AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Masters begins Thursday at Augusta National, where defending champion Scottie Scheffler will try to win his third green jacket, Rory McIlroy will try again to win his first and the biggest names in golf will come together amid the Georgia pines for the year's first major championship.
There are 95 players in the field, the largest in a decade, even without five-time champion Tiger Woods, who had surgery in March to repair a torn Achilles tendon. Last year, Woods set a record by making the cut for the 24th time in a row.
There is still a schism in the game, and just 12 from the breakaway LIV Golf league will be teeing up among the pink dogwoods and blooming azaleas. That includes Jon Rahm, the winner two years ago, and U.S. Open champion Bryson Dechambeau.
Here is a look at what you need to know leading up to the Masters.
When is the Masters?
The first round begins at about 7:25 a.m. EDT Thursday, when honorary starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson tee off on Tea Olive, the first hole at Augusta National. Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod were the first honorary starters in 1963, but it was not until Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen took over in 1981 that it became a treasured tradition.
Davis Riley and Patton Kizzire are the first competitors off at 7:40 a.m., followed by groups of three. After the second round, the top 50 players and ties make the cut for the weekend and are paired according to score for the final two rounds.
How can I watch the Masters?
The Masters stream on its website begins Thursday at 7:15 a.m. and runs throughout the day, and cameras highlight holes and featured groups. The first two rounds are broadcast on ESPN beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday. CBS takes over Saturday and Sunday with coverage on its Paramount+ platform at noon and on the network beginning at 2 p.m.
What are the betting odds for the Masters?
Scheffler, who has yet to win this season, is the 9-2 favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. McIlory is second at 13-2 after his wins at Pebble Beach and The Players Championship. Collin Morikawa is 14-1 while Rahm and DeChambeau are 16-1.
Who should I watch at the Masters?
Scheffler, who along with his green jacket and Olympic gold medal won seven times on the PGA Tour last year, got a late start to this season after cutting himself on a wine glass in December. But the world No. 1 comes into the Masters with momentum after a final-round 63 left him one shot back of winner Min Woo Lee in his last start at the Houston Open.
McIlroy has been playing some of the best golf of his career. His collapse in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst last year in a Sunday duel with DeChambeau seems to have made the 35-year-old from Northern Ireland an even bigger sentimental favorite.
Xander Schauffele won two majors last year and is seeking his first green jacket, though he seems to be still rounding into form following a rib injury. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka has twice finished second at Augusta National.
When are the featured groups?
Morikawa, Lee and Joaquin Niemann tee off at 9:47 a.m. Thursday, beginning a run of high-profile groups. Phil Mickelson, Jason Day and Keegan Bradley are next, followed by Scheffler, who is grouped with Justin Thomas and U.S. Amateur champ Jose Luis Ballester. Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim and Tyrrell Hatton go off at 10:26 a.m.
In the afternoon, McIlroy is grouped with Ludvig Aberg and Akshay Bhatia and tees off at 1:12 p.m., just behind the group of Schauffele, Adam Scott and Viktor Hoveland. DeChambeau, Hideki Matsuyama and Shane Lowery are off at 1:23 p.m., followed by Rahm, Wyndham Clark and Tommy Fleetwood.
What is the weather forecast?
While most of Monday’s practice round was washed out, Tuesday and Wednesday were warm and sunny. The forecast for Thursday is clear, but storms could arrive overnight and the rain could continue into the early part of Friday.
What happened Wednesday at Augusta National?
The focus shifted from practice rounds on the championship course to the par-3 layout on what may be the most picturesque part of the property. Nicolas Echavarria and J.J. Spaun finished atop the leaderboard at 5 under in the family friendly event, but they may come to regret it — nobody has won the Par 3 Tournament and gone on to win the Masters in the same year.
What happened last year at the Masters?
Scheffler shot a 4-under 68 on Sunday, keeping preternatural poise while his closest competitors faltered around Amen Corner, and finished with a four-shot victory over Masters newcomer Aberg for his second green jacket in three years.
Aberg was among four players who had a share of the lead on Sunday; he lost ground when his approach went into the pond left of the 11th hole and he made double bogey. Morikawa had two double bogeys to fall out of the hunt, tying for third with Tommy Fleetwood and Max Homa, whose own double bogey from the bushes at the par-3 12th ruined his chances.
Woods closed with a 77 and finished at 16-over 304, the highest 72-hole score of his career.
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