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I asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity to predict the 2026 Masters winner — one pick came out on top
As soon as the New Year's ball drops, sports fanatics mark their calendars for the latest annual installment of major championship tournaments.
February’s Super Bowl LX saw the Seattle Seahawks reign supreme, while the NBA All-Star weekend festivities that same month also provided some sports thrills. Now that April has fast-forwarded its way into our lives, the next major sports event is set to unfold, and it’s all about bringing the best golfers in the world together for the Masters Tournament.
This men’s golf competition will take place from April 9th to the 12th and emanate from the Augusta National Golf Club in August, Georgia. This invitation-only golf tournament will feature a field of players who’ve won a previous Masters tournament, recent winners of the U.S. Open from 2021-2025, the latest victors of The Open Championship (2021-2025), and more.
Since we’re a day away from watching the 2026 Masters Tournament unfold, I figured it was time once again to peer into my AI-powered Magic 8 Balls (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity) to see who they think will come out on top as this year’s champion.
ChatGPT
With this prompt, I kicked things off with ChatGPT: Which three players are expected to be the top picks to win the 2026 Masters Tournament? And which one do you think will ultimately prevail?
The chatbot chose the following three names: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau. Scheffler was mentioned for arguably being the most consistent golf player in the world right now, McIlroy was selected due to his being the 2025 Masters defending champion, and DeChambeau was chosen for being a player who's currently in top form, thanks to some impressive recent wins.
ChatGPT ultimately picked Scheffler as its predicted winner for three reasons:
- He’s the most reliable tee-to-green player in the world
- Augusta clearly suits him (multiple wins, constant contention)
- Even in “off weeks,” he’s still near the top of leaderboards
Gemini
Gemini’s three picks came down to Scheffler, DeChambeau and Jon Rahm (which was a shock considering ChatGPT’s decision to choose McIlroy over Gemini’s final pick).
Google’s chatbot noted that while McIlroy has the aura of a “defending champion,” the fact that he’s returning from a recent back injury and his less-than-stellar finish at T46 for 2026’s THE PLAYERS Championship tourney.
Just like ChatGPT, Gemini predicted Scheffler's 2026 Masters win. Its reasoning is as follows: He is currently chasing his third Green Jacket, which would put him in the elite company of legends like Phil Mickelson and Jimmy Demaret. With the pressure of the "Grand Slam" finally off Rory's shoulders and Rahm facing the unique pressures of the LIV/PGA divide, Scheffler’s steady, machine-like consistency makes him the most likely to be fitted for a third jacket come Sunday evening.
It’s interesting to note that Gemini also picked a player that could emerge as a dark horse victor: Keep an eye on Ludvig Åberg. He has finished in the top 10 in both of his previous Masters appearances and is widely considered the next "big thing" in golf.
Claude
Claude went with ChatGPT by picking the same three players for its winner predictions.
In the end, it went with Scheffler —I got a good chuckle out of the chatbot’s follow-up response, noting that this pick is incredibly safe but legit nonetheless.
The case for Scheffler is almost boringly strong—he's the world's best player, has a flawless Augusta record, and is entering the week in top form. That said, McIlroy is the most compelling counter-narrative: defending champions carrying genuine momentum are hard to dismiss, and he'll be fiercely motivated to prove 2025 wasn't a fluke. But historically, the best player in the world with Scheffler's consistency at this specific course is the kind of profile you bet on. I'd lean Scheffler to slip on the green jacket again.
Perplexity
Perplexity locked in on Scheffler, Rahm and McIlroy for its three most projected winners (DeChambeau and Aberg also came up as potential winning players to watch). It zeroed in on the three top players predicted to win the 2026 Masters by stating:
Scottie Scheffler is the clear consensus favorite across the sources I found, sitting at the top of both betting odds and prediction-market pricing. Jon Rahm is consistently next in line, and Rory McIlroy is also among the leading contenders, especially given his status as a recent Masters winner.
I wasn’t at all surprised to see the bring up Scheffler as the one it thinks will win it all. Simply put, it finalized its choice by mentioning the following: He has the strongest combination of market support and proven Masters pedigree, and the odds board has him ahead of the field.
The takeaway
The combination of betting odds, recent tournament performances, and career stats helped all four chatbots zero in on the top three names.
And to bring all of those discussions to an end, they all went with the man I’m expecting every respected golf pundit to also mention as their top pick: Scottie Scheffler. It's safe to say that he’ll be the top player to watch as the 2026 Master Tournament plays out over the next four days of spirited competition.
While I’ll admit to only checking in on the Masters Tournament whenever Tiger Woods is competing (his 2019 win was pretty cool to see!), I’m going to do my due diligence to see if Scheffler truly emerges as this year’s Masters champion.
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More from Tom’s Guide
- I asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity to predict the Super Bowl 2026 winner — here’s who they picked
- I asked ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude vs Perplexity to predict 2026 March Madness — here are the winners
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