Masters: tee times and TV windows
Round 1 tee times and full TV/streaming windows for the Masters went public today, so you can plan exactly when to catch each pairing instead of guessing. Outlets like Golf.com, the Augusta Chronicle and FanSided published first-round pairings and the official broadcast schedule to help viewers follow live action. (golf.com) (augustachronicle.com) (fansided.com)
The Masters starts before most people turn on the television. The first Round 1 group went off at 7:40 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, April 9, while the main national broadcast did not begin until 1 p.m., which is why the newly published tee sheet and TV windows matter so much for anyone trying to catch a specific pairing. (augustachronicle.com) (golf.com) Thursday’s television plan is split into two blocks. Amazon Prime Video has the early window from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern, and the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network takes over from 3 to about 7:30 p.m. Eastern, with extra streams also running through Masters.com and the Masters app. (golf.com) (augustachronicle.com) That means the schedule works like a train timetable, not a normal all-day game broadcast. If your player tees off at 9:43 a.m., you need highlights, featured-group coverage, or the official digital feeds, because the linear television window begins more than three hours later. (augustachronicle.com) (golf.com) The biggest name on the sheet is Rory McIlroy, and he arrives as defending champion after winning the 2025 Masters in a playoff over Justin Rose to complete the career Grand Slam. FanSided reported that McIlroy’s opening-round group pairs him with United States Amateur champion José Luis Ballester and PGA Tour winner J.J. Spaun. (espn.com) (fansided.com) Another marquee group puts Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Xander Schauffele together at 10:07 a.m. Eastern on Thursday. That start time lands well before the 1 p.m. national broadcast, so viewers who want that trio live need streaming rather than waiting for cable television. (fansided.com) (golf.com) Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, and Russell Henley follow at 10:19 a.m. Eastern, and Dustin Johnson, Shane Lowry, and Jason Day go at 9:43 a.m. Eastern. Those are exactly the kinds of groups that can be halfway through the back nine before the broad television audience settles in after lunch. (fansided.com) The afternoon wave is built for the main broadcast window. CBS Sports listed Jon Rahm, Chris Gotterup, and Ludvig Åberg at 1:08 p.m. Eastern, then Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, and Brooks Koepka at 1:20 p.m., which drops both groups directly into the Prime Video start and then the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network handoff. (cbssports.com) (golf.com) Scottie Scheffler, Robert MacIntyre, and Gary Woodland are scheduled for 1:44 p.m. Eastern, which makes the world number one one of the easiest stars to watch live on Thursday afternoon. Golf.com noted that Scheffler entered the week as the betting favorite, so his late tee time is a gift for anyone watching the first round from start to finish on television. (yahoo.com) (golf.com) This is also the first Masters with Amazon Prime Video carrying exclusive early coverage on Thursday and Friday. Golf.com reported that the weekend stays with Paramount Plus for early coverage and Columbia Broadcasting System for the main Saturday and Sunday windows, so the tournament now asks viewers to think in shifts instead of one channel for four days. (golf.com) So the practical move is simple: pick the player first, then check the clock, then choose the screen. At Augusta National on Thursday, April 9, the difference between seeing a shot live and seeing it later can be as small as a tee time line on the sheet and as big as the gap between 7:40 a.m. and 1 p.m. Eastern. (augustachronicle.com) (golf.com)
