Scottie Scheffler is golf’s undisputed king at the moment. The 29-year-old Texan returned to form in 2025, and he did so in emphatic fashion, scooping both the PGA and Open Championships to rubber-stamp his status as the links’ dominant force. And don’t just take our word for it; take that of the experts: The bookies.
Online betting sites list Scheffler as the favorite to win at every single major this year. In fact, you can even get odds of 150/1 for him to win every major on the calendar in 2026. April’s Masters at Augusta will kick off the major season, and when it gets underway, a new outlet will be covering the action every step of the way.
That, of course, is the budding new Ozoon sports betting site, which is poised to release its offering to the public in the coming weeks. The brand-new outlet will have its unrivaled betting options rolled out by the time the planet’s finest head to Georgia, and when it does, it too will list Scheffler as the favorite to reign supreme. Reigning champion Rory McIlroy is currently considered the world number one’s biggest threat to the green jacket following his emotional triumph last year, but bubbling beneath the surface, several first-time champions are also chomping at the bit.
So, who do the bookies think are the most likely men to claim a maiden major title this year? Let’s take a look.
Tommy Fleetwood
England’s Tommy Fleetwood has been so close so many times that it’s starting to feel cruel. That runner-up at Shinnecock Hills in 2018 still stings. He shot 63 in the final round, one of the best closing rounds in US Open history, but Brooks Koepka was just better—emphasis on the “just.” Then there’s four more top-fives at majors where he was right there grinding on Championship Sunday, executing shots, making putts, doing everything right—and it still wasn’t enough.
But 2025 changed something. He won the FedExCup at East Lake, ending 163 PGA Tour starts without a victory. That’s not just any win—that’s the biggest prize in golf outside the majors. Then he went to Bethpage Black for the Ryder Cup and top-scored for Europe with four points while American crowds tried to rattle him. The guy can close now. We’ve seen it.
His majors last year were a mixed bag. He tied for third at Augusta—his best Masters finish ever—showing he’s got the game for that place. Missed the cut at Quail Hollow, which hurt. Finished T23 at Royal Portrush, not great but not collapsing either. The bookmakers have him at 9/2 to win any major, with The Masters and The Open both considered his best bets at 18/1.
Augusta makes sense for him. His iron play’s surgical enough to attack those sloping greens where a two-foot miss can roll off the front. He can shape the ball both ways, which matters when you’re navigating Amen Corner and those trees are closing in on every shot. When his putter heats up on fast bentgrass—and we saw it heat up plenty in 2025—he can make everything. The Open’s equally logical. He’s British, he grew up playing links golf, and his ball flight stays low under the wind. He doesn’t panic when conditions turn nasty, which they always do at The Open.
He’s 34 now. The window won’t stay open forever. But after what he pulled off at East Lake and Bethpage? He’s proven he won’t wilt when push comes to shove. The talent’s been there for years. The confidence is finally there, too.
Ludvig Åberg
Ludvig Åberg’s rise was supposed to be inevitable—college star to Ryder Cup hero to major champion in about eighteen months. Then 2025 threw him a curveball. He won the Genesis in February, looking like the next superstar, then injuries and inconsistency wrecked what should’ve been his breakout year.
The majors told the story. T7 at Augusta, which is solid but not the contention everyone expected. Missed the cut at Quail Hollow. Another missed weekend at Oakmont. Another at Portrush. For a guy who’d been runner-up at the Masters on debut in 2024, it was jarring. That knee surgery clearly messed with him more than anyone wanted to admit.
The bookies are still believers, though. They’ve got The Masters at 16/1 as his likeliest breakthrough, and there’s real logic there. When the super Swede is healthy and rolling, he’s got everything Augusta demands. He’s long enough off the tee to reach both back-nine par-5s in two, even when they’re stretched out. His iron precision on those sloping greens? Elite. His putting stroke on surfaces running 14 on the Stimpmeter? Fearless. He plays like someone who doesn’t know he’s supposed to be nervous, which at Augusta might be the most valuable quality you can have.
Viktor Hovland
Next up, another Scandinavian sensation. Viktor Hovland’s journey over the past two years has been genuinely painful to watch. The Norwegian was a top-five player in the world, winning big tournaments, looking like a future major champion. Then, swing changes destroyed him, triggering an unmitigated disaster in 2024 that saw him miss the cut at three of the four majors.
The Valspar win in March 2025 felt like coming back from the dead. First victory in 18 months, and he admitted afterward he was hitting some “disgusting shots” but found a way to grind through. That’s major championship stuff right there—surviving when you don’t have your best game. His majors last year showed improvement. T21 at Augusta isn’t spectacular, but it’s miles better than missing cuts. He still struggled at Quail Hollow, still had rough patches, but the trajectory was pointing up instead of down.
The bookies have him at 15/2 to win any major, with Augusta and the US Open both at 30/1. As of February 2026, he’s back in the world’s top 15, and The Masters looks to be coming at the perfect time. Augusta has always fit him when he’s right—his iron play’s typically elite, the kind that lets you attack pins when the course shows some mercy on Thursday and Friday. The pressure now is sustaining that through four days and taking the fight to the traditional big boys.