The Masters start on Augusta National, where defending champion Scottie Scheffler will win his third green jacket, Rory McIlroy will try to win his first, and the biggest names in golf will come together amid the Georgia Pines for the first major championship of the year.
There are 95 players in the field, the largest in a decade, even without five-time champion Tiger Woods, who underwent surgery in March to restore a torn Achilles pest. Last year, Woods set the record by making the cut for the 24th time in a row.
There is still a split among the best players of the game, and only 12 of the Breakaway Liv Golf League will be under the pink dogwoods and flowering Azaleas. These include Jon Rahm, the winner two years ago, and Bryson DeChambeau, the US Open champion, who started to surpass the game through his popular YouTube channel.
Here is a look at what you need to know that leads to the masters.
When are the masters?
The first round begins at about 07:30 EDT Thursday, when honorary start Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson Tea on Tea Olive, the first hole on Augusta National. Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod were the first guest of honor in 1963, but it wasn’t until 1981 that it became a precious tradition.
The rest of the field is in groups of three, which will be announced on Tuesday. After the second round, the top 50 players and tires make the cuts over the weekend and are accompanied by the score for the last two rounds.
How can I watch the masters?
The Masters stream on its website starts at 07:30 on Thursday and runs through the day, and cameras emphasize holes and contain groups. The first two rounds will be broadcast on ESPN from Thursday and Friday at 15:00. CBS takes over on Saturday and Sunday with the coverage on its paramount+ platform at noon and on the network starting at 14:00
What is the betting chance for the masters?
According to Betmgm, Scheffler, who has not yet to win this season. McIlory is the second choice at 13-2 after his victories on Pebble Beach and the Players Championship. Collin Morikawa is 14-1, while Rahm and DeChambeau are 16-1.
What is the prediction?
Most of Monday’s practice round was washed out by persistent rain and the threat of the thunderstorms of the afternoon. But the prediction for the rest of the week asks for ideal circumstances: many sunshine and highlights in the 70s.
Who should I look at the masters?
Scheffler, who won seven times on the PGA tour with his green jacket and the Olympic gold medal last year, started the season late after cutting himself on a wine glass in December. But the world no. 1 Come with Momentum in the Masters after a final round 63 left him one shot of the winner little woo Lee in his last start to open on the Houston.
McIlroy plays some of the best golf in his career. His collapse in the US Open last year in Pinehurst in his Sunday Duel with DeChambeau made the 35-year-old from Northern Ireland an even bigger sentimental favorite.
Xander Schauffele won two majors last year and is looking for his first green jacket, although he seems to be in shape after a rib injury. Five -time big winner Brooks Koepka finished second on Augusta National.
The field has players from 26 countries and areas, most for the masters.
What about the hurricane Helene?
Augusta National has lost numerous trees – the club did not disclose the exact number – when the deadly category 4 hurricane swept to Georgia in September last year. Four greens had to be repaired, including the par-3 16th known as Redbud, but only the most sharp observers would notice areas on the track where the pine diluted.
What happened at the Masters last year?
Scheffler shot a 4-under-68 on Sunday and held pre-natural attitude while his closest participants wandered around Amen Corner, and ended with a four-stroke victory over the newcomer Ludvig Aberg for the Master for his second green jacket in three years.
Aberg was one of four players who had a part of the lead on Sunday; He lost land when his approach in the dam went to the left of the 11th hole and he made double Bogey. Morikawa had two double bogeys to fall out of the hunt, with third place with Tommy Fleetwood and Max Homa, whose own double Bogey of the bushes ruined his chances at 12th place.
Tiger Woods closed with a 77 and finished at 16-over 304, the highest 72-hole score of his career.
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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/Golf
