Masters kicks off Thursday

The Masters starts Thursday, April 9, at Augusta National, and the whole week turns on a tiny field by modern golf standards: 91 players, not the 150-plus you see at many other big events. That makes every pairing feel closer to a final-round leaderboard than an opening morning draw. (nbcsports.com) This is the 90th playing of the Masters, and it is still the first major championship of the men’s golf season. Augusta National is the same course every year, so fans do not just watch players against each other; they watch players against a place with a memory. (nbcsports.com) That fixed setting is part of why the Masters feels different from the other three majors. The fairways, slopes, and green complexes are familiar enough that one bad miss on a hole like the 12th can echo across years, because everyone remembers what happened there before. (pgatour.com) The field is now locked, which means the last-minute reshuffling is over and the focus shifts from qualifying to survival. Augusta does not hand out many invitations, and players get in through a long list of routes that includes past Masters wins, recent major titles, top amateur honors, and performance on the professional tours. (nbcsports.com) (golfweek.usatoday.com) The headline names sit at the top for different reasons. Rory McIlroy arrives as the defending champion, which means he is the player everyone will measure the week against, while Scottie Scheffler arrives as the betting favorite, which means oddsmakers think his game is the most likely one to hold up over four rounds. (golfweek.usatoday.com) (golfchannel.com) Scheffler’s position is unusually clear by golf standards. Golf Channel’s Tuesday odds listed him at +495, making him the only player under 10-to-1, while Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and McIlroy all opened further back. (golfchannel.com) That gap tells you what bettors think Augusta demands right now. Scheffler has the kind of complete game bookmakers trust on a course that punishes weak iron play and shaky putting touch, especially on greens where a putt can look safe for 15 feet and still run six feet past. (golfchannel.com) (pgatour.com) McIlroy brings a different kind of pressure. Defending any major is hard, but defending at Augusta comes with a week of ceremonial duties, familiar camera angles, and constant reminders that very few players have won back-to-back green jackets. (golfchannel.com) (cincinnati.com))) The pairings are part of the theater, and they are already out for the opening round. One of Thursday afternoon’s most-watched groups sends Jon Rahm, Chris Gotterup, and Ludvig Åberg off at 1:08 p.m., and another follows at 1:20 p.m. with Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, and Brooks Koepka. (cbssports.com) Watching windows matter more at the Masters than at a normal tournament because the event is compact and the course is so recognizable. The PGA Tour says the first major of 2026 will have expanded streaming and television options, which reflects how much of the audience wants to follow specific groups and specific holes instead of just a single broadcast feed. (pgatour.com) (nbcsports.com) The small field also changes the math of the cut. With only 91 players starting, there is less traffic on the course, fewer anonymous names at the bottom of the board, and a higher chance that a recognizable contender is always within one hot stretch of jumping into the top 10. (nbcsports.com) So Thursday is not just the start of another tournament. It is the opening round of a 90th Masters built around one fixed stage, one 91-man field, one defending champion in Rory McIlroy, and one favorite in Scottie Scheffler, with everything now reduced to tee times, nerves, and four days at Augusta National. (nbcsports.com 1) (nbcsports.com 2) (golfweek.usatoday.com)