Microsoft Copilot AI believes Scottie Scheffler will win the 2026 Masters but won’t rule out Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg from contending for a green jacket.
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Golf is one of the hardest sports to predict, but artificial intelligence was willing to take a shot at predicting exactly how the 2026 Masters would go.
USA TODAY Sports asked Microsoft Copilot AI to simulate golf’s first major tournament before it tees off on April 9.
How did the experiment work? The chatbot was fed the following prompts to create its predictions for the Masters.
Copilot was largely able to produce responses to those prompts without issue. However, it did occasionally produce outdated or incorrect information in its analysis – which wasn’t a major surprise, as large language models (LLMs) sometimes struggle to keep up with the latest sports news – including picking a sleeper who is not in the 91-golfer field for the tournament.
The chatbot was simply prompted to correct its mistakes in the rare instances they occurred.
How does Copilot see the 2026 Masters playing out? Here’s a look at its forecast for the event, including an unsurprising pick to take home the green jacket.
Masters 2026 predictions: AI picks tournament winner
Scottie Scheffler is Copilot’s pick to win the Masters in 2026. The AI chatbot cited Scheffler’s “elite tee‑to‑green game” while acknowledging that the strengths of his game – including “shot shape,” “distance control,” and “composure under pressure” – are a perfect fit at Augusta.
The only way Copilot can see Scheffler falling out of contention is if “his putting completely deserts him.” In that case, it believes Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy would be best suited to challenge for the green jacket, citing their power and course fits as reasons to believe in them.
Masters leaderboard 2026: AI projects top five finishers
Here’s what Copilot predicts the top of the leaderboard will look like at the end of the tournament:
Scottie Scheffler: -13Jon Rahm: -11Rory McIlroy: -10Xander Schauffele: -9Ludvig Aberg: -8Masters 2026 odds: AI picks best sleepers
When prompted, Copilot produced five potential sleeper picks for the 2026 Masters – noting it attempted to “avoid obvious stars” with its selections.
Copilot was somewhat successful in its stated goal. However, it did pick one sleeper, Ludvig Aberg, who is tied for the fifth-shortest odds to win the event and picked another, Sahith Theegala, who is not in the field for the 2026 Masters.
Below is a look at the chatbot’s top sleeper picks and its analysis of each selection.
BetMGM odds as of Wednesday, April 8.
Ludvig Aberg (+1400): Copilot noted that “Augusta rewards irons-first players” while also pointing out that Aberg is “among the elite ball‑strikers in the world.”Collin Morikawa (+3000): Copilot likes Morikawa’s iron play, noting the 29-year-old is “as good as anyone on the planet” when his approach game is at its peak.Min Woo Lee (+3300): Lee has “elite creativity around the greens,” which could help him become a threat at an Augusta course that “rewards imagination,” in Copilot’s estimation.Sam Burns (+6600): Copilot is interested in backing Burns as “one of the best pure puttters in the field.” It also noted that he has “improved steadily” in his recent performance at major events.