Is the Masters over? Here’s what our gambling expert had to say
In the 2026 Masters section, it is the 2025 champion, Rory McIlroy, on top of the leaderboard again. McIlroy won his first green jacket and finished a career Grand Slam 11 under last April. In his title defense, McIlroy has already surpassed that number and leads by six shots in 12 under two rounds at Augusta National Golf Club.
After shooting a 67 on Day 1, the five-time major champion closed Day 2 with four straight birdies and a seven-under 65. Sam Burns shared the lead with McIlroy entering Friday but now trails by six. Patrick Reed, the 2018 champion, is also six under.
With 36 holes to go in the 90th Masters, McIlroy is a huge -280 favorite to become the first back-to-back winner since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002 and only the fourth champion to repeat in the tournament’s history. His six-shot lead is the largest 36-hole lead at the Masters.
Fleetwood and Reed are second favorites on the oddsboards and are currently 18-1. The gap between the favorite and the rest of the pack is cavernous. Rose is 20-1 and Burns is 22-1 to win.
Most sportsbooks would like to see McIlroy at the Butler Cabin on Sunday evening, as the defending champion was not heavily backed by bettors attending the event. The biggest liability, before the tournament, at BetMGM, was Bryson DeChambeau, who missed the cut after a triple-bogey 7 on Friday’s 18th hole.
So, what do we do now as we head into the weekend? No, I’m not betting on McIlroy at -280 as there is a lot of golf left and on a course that will likely get tighter, faster and harder. Here’s what I think about 36 plays.
Justin Rose (20-1)
How about taking a shot at last year’s runner-up? Rose was offered anywhere from 30-1 to 35-1 before the tournament. Now he’s in fourth and we’re still 20-1 — I’m fine with that. Rose is ranked fourth in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and SG: Approach, although he has been a little off with his putter. In his career, Rose has been one of the best putters of anyone on the greens at Augusta National. If he keeps playing the way he’s been going and the putter starts to heat up, he could be right up there with Rory at the end again.
Cameron Young (27-1)
Young played alongside McIlroy in the first two rounds of the tournament. He shot his first nine games Thursday with a 40 and the next 27 in eight under. He came within inches of making five straight birdies on the second nine on Friday. He gets about two shots on the field off the tee, ranked seventh in the field in SG: Tee to Green but, like Rose, Young’s putter has yet to find the sweet spot. (Young was one of our pre-tournament picks at 28-1. Let’s see if he can make it three consecutive green jacket wins in the same season.)
Shane Lowry (33-1)
Wouldn’t it be great to see Rory and Lowry, two best friends, fighting each other on the floor? Similar to Rose and Young’s profiles, Lowry ranks sixth in SG: Tee to Green and is second in approach, but the putter is still hot as he gains just a little better than half a stroke on the field. If he can get it, he also poses a real threat to McIlroy this weekend.
It’s also worth taking a closer look at the top five finishers in these chasers. To round out the top five, Rose is +170, Young is +200, and Lowry is +250. And considering each of these three players is ranked 60th or better on the Tour in SG: Entering 2026, things should improve for each of them this weekend with the flatstick.
Brady Kannon is a professional golfer and commentator. He is a regular host and guest on SportsGrid, a syndicated audio network dedicated to sports and sports betting, and is a golf betting analyst for CBS Sportsline. You can follow Brady on Twitter at @LasVegasGolfer.
