2026 Masters: Strategies, tips and picks to win your office pool

Didn’t beat your colleagues with your March Madness bracket this year? Well, perhaps you get another chance with the Masters. The most prestigious golf tournament in the world takes place this week in Augusta, Georgia – a perfect opportunity to fire up another office pool.

Most Masters pools divide the field of golfers into a certain number of tiers (generally based on the Official World Golf Rankings), from which you pick one or two in each tier. That gives you a team of six golfers or so, from whom you take either every score or the four best scores to determine how your overall squad fares. Some formats disqualify you if any of your golfers miss the cut, in which case you must ensure that your group has depth – it can’t be just top-heavy. Aggregate score posted by all of your golfers is generally the scoring system of choice, with the individual champion’s relation to par is the most common tiebreaker.

With festivities at Augusta National Golf Club getting underway on Thursday morning, let’s chart the course toward winning your Masters office pool. 

2026 Masters office pool strategies 

Let’s say you are drafting a team of six golfers. Whether you take the scores of all six or only four of the six could impact your drafting strategy. 

If it’s all six, you are cooked if any of your players miss the cut. That means you want to target the most consistent, reliable golfers even if they may not have the highest upside. For example, Tommy Fleetwood has missed only one cut since July 2024 and has made eight consecutive cuts at the Masters. At the same time, last year’s Tour Championship marked his first-ever win on the PGA Tour. It’s somewhat hard to see Fleetwood putting on the green jacket, but you pretty much know the Englishman is going to produce a solid result.

If you are taking the four best scores of your six golfers, more risks can be taken. For example, Jordan Spieth is a guy who is definitely in play to miss the cut but could, however unlikely, win the tournament. Spieth triumphed at Augusta National in 2015 and has placed in the top four on five other occasions. However, the 32-year-old American does not have a single top-10 finish this season and has placed outside the top 20 in five of eight starts in 2026 – including a missed cut in Phoenix. Spieth could single-handedly eliminate you from your pool…but he could just as easily play a big part in helping you win it.

Pool size should also be considered. If there are 100 people in your pool, drafting Scottie Scheffler may not get you anywhere since so many of your competitors will also put him on their roster. Going with a longer shot like Justin Rose in the top tier may be a better idea, as you would be sitting pretty if Rose wins since others probably would not have him on their team. If there are 10 people in your pool, selecting Scheffler may be the move. 

Masters pool pick No. 1: Justin Rose 

The casual golf fan will always flock to huge names like Scheffler (the world No. 1) and Rory McIlroy (the defending champion). Tagging Rose as your top-tier golfer, however, is the sharp play. The 45-year-old Englishman has twice finished runner-up at the Masters, both times in playoffs – including 12 months ago. He has a whopping seven top-10 finishes in Augusta throughout his illustrious career. Rose continues to play well in 2026, having completely blown away the field at Torrey Pines earlier this year. 

Masters pool pick No. 2: Chris Gotterup 

Chris Gotterup is a better play in pools where you take your four best scores out of six. After all, the 26-year-old American is a Masters rookie. A lack of course knowledge in August can sometimes spell doom. That being said, Gotterup has massive upside. He hits the ball a mile, and length is extremely important at this particular course. Gotterup has already won twice in 2026 and is coming off a T6 result in Houston. 

Masters pool pick No. 3: Corey Conners 

In the lower tiers, Conners is a slam-dunk pick. The 34-year-old Canadian has made six of seven cuts in 2026 and is absolutely awesome at the Masters. In his last six trips to Augusta, he has posted an amazing four top-10 finishes.