Masters 2026: Who Is Trending Towards Augusta

The Masters starts Thursday. Augusta National is ready. And if the Statz form data is anything to go by, a handful of players are arriving at the year’s first major in the form of their lives.

We’ve pulled the last 16 rounds of PGA Tour data from statz.ai/golf/trending and filtered for players in this week’s field. Here’s who is genuinely trending in the right direction heading into Augusta.

The Hottest Player in the Field

Matt Fitzpatrick – SG Improvement: +3.30/rd (4th on Tour)

No player in the Masters field is running hotter right now than Matt Fitzpatrick. He sits 4th on the Tour’s biggest SG improvement list over the last 16 rounds, gaining +3.23 strokes per round in his most recent 8 compared to the prior 8. That’s not a blip – it’s a sustained surge.

The numbers behind it: second at The Players (SG +13.65), then straight into winning the Valspar (SG +12.21). Back-to-back events, back-to-back elite weeks with his irons. He ranked 2nd on Tour for SG approach at the Valspar and 14th at The Players. Augusta rewards precise iron play above almost everything else. Fitzpatrick is doing that better than almost anyone on the planet right now.

His overall SG total over the last 16 rounds sits at +1.58 per round – 13th on the entire Tour. He’s the form pick of the week.

Names You Need to Watch

Ludvig Aberg – SG Total: +2.27/rd (2nd on Tour)

Ludvig Aberg sits 2nd on the entire Tour for SG total over the last 16 rounds at +2.27 per round. He also ranks 4th for par 3 scoring average this season at 2.94 – relevant given Augusta’s infamous par 3s at 4, 6, 12 and 16 can make or break any round. A player who contended on debut here and went solo 7th last year, Aberg arrives statistically as one of the very best-prepared players in the field.

Akshay Bhatia – SG Total: +2.16/rd (4th on Tour) | Putts per GIR: 3rd

Akshay Bhatia is 4th on Tour for SG total over the last 16 rounds at +2.16 per round, and sits 3rd for putts per GIR at 1.66 – an elite putting rate that matches up with Augusta’s fast, treacherous greens. He’s also 4th on Tour for birdies per round at 5.00 over this stretch. Bay Hill winner this year, now into his third Masters. The short-game data here is very encouraging.

Collin Morikawa – SG Total: +1.99/rd (5th) | SG Approach: #1 on Tour

Collin Morikawa leads the entire PGA Tour for SG approach over the last 16 rounds at +1.22 per round, and sits 5th for SG total at +1.99. He’s also 3rd for birdies per round over this stretch at 5.07. The only caveat: a back issue that forced him to withdraw from The Players and miss the Valspar. If Morikawa is fit, the Statz data has him as possibly the sharpest iron player in the field heading in. That’s a huge deal at Augusta.

Jacob Bridgeman – SG Total: +1.96/rd (6th) | Putting: #1 on Tour

Jacob Bridgeman leads the Tour in putting over the last 16 rounds at +1.53 SG per round, and also tops the putts per GIR table at 1.63. He’s 3rd on Tour for par 4 scoring average this season at 3.89. On debut here and largely flying under the radar – but the putting data suggests he could be the surprise contender of the week. Nobody in the field is holing more putts right now.

Cameron Young – SG Total: +1.86/rd (8th) | Best Driver in Field

Cameron Young leads the Masters field for SG off the tee over the last 16 rounds at +0.87 per round – the best driving number among Augusta starters. He also sits 8th overall for SG total at +1.86 per round. Augusta’s par 5s at 2, 8, 13 and 15 are where the tournament is won and lost – length and accuracy off the tee matters enormously on those holes. Young’s tee-to-green data is elite right now.

Xander Schauffele – SG Total: +1.83/rd (9th) | SG Approach: 4th

Xander Schauffele sits 9th on Tour for SG total over the last 16 rounds at +1.83 per round, with his approach ranked 4th at +0.97. He’s been in exceptional form at the right time – third at The Players, similar at the Valspar. Five top-10s in eight Masters starts. This is a player who knows how to perform at Augusta and the data says he’s ready to do it again.

Robert MacIntyre – SG Total: +1.77/rd (10th)

Robert MacIntyre sits 10th on the entire Tour for SG total over the last 16 rounds at +1.77 per round. He also ranks 4th on Tour for par 4 scoring average this season at 3.90. MacIntyre was right in the mix at Sawgrass and has the full game trending – driving and putting both consistently strong. The MC last year masks a player who has improved significantly since.

Jake Knapp – SG Total: +1.76/rd (11th) | Putting: 2nd | Par 5s: 3rd

Jake Knapp might be the most underrated player in this field based purely on the form data. He’s 11th on Tour for SG total over the last 16 rounds at +1.76 per round, 2nd for putting at +1.46 SG, and 3rd for par 5 scoring average at 4.26. Finished with a 62 at the Texas Open last week. The model has him 6th in the Masters projections. Don’t ignore him.

Adam Scott – SG Approach: 3rd on Tour

Adam Scott ranks 3rd on Tour for SG approach over the last 16 rounds at +1.11, and 2nd for par 3 scoring average this season at 2.91 – the second-best number in the entire Masters field. He’s also in the SG total top 20 at +1.26 per round. The 2013 champion has spoken about his irons being as good as they’ve been in years. This data backs that up.

Min Woo Lee – SG Total: +1.89/rd (7th) | Best Tee-to-Green Package

Min Woo Lee is 7th on Tour for SG total over the last 16 rounds at +1.89 per round, 3rd for SG off the tee at +0.83, and 2nd for birdies per round at 5.13. He also sits 4th for par 5 scoring average at 4.34. Three big iron flashes this year after a quiet 2025. He’s a 25/1 shot in some books. The data suggests he’s worth a lot more than that.

Nicolai Hojgaard – SG Total: +1.17/rd (21st)

Nicolai Hojgaard sits 21st on Tour for SG total at +1.17 per round. He’s the form story of the last month – runner-up at Houston, led field in SG approach there, and four other top-six finishes this year. He’s been to Augusta before, briefly led in round three on debut. The trending data backs up what the eye test has been saying: he’s playing some of the best golf of his career right now.

One to Avoid – Shane Lowry

Not all the trending arrows point up. Shane Lowry sits 5th on the biggest SG drop list, declining -1.99 SG per round in his most recent 8 rounds compared to his prior 8. He’s been poor since blowing the Cognizant chance and despite being a genuine Augusta contender in years past – third here two years ago – the data says the irons simply aren’t there right now. Par 3 scoring is still 5th on Tour at 2.94, which is the one positive, but the directional trend is wrong heading into Masters week.

The Big Picture

The Statz trending data tells a clear story heading into Augusta: Fitzpatrick and Morikawa (if fit) lead the iron play standings, Bridgeman and Knapp lead the putting tables, and Aberg and Bhatia are the all-round form picks. That’s six players from this field sitting in the top 15 on Tour for SG total over the last 16 rounds.

Check all the Masters projections, course fit data and player stats at statz.ai/golf/tournaments/20/masters-tournament.

EW terms: 1/4 odds, 5 places, bet365.