2026 First-Time Major Winner Odds
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Every year since 2014, at least one golfer has won their first major. Even with the Masters completed, the streak is almost certain to continue in 2026 — and with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dominating the outright boards, the most interesting betting question isn't who wins the next three majors. It's who finally breaks through to become a first-time major winner in 2026.
With that in mind, the team at preprod.bookies.com ranked the top 20 candidates across the remaining three 2026 majors — PGA Championship (May 14–17, Aronimink GC), US Open (Jun 18–21, Shinnecock Hills), and The Open Championship (Jul 16–19, Royal Birkdale).
Who Will Break Through as First-Time Major Winner in 2026?
A few of the men that had the best shot at joining the first-time Major champion club at Augusta National were names like Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley and Cameron Young, who all finished T3 at -10, two strokes back of Rory, while Tommy Fleetwood finished well back of the pack over the weekend (T33, to be exact), but has a homefield advantage up his sleeve at this year’s Open Championship, potentially.
Whether it’s a course that hasn’t hosted a men’s Major since 1962 (Aronimink) or one that’s been a U.S. Open mainstay (Shinnecock Hills), golfers will have to adapt and match the specific quirks of each course to survive the 72-hole gauntlet that is golf at its highest level.
First-Time Major Winner Odds
Masters complete. Who breaks through at the PGA, US Open, or The Open?
Masters ✓
Won: R. McIlroy
-12, Augusta Natl
PGA Champ.
May 14–17
Aronimink GC
US Open
Jun 18–21
Shinnecock Hills
The Open
Jul 16–19
Royal Birkdale
preprod.bookies.com editorial odds reflect likelihood of winning any of the 3 remaining 2026 majors — not a live sportsbook line. Masters complete (Won: Rory McIlroy -12). Per-major BetMGM outrights inside each card.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
The best player in the world without a major. T3 at Augusta in 2024, T2 at The Open in 2019, T2 at the US Open in 2018. Won his first PGA Tour event (Tour Championship) in 2025. Royal Birkdale is his best shot — a links course practically in his backyard.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
Runner-up at Augusta on debut (2024), T7 in 2025. Only 26 years old with elite ball-striking that translates to every major setup. If the law of averages catches up with any player this season, it's Åberg.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
T3 at the 2026 Masters (-10) in a thrilling Sunday — his best major finish to date. Top-10s at all four majors, three Dunhill Links titles — and still no major. Royal Birkdale is his ceiling opportunity: elite links golfer with the short game to win in any conditions at a course he knows intimately.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
T3 at the 2026 Masters (-10), contending deep into Sunday before McIlroy pulled away at Amen Corner. PGA Tour winner, Ryder Cup debut in 2025, six major top-10s. His length and putting are tailor-made for Shinnecock and Aronimink. The Masters showed a major is very close.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
FedEx Cup champion with major top-5s already banked. T5 at Augusta in 2023. Missed some cuts in early 2026 but the raw talent is undeniable. Royal Birkdale's driving accuracy premium suits his profile — one hot week changes everything.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
T2 at the 2025 US Open, T7 at The Open at Portrush. A left-hander built for links golf who was T6 at Birkdale as an amateur in 2019. Multiple Ryder Cup appearances show he elevates under pressure. Royal Birkdale is the spot.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
Only the third player since WWII to win four PGA Tour events before his Masters debut. Arrives at 2026 with elite momentum — top-5 in four of five recent starts. Augusta rookie, but no ordinary one.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
T3 at the 2026 Masters (-10) — in contention on Sunday at Augusta in what was his best major finish. Leads the PGA Tour in SG:Approach in 2026. Back-to-back top-10s at both The Open and US Open in prior years. Won a Signature Event at Bay Hill. The major is coming.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
Once led the Masters deep into Sunday. Has made 27 of 31 major cuts and accumulated 16 top-25s across all four events. A grinding, patient approach is exactly what major setups reward. If his putting comes alive for a week, the ceiling is legitimately high.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
Three PGA Tour wins in 2025 — only Scheffler and McIlroy matched that on Tour. Made his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage. Steady ball-striking and elite short game are built for major week pressure.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
The best LIV golfer in 2025 by a wide margin — five wins including events in the UK and Singapore. Augusta experience building and elite ball-striking that fits links conditions at Birkdale. The concern is always LIV form not translating, but the talent is undeniable.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
Hot early-2026 form with multiple top-5s. His ball-striking profile suits Augusta and Aronimink equally. At the prices available across all four events he represents one of the best season-long value plays on the board.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
Leads the PGA Tour in SG:Tee-to-Green in 2026 — the single best predictor of major week success. Elite ball-striking, Augusta experience (T12 in 2022). The market consistently underprices what the numbers say about him.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
Won the Arnold Palmer in 2026 at just 24 years old for his third PGA Tour title. T14 at Augusta in 2024. Plays bold, aggressive golf that can take over a major when everything clicks.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
T7 at the 2026 Masters (-9) shows he belongs in major contention. Multiple PGA Tour wins and a quietly strong major history. Aronimink's setup rewards driving accuracy and precise iron play, both Burns strengths. Shinnecock Hills suits him even more.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
T11 at Augusta in 2025. Ranked second in FedEx Cup standings earlier this season. Elite grinding iron play — exactly what Shinnecock Hills will demand at the US Open.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
Three top-10s in his last five Masters appearances including T4 in 2021. Elite driving accuracy and iron play are tailor-made for Augusta's fairways. Savvy bettors locked in early at 80-1 for the 2026 Masters — the Augusta value is real.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
Runner-up at the Masters, US Open, and PGA Championship — three major near-misses, zero wins. When healthy is one of the most dangerous major-week players in the world. Shinnecock Hills' precision test fits his elite iron play perfectly.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
T16 at Augusta in his 2024 debut. Seven consecutive major cuts made. A Scandinavian links golfer built for Birkdale-type conditions. Quietly assembling a major résumé that could peak at The Open this summer.
Outright Odds by Major (BetMGM · Masters complete)
One of the most consistent major performers with zero wins — T5 at the 2020 Masters, multiple top-20s across all four events. Elite putting on bentgrass greens is a genuine Augusta edge.
Key Context
Masters result: Rory McIlroy won his second straight green jacket (-12), becoming only the 4th back-to-back champion in history. Hatton, Young, Rose & Henley shared T3 at -10.
Royal Birkdale: Returns for the first time since Spieth’s 2017 win. Fleetwood, Hatton, and MacIntyre are purpose-built for this test — expect their odds to tighten closer to July.
Fleetwood leads the board: With Masters done, Fleetwood (+425) is now the top-ranked first-timer — his +1400 at Birkdale is the most attractive single-event price on the list.
Editorial odds note: The headline number reflects preprod.bookies.com projections for winning any of the 3 remaining 2026 majors — not a live sportsbook line. Per-major BetMGM outrights are inside each expanded card.
The Favorites for First-Time Major Winner 2026
Tommy Fleetwood (+425): Nobody on our odds board has been more snakebitten in Majors than the Englishman. Between Fleetwood’s runner-up finishes at the 2019 Open Championship and 2018 U.S. Open and the consistency he’s shown in the biggest events on tour, with three top 10 finishes at the Masters and Open Championship and top five finishes in the other two, it’s high time for the 35-year-old from Southport to bring home the hardware. Our best guess is that Fleetwood wins that elusive first Major at Royal Birkdale in mid-July, with FanDuel Sportsbook giving him the third-best odds of any golfer (+1400) to do so, behind Scheffler (+500) and McIlroy (+750), while our in-house odds have the PGA and European Tour veteran at +425 to win a Major of some variety this year.
Ludvig Åberg (+500): The 26-year-old Swede already has a runner-up in the Masters (in 2024) to his name, on top of a T12 finish in the 2024 U.S. Open, which begs the question of when the Texas Tech alum will break through on the sport’s biggest stage. If Åberg is able to capture that elusive first Major win, he’ll join countryman Henrik Stenson as the only Swedish male golfers to do so, with Stenson breaking through during the 2016 Open Championship. For now, we’re giving Åberg +500 odds of bringing home that first Major championship this year, with the 26-year-old currently holding the seventh best PGA Championship betting odds at Caesars Sportsbook, at +2200, behind Scottie Scheffler (+350), Rory McIlroy (+650), Bryson DeChambeau (+1200), Cameron Young (+1400), Jon Rahm (+1500) and Xander Schauffele (+1800). Right now, the only question is when Åberg finally breaks through and wins that elusive first Major championship, with Aronimink potentially being the place where history happens for the rising star.
Tyrrell Hatton (+600): The Englishman has flirted with winning at several Majors over the years, with top-10 finishes at all four and three Dunhill Links titles to his name. Given how well Hatton played in The Masters, with a T3 finish and a -10 score to his name, it seems like our +600 odds for the eight-time winner on the European Tour (and one-time winner on the PGA and LIV circuits) might be selling the 34-year-old from High Wycombe short a bit. Still, given Hatton’s success on links courses, it seems natural to think that he’ll thrive at Royal Birkdale, with Fanatics Sportsbook giving him +2500 odds of potentially bumping off his previous career best finish at the Open Championship (T5 at Royal Troon in 2016) when the tournament wraps on July 19.
Cameron Young (+700): The 2021-22 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year winner has been close on several occasions in some of the sport’s biggest events, with the 28-year-old from New York posting top 10 finishes in each of the four Majors, including a runner-up at the 2022 Open Championship held at St. Andrews and a T3 at the 2022 PGA Championship and again at this year’s Masters. This year, Young’s best Majors odds on Fanatics Sportsbook come at The U.S. Open, where he’s listed at +2100, just ahead of where the U.S. sports betting operator has him finishing at Royal Birkdale (+2400). Given Young’s success across the board in Major play, it’s only a matter of time until he finishes atop the field at one, with four cracks at doing that this year, which is why we’re giving him +700 odds of doing just that in 2026.
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Other First-Time Major Contenders
Viktor Hovland (+750): The Norwegian-born golfer became the first person born there to win a PGA Tour event when he captured the Puerto Rico Open in 2020 and the first to win on the European Tour when he won the 2021 BMW International Open. While Hovland has seven PGA Tour wins to his name, including the Tour Championship in 2023, he’s yet to bring home a Major title. That’s not to say the Oslo native hasn’t come close, though, as he has a runner-up finish to his name at the 2023 PGA Championship, as well as a third place finish at the U.S. Open in 2025 and a T4 at the 2022 Open Championship. Given how well Hovland can drive the ball when he’s on, it seems like his best bet is at Royal Birkdale, which boasts a 7,156-yard setup in 2026, with FanDuel Sportsbook listing the 28-year-old at +2500 to do just that come this July. Hovland finished T18 at the Masters in 2026, highlighted by a Sunday 67.
Robert MacIntyre (+1000): The Scottish golfer that played college golf at McNeese State has six wins to his name, including two PGA Tour victories at the 2024 RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open. Still, MacIntyre’s still on the prowl for that first Major win, with last year’s runner-up finish at Oakmont being the closest he’s come to reaching such a mark. Sadly for MacIntyre, he found himself on the wrong end of a two-shot margin to American J.J. Spaun, who joined the first-time Major winner club by posting a one-under par score of 279 in the event. This year, oddsmakers from BetMGM give MacIntyre the best shot at winning, while Royal Birkdale could be the one for him, with the Scottish-born golfer holding +2800 odds of doing just that come July, while the PGA Championship and U.S. Open look like distant opportunities, with matching +5000 odds right now. MacIntyre did not have a pleasant 2026 Masters, where he shot 80 in the first round and went on the miss the cut.
Chris Gotterup (+1100): Gotterup is a PGA Tour veteran, having turned pro in 2022 out of Rutgers before winning four PGA Tour events (including two this season). The 26-year-old from Maryland took home the Sony Open and Waste Management Phoenix Open crowns earlier this year, joining his victories at the 2024 Myrtle Beach Open and 2025 Genesis Scottish Open, while setting the bar for what’s to come. Sadly for Gotterup, his few Major finishes haven’t been as pretty, with last year’s third-place finish at the Open Championship being his lone top-10 to date, with T23 at the U.S. Open and T24 at this year’s Masters being his other high-water marks. Still, given how well Gotterup has played this season, coming off his first Masters, we’re giving him +1100 odds of joining the first-time Major winner club in 2026. Based on the 2026 Major champions betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, it seems like our ranking might not be too far astray, with Gotterup’s odds ranging from +3300 at the PGA Championship and Open Championship to +4000 at the U.S. Open this season.
Russell Henley/Patrick Cantlay (+1200 each): Our first-time Major winner odds board happens to have a two-way tie at +1200 between two up-and-coming Americans, in Russell Henley and Patrick Cantlay. Henley has five PGA Tour and three Korn Ferry Tour victories to his name, with a T4 finish at The Masters in 2023 and a fifth place finish at the 2024 Open Championship. He also is coming off a strong Masters this year, finishing T3.
Cantlay, on the other hand, has top-10 finishes at all four Majors, including matching T3s at the 2019 PGA Championship and 2024 U.S. Open, to go with a T8 at the 2023 Open Championship. This year, Caesars Sportsbook clearly sees the two as being on the same plane, Major wise, with Henley holding slightly better PGA Championship betting odds, at +3500 versus +4000 for Henley, while the two are lockstep when it comes to U.S. Open (+5000 each) and Open Championship betting odds (at +6000 each).
Joaquin Niemann (+1400): The Chilean-born LIV Tour star has won seven times on that circuit after picking up two PGA Tour victories. In Majors, though, Niemann has yet to command a lot of attention, with a T8 at the 2025 PGA Championship being his best showing to date, along with a T23 at the 2020 U.S. Open and a T53 at The Open Championship in 2022. This year, the team at DraftKings Sportsbook gives Niemann +3500 odds of winning at Aronimink next month, with the former top-ranked amateur golfer for 44 weeks looking to find that type of form on the sport’s biggest stage this year.
Who Else Could Win A Major?
Si Woo Kim (+1500): The 30-year-old South Korean already has four PGA Tour wins on top of a T8 at the PGA Championship in 2025. This year, Kim holds odds ranging from +6500 (The Open Championship) to +12500 (the U.S. Open) on FanDuel Sportsbook’s Major championship odds boards, though we’re a bit higher on his odds of winning one of the four (at least) this year, listing him at +1500 in 2026.
Will Zalatoris (+2200): Few PGA Tour golfers have been around the top of Major championship leaderboards without coming away with a win quite like Will Zalatoris. The Wake Forest alum has runner-up finishes at three of the four Majors, with The Open Championship being the exception (with his best finish to date being a T28 in 2022). Otherwise, Zalatoris has shined on the sport’s biggest stage, with solo runner-up finishes at the 2021 Masters and 2022 PGA Championship, along with a T2 in the 2022 U.S. Open. Still, Zalatoris has yet to break through, which is why we’re giving him +2200 odds of doing so, though those are much better than any that you’ll find on FanDuel Sportsbook, where Zalatoris’ best odds are at this year’s Open Championship, where he’s listed at +6500, ahead of the U.S. Open (+7000) and PGA Championship (+8000).
Nicolai Højgaard (+2400): The 25-year-old Danish golfer has three European Tour victories to his name since turning pro in 2019, though he’s yet to post a top-10 in a Major. To date, Højgaard’s best finish was a T14 at the Open Championship last year, though we’re giving him +2400 odds of winning one of the four in 2026. On FanDuel Sportsbook, Højgaard’s best odds are at The Open Championship, where he’s listed at +8000, while his PGA Championship odds (+20000) are even lower.
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What To Watch For in 2026
At the end of the day, there will be at least one first-time Major champion in 2026, based on the number of them that we’ve witnessed in recent seasons and the glut of talented players that are in the hunt for their first titles this year.
As you can see from the widget that preprod.bookies.com put together above, there are plenty of potential first-time Major winners in 2026, with each of the candidates above having their Major championship odds listed from DraftKings or BetMGM, in addition to course fit scores across four categories.
As a reminder, the odds above are preprod.bookies.com editorial odds representing season-long probabilities across all four Major championships and are not a live sportsbook line.
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