Masters championships are won in those grasping last shots of the competition - however they can be lost as early as Thursday morning.

A tremendous 11 of the previous 16 Masters champions sat inside the leading 5 after Round 1, and can we really be all that surprised? You require to bank those Thursday birdies while you can, as things get considerably more daunting over the last 54 holes.

Here's a take a look at my first-round leader Masters choices, where I avoid the chalkiest uses the board in favor of three players who have actually prospered early in 2026 occasions and have the skills to flourish at the tamer Thursday edition of Augusta National.

Masters first-round leader selects

Matt Fitzpatrick, 0.25 units (+2800 at BetMGM).
Min Woo Lee, 0.25 units (+4000 at BetMGM).
Russell Henley, 0.1 units (+5000 at BetMGM)

Picks were made on 4-8 at 7 a.m. ET.

Masters first-round leader predictions

FRL choice: Matt Fitzpatrick (0.25 systems).
+2800 at BetMGM

Granted, Fitzpatrick will almost definitely need to better his all-time greatest Masters round (67) to cash this play. But he's already among Augusta's most constant current performers with 10 made cuts in 11 starts, and is coming off an absolute March heating system in which he put second at THE PLAYERS Championship and won the Valspar Championship in back-to-back weeks.

Fitzpatrick ranks inside the leading 7 in SG: Total, GIR rate, and birdie average this season, with perhaps the greatest recent kind of any gamer in the field. And he ranks ninth in Round 1 Scoring Average, so he's no stranger to early birdie chances. I enjoy to take him where he's priced, and strongly believe he's the very best "top-tier" FRL option on the board.

FRL pick: Min Woo Lee (0.25 systems).
+4000 at BetMGM

Lee's cumulative 5-over revealing in four opening rounds at Augusta does not instil me with much confidence, but his play in 2026 sure does. Lee gets in the week ranked 5th in SG: Total on the strength of an excellent all-around game that extends from the motorist (13th in distance) to the putter (28th in strokes gained).

Lee has parlayed his early-season success into the tour's No. 2 ranking in birdie or better percentage, which's a form-reliant pattern I'm pleased to buy at this cost. Take the sample with a grain of salt, however Lee's 68.29 Round 1 scoring average (fifth-best in 2026) is plainly well-earned and makes him a fantastic worth play for FRL honors.

FRL pick: Russell Henley (0.1 units).
+5000 at BetMGM

We won't talk about in 2015.

Disregard that opening-round 79 Henley spat out in 2025 and focus on the reality that the Georgia native has 6 top-40 surfaces in his last seven visits to Augusta. And the Masters hasn't been almost as "bomber-friendly" in current years, so Henley's disadvantage off the tee (142nd in distance) is less of an aspect.

Henley's putting has been sublime (18th in SG), and he's the sixth-most accurate driver on trip in 2026. Those will play well here. Include his No. 13 ranking in Round 1 scoring average, and you could definitely do even worse in this odds range. I'm more skittish about investing a quarter unit (so I'm not), but Henley has actually corresponded enough in the things that matter to call for a lottery play.