By: @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter & LineStar Chat

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Tournament & Field 🏆

Golf fans – casual and diehard alike – come together for one of the most anticipated weeks in the sport: it’s Masters Week 2026, and the coveted green jacket is up for grabs once again. As many know, The Masters is the only PGA major played at the same course every year. Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia has played host to some of the most iconic moments in golf history, and this week marks the 90th edition of this legendary tournament.

This is one of the most exclusive fields we’ll see all season, and that always brings a slightly different DFS dynamic compared to a typical full-field event. With just 91 players teeing it up, every roster decision becomes that much more important, especially with fewer true “punt” options available.

We’ll also see some familiar faces we don’t get in standard PGA TOUR fields, as ten LIV Golf players have qualified for this year’s Masters. That group includes Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Tyrrell Hatton, among others. For the fourth straight year, their presence adds another layer of intrigue to an already loaded field.

In total, 43 of the top 50 ranked golfers in the world are on site this week. It’s also important to remember that The Masters uses a unique cut rule, with only the top 50 players and ties advancing after 36 holes.

You better believe any golf fan with a pulse will be locked into the action at Augusta National this week. With massive DFS prize pools up for grabs, let’s see if we can put together a winning strategy. Best of luck!

Masters Strategy 💡

The Masters is typically a week where I lean more toward a GPP-heavy approach. That said, if you’re playing cash games, a balanced build can still work just fine. As always, this is a smaller but incredibly talented field, and with DFS pricing being relatively loose, there are plenty of viable lineup constructions that will pass the eye test.

Right off the bat, you can likely cross off about a dozen golfers from your pool. This group includes past champions who are well beyond their prime, along with a handful of amateurs who qualified through special exemptions. Sure, one or two of those names might sneak through the cut and potentially make some noise over the weekend, but history tells us that the cream typically rises to the top at Augusta. Focus your attention on players who are proven, in good form, and firmly in their competitive window.

That should leave you with roughly 65–75 realistic DFS options. With the Masters cut rule in place – top 50 and ties advancing – we’ll likely see around 55–60 golfers make it to the weekend. That naturally increases the chances of landing a 6/6 lineup compared to a standard full-field event, though that number can drop quickly if a few popular plays miss the cut. This makes it even more important to take firm stands on your player pool.

In GPPs, I prefer to be either well over or well under the field on each golfer. For example, if Jon Rahm is projecting for 35% ownership, I’m typically aiming to come in well below the field at around 5–10% or push well above it at 50%+, depending on how the rest of my pool is constructed. That’s just my approach, but the main takeaway is to be intentional with your exposures, trust your process, and enjoy the best week of the year in golf.

The Course Preview ⛳

Augusta National Golf Club

Par 72 | 7,565 Yards
Greens: Bentgrass
Course Type: Parkland
Course Difficulty Rank Last 5 Years: 7th, 3rd, 6th, 3rd, 7th
Cut Line Last 5 Years: +2, +6, +3, +4, +3

Winners & Winning Scores Last 5 Years
2025: Rory McIlroy (-11)
2024: Scottie Scheffler (-11)
2023: Jon Rahm (-12)
2022: Scottie Scheffler (-10)
2021: Hideki Matsuyama (-10)

Augusta National is a traditional par 72 layout with four par 5s, four par 3s, and ten par 4s. It now stretches to 7,565 yards after recent lengthening to holes like the 2nd, 11th, and 15th. Already one of the most iconic courses in the world, Augusta is also one of the most demanding tests players face all year. It has ranked among the top seven most difficult courses in each of the previous five seasons, and the average round last season played at +0.81 over par. It’s a course where experience counts more than anywhere else on TOUR, and where creativity, shot shaping, and the ability to navigate uncomfortable lies and slick greens are essential to success.

The layout is extremely hilly, with large elevation changes throughout, and despite some shorter holes and wide fairways, Augusta plays much longer than the scorecard suggests. Off the tee, players are given generous landing areas, with fairways roughly 20 yards wider than TOUR average and driving accuracy sitting well above average. However, wide does not mean easy. Positioning is critical, and many holes favor specific shot shapes, particularly right-to-left ball flights for right-handed players. The course features 41 bunkers and six water hazards, and the pine straw and tree lines off the fairways can still create difficult approach angles.

Rough is traditionally minimal, but the bentgrass greens are among the fastest and most complex players will see all year. They can run 13.5+ on the stimpmeter and feature dramatic undulation, with many complexes shaped to repel slightly errant approach shots into tightly mown runoff areas. Greens are above average in size, but greens-in-regulation percentages remain below TOUR average due to the difficulty of holding the proper sections (62.1% GIR% in 2025, 4.3% below average). Miss in the wrong spot, and players will be scrambling just to save par.

Around-the-green play is critical here, as players are constantly faced with delicate chips, pitches, and bunker shots from awkward lies. Augusta demands imagination and touch, and it is one of the few courses where short game creativity can truly separate players from the field.

While the four par 5s are where most scoring is done, the par 4s are often where Masters champions separate themselves. Since 2012, the leader in par 4 scoring at Augusta has finished 8th or better every year and gone on to win ten times.

Recent course changes, including added length to holes No. 2, 11, and 15, have slightly shifted the advantage toward stronger drivers of the golf ball. The 11th now stretches to 520 yards and consistently plays as one of the toughest holes on the course, while the 15th has become far more difficult to reach in two at 550 yards. Combined with firm and fast conditions that are often present, players who can drive the ball long and control trajectory into the greens may hold a slight edge.

It is no surprise that Rory McIlroy, one of the strongest drivers on TOUR, captured his Masters victory last season to complete the career Grand Slam. That said, Augusta still remains a second-shot course at its core, where elite iron play ultimately dictates success.

We’ll zero in on golfers with the right skill set, strong course history, and solid recent form – and see if we can find ourselves the next Masters champion!

Weather & Tee Times ⛅

Click the images above to view the most up-to-date forecasts.

Thursday AM: Sustained winds around 10 mph with gusts pushing ~15 mph for the earliest tee times. Slightly breezy start, but nothing overly concerning.

Thursday PM: Winds hold steady around 10 mph with no significant gusts expected. Very manageable conditions into the afternoon.

Friday AM: Calm start to the day with winds around 5 mph and gusts maxing out at 10 mph. One of the easiest scoring windows of the week.

Friday PM: Virtually no wind – sustained around 0–5 mph with negligible gusts. Ideal scoring conditions.

Weekend: Light winds throughout, generally 5–10 mph with little in the way of problematic gusts. Warm temperatures and no precipitation should keep scoring conditions very favorable by Masters standards.

⚖️Weather Verdict: Overall, conditions look excellent this week. Thursday will be the only day with any real breeze, but even then, sustained winds sit around 10 mph. Friday and the weekend bring calm, scoreable conditions with plenty of sunshine and temperatures climbing into the 70s and low 80s. No meaningful wave advantage stands out.

2026 Masters Tee Times

Key Stats to Consider 📊

Each key stat is paired with a weighted percentage (based on stat importance) for DFS model purposes.

1. Strokes Gained: Approach | 30%

2. Par 4 Average | 20%

3. Strokes Gained: Around the Green | 20%

4. Driving Distance | 15%

5. Par 5 Birdie or Better % | 10%

6. Strokes Gained: Putting | 5%

PGA Tour Stats Page

2026 Masters DFS Model Standouts 🏅

Below are the top 25 ranked golfers in both my overall model and my key stats model. Below that are the top 25 leaders in average finishing position over the last five and last ten starts. The players ranked on these lists do not necessarily mean they are the top golfers I’m targeting for this week's event, but many of these guys should no doubt be favorable DFS options.

Overall Model Rank: A golfer’s ranking (within the current field) in my personal DFS model, which weighs all of the key stats listed above in this newsletter, as well as factors like course history, recent form, recent average fantasy scoring results, and odds to win.

Course Fit / Key Stats Rank: Provides a golfer’s overall rank (within the current field) in my "key stats only" model, which considers only the key stats listed in the section above with the specified percentage weights allocated towards each statistic.

2026 Masters DFS Cheat Sheet 📑

Click the Cheat Sheet above for the higher-quality direct image link

Alternative Cheat Sheet Direct Image Link

That will do it for our PGA preview! Best of luck this week and, once again, feel free to hit me up in the LineStar chat or on Twitter/X @Ryan_Humphries with any questions.