over Hovland at 1.78, as the Norwegian struggled to get his flat stick into a rhythm.
Yes, Hovland has more power off-the-tee and is an efficient iron player. Yet, Henley’s short game is elite, which goes a long way at Augusta National. It’s why oddsmakers are bullish on the Georgia native to beat Hovland in Round 2, despite holding a two-stroke lead.
Let’s close out with a bet on Russell Henley to beat Viktor Hovland in the Round 2 matchup prop betting market at -122 odds.
Pick: Russell Henley (-122)