Why Scottie Scheffler Is the Play on Sunday at The Masters

Drew Thirion|published: Sun 12th April, 15:26 2026

Apr 11, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Scottie Scheffler walks the third green during the third round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-Imagn Images

After a wonderful opening two days at The Masters, it felt like Rory McIlroy was going to run away with a second green jacket; however, it wouldn’t be Augusta without a little drama. Rory was far less consistent on Saturday, with two more squares on his score card than the first two days combined.

Just one day ago, McIlroy broke the record for the largest lead ever after 36 holes at Augusta, and in just 18 holes, he finds himself tied with Cam Young. Rory’s no stranger to weekend struggles at Augusta, as during the 2011 Masters, he blew a 4-shot lead heading into Sunday, throwing an 80 on his card, to finish all the way down in a tie for 15th.

I’m not here to languish in Rory’s previous struggles; I’m actually here to talk about the best golfer on the planet, Scottie Scheffler. Through Friday, Scottie sat at even par after a tough Friday round where he finished +2. But that’s the thing with Scheffler, no matter how far back he may feel, he always gives himself a chance on Sunday.

Scottie started the weekend with a bogey-free 65, flying up 17 spots, putting him in a tie for 7th. In 2024, Scottie pulled off a 4-stroke final round comeback to win the Olympics and a 5-stroke come-from-behind victory at The Players Championship. He’s no stranger to massive comebacks, and he was playing out of his mind on Saturday.

There are some great golfers ahead of Scheffler, but when you can find +1000 odds on the best player on the planet when he’s in striking distance on Sunday, I think you have to take it. If Scottie can come out fast on Sunday and immediately put pressure on the guys at the top of the leaderboard, I really think he can pull off the massive upset.

Entering Saturday, Rory was a -250 favorite, and now finds himself at a much smaller +135 favorite. On the other hand, Scottie went from 60/1 to 10/1 in a single day, so the oddsmakers are at least getting concerned about a surging Scheffler.

Before the tournament started this week, I wrote that it’s never a bad bet to take Scottie when he’s playing. I never bet on a guy who opens at 5/1 to win a tournament, but now that he’s in striking distance and 10/1, I think it’s worth taking a shot.

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