Masters gets underway
The Masters officially started at Augusta National today, and the early storyline is familiar: top names like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are the headline favorites to chase the green jacket. (tournament start) Tournament pairings and full first‑round tee times were published for Thursday, and broadcasters split featured and main TV windows — so watching strategy matters if you want to follow specific groups. (pairings and coverage) (golf.com) (augustachronicle.com)
The first clue that Masters week has really started is the clock: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson hit the honorary opening tee shots at 7:25 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, and the first competitive group went out at 7:40 a.m. at Augusta National. (cbssports.com) This is the 90th Masters, and the field is 91 players, which means the opening two rounds are built as three-man groups moving through the course in waves every 10 to 12 minutes. Augusta’s first two days always feel less like a sprint and more like an airport departure board with spikes of star power. (cbssports.com) (progolfweekly.com) Rory McIlroy is back as defending champion after winning here in 2025, and his Thursday tee time was set for 10:31 a.m. Eastern with Cameron Young and amateur Mason Howell. Augusta often pairs the defending champion with the reigning United States Amateur winner, so Howell’s spot is part ceremony and part pressure cooker. (cbssports.com) (progolfweekly.com) Scottie Scheffler landed on the other side of the draw at 1:44 p.m. Eastern with Robert MacIntyre and Gary Woodland, which puts one of the biggest favorites in the late wave instead of the morning one. If you are checking scores at lunch and again at dinner, McIlroy and Scheffler are basically playing two different Thursdays. (cbssports.com) (progolfweekly.com) The other early magnets are stacked close together: Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Xander Schauffele at 10:07 a.m., then Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, and Russell Henley at 10:19 a.m. In the afternoon, Jon Rahm, Chris Gotterup, and Ludvig Åberg go at 1:08 p.m., followed by Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, and Brooks Koepka at 1:20 p.m. (cbssports.com) Watching it now takes a little planning because the broadcast windows are split by platform instead of sitting in one place all day. On Thursday, Prime Video carries live coverage from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, and ESPN takes over from 3 p.m. to about 7:30 p.m. Eastern. (augustachronicle.com) (espnpressroom.com) If you want one group instead of the general telecast, the streaming menu is even more specific. ESPN said its app will carry featured groups plus dedicated feeds for holes 4, 5, and 6, Amen Corner, and holes 15 and 16 during the tournament. (espnpressroom.com) That split coverage changes how fans follow the favorites. McIlroy’s 10:31 a.m. start is mostly a streaming story for much of his round, while Scheffler’s 1:44 p.m. start runs straight into the television window that begins on Prime Video and then shifts to ESPN. (cbssports.com) (augustachronicle.com) The tournament itself still runs on the same old Augusta math: survive Thursday, find the right part of the greens, and avoid the giant numbers that can hide inside one bad swing. The names at the top are familiar, but the first day is when the week starts sorting contenders from tourists. (golf.com)
