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McIlroy Tops Masters 2026 Projections as Model Reveals Surprising Leaderboard and Longshots
2 hours ago•Source: SportsLine
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11.795 min•1 day ago
Reed leads the charge as Masters Round 1 opens at Augusta
Patrick Reed sits atop Round 1 at the 2026 Masters with a 5-under pace through nine holes, highlighted by an eagle at No. 8, while Kurt Kitayama is the current clubhouse leader at 3-under after a roller-coaster 69. Haotong Li becomes the first to reach under par (1-under) as Tommy Fleetwood eyes an early share of the lead with an early birdie run; Bryson DeChambeau stumbles to a triple bogey at No. 11, and the day features a slate of afternoon tee times, plus coverage from Live From Augusta and notes on the honorary starters on the first tee.
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Justin Thomas's Masters Par 3 Ace Sparks $1,000 Bet With Spieth and Homa
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Valspar Championship 2026: Model forecasts shocking leaderboard, Cantlay fade
SportsLine’s projection model simulated the 2026 Valspar Championship at Innisbrook 10,000 times and yields a surprising leaderboard: Cantlay, despite being among the favorites, barely cracks the top 10 and is a fade, while Jacob Bridgeman pops up as a +2000 longshot and two other +3000+ players are forecast to surge. Xander Schauffele is the +1100 favorite with Matt Fitzpatrick (+1300), Viktor Hovland (+1700), and Akshay Bhatia (+1900) also listed. The piece notes the model’s history of Major success and urges readers to join SportsLine to see the full model-generated leaderboard and picks.
Scheffler Leads 2026 Arnold Palmer Odds; Elite Bets and Surprising Longshots Highlighted
Scottie Scheffler opens as the +310 favorite at Bay Hill for the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational, with Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele among the next challengers; defending champ Russell Henley sits at +3300. Elite golf handicapper Brady Kannon provides his best bets, fading Si Woo Kim due to current form and course fit, and touts a surprising longshot over 50-1 as a top play, with full picks available to SportsLine members.
Cognizant Classic odds: Gerard co-favorites, but a surprising longshot could prevail
Golf analyst Brady Kannon breaks down the 2026 Cognizant Classic field in Palm Beach Gardens, listing Ryan Gerard and Shane Lowry as co-favorites, noting other solid contenders like Nicolai Hojgaard and Michael Thorbjornsen, and revealing his best bets—he fades Gerard to win and backs a surprising longshot above 45‑1—as the event approaches.
SportsLine’s golf model forecasts a surprising Cognizant Classic leaderboard
SportsLine's 10,000-simulation projection for the Cognizant Classic 2026 yields a surprising leaderboard: the model fades favorite Shane Lowry from the top 3, tallies Daniel Berger as a +3000 longshot in the top 10, and spots four other +3000+ longshots as contenders.
Scheffler Leads Riviera Field as Morikawa Aims for Genesis Back-to-Back
The 2026 Genesis Invitational at Riviera (par 71, 7,383 yards) features Scottie Scheffler as the +300 favorite with Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, Hideki Matsuyama and Collin Morikawa also among top contenders (Morikawa aiming for back-to-back PGA titles after Pebble Beach). Defending champion Ludvig Åberg is +4000 in this year’s field, and the event carries a $20 million purse. Golf analyst Brady Kannon’s picks fade Tony Finau (126-1 to 120-1 range) due to inconsistent form, and he touts a longshot–over-60-1–as his best bet, with full predictions available behind SportsLine’s paywall. The event starts Thursday with coverage of the elite field in Pacific Palisades.
Genesis Invitational model sparks surprise leaderboard with Matsuyama tumble and Gotterup breakout
SportsLine's 10,000-simulation golf model delivers a shocking Genesis Invitational leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler is the +300 favorite, Rory McIlroy +1300, Hideki Matsuyama +2000, Collin Morikawa +2700, Ludvig Aberg +4500; notably, Matsuyama isn’t in the top five, while Chris Gotterup ranks in the top five as a +3000 long shot, with four additional +2700+ longshots cited as viable threats.
Pebble Beach Pro-Am Round 3: Full Field Tees Revealed and Viewing Plan
The Golf Channel article lists Round 3 tee times and pairings for the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, noting there is no halfway cut and all 80 players advance to the final 36 holes at Pebble Beach Golf Links. It also details Saturday’s viewing schedule: Golf Channel coverage noon–1 PM ET (pregame), 1–3 PM ET (Round 3 on Golf Channel), 3–7 PM ET (Round 3 on CBS), and 7–8 PM ET (Golf Channel postgame), with Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune sharing the lead entering Saturday.
McNealy, Matsuyama and Hisatsune share the 12-under lead as Round 3 heats up at WM Phoenix Open
Round 3 at the WM Phoenix Open is tightening up with Maverick McNealy catching fire to join Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune at 12 under; Si Woo Kim also bursts into the mix at 11 under after a red-hot start, while Viktor Hovland shoots 65 to sit near the top at 9 under. Michael Thorbjornsen posts 65 to reach 11 under in the clubhouse, and Matt Fitzpatrick slips with a double bogey at the 16th to fall to 11 under as the leaderboard remains packed heading into Sunday, with Scottie Scheffler making a late charge further back.
SportsLine’s Golf Model Forecasts Surprising Leaderboard at 2026 WM Phoenix Open
A SportsLine projection model simulated the 2026 WM Phoenix Open 10,000 times and produced a surprising leaderboard: world No. 1 Scott Scheffler is the +230 favorite, with Xander Schauffele +2000 and Cameron Young/Si Woo Kim +2500, and Brooks Koepka at +4500. The model claims Si Woo Kim may stumble out of the top 10, while Ben Griffin emerges as a top-two contender, and three longshots at +3000+ become viable top-10 threats. The piece emphasizes the model’s history of success in majors and urges readers to see the full picks from 10,000 simulations on SportsLine.
Rose Extends Lead as Koepka Returns to PGA Tour at Farmers Insurance Open
Justin Rose fired a 65 to extend his Farmers Insurance Open lead to 17-under, while Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour and made the cut on three-under after a first-round 73 and a second-round 68; Xander Schauffele’s streak of made cuts ended and several other top players missed the cut.