The weather is getting warmer, the azaleas are blooming, and the calendar has turned to April. That can mean only one thing in the sports world — it’s Masters week.
Major season on the PGA Tour officially starts this weekend, as 89 of the best golfers in the world are at Augusta National in Georgia competing for the prestigious green jacket. The Masters is an event unlike any other, and pros have a chance at cementing themselves in the golf history books by winning at the event.
Jon Rahm enters the 2024 competition as the defending champion. The Spaniard had a dominant showing at the 2023 event, pulling away from Brooks Koepka on Sunday to win his first green jacket by four strokes.
Now, Rahm is back —only this time, he is under the LIV Golf umbrella. The Saudi-backed tour landed its biggest splash to date this past December when it signed the defending Masters champion to a monstrous deal. He is one of a number of LIV Golf players at Augusta this weekend.
Joining Rahm as the top candidates to win it all this weekend are former Masters champions Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, and Hideki Matsuyama, along with other elite golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Tony Finau.
Of course, one of the biggest names in the golf world is also at Augusta National, as Tiger Woods is back at the event. The five-time Masters champion hasn’t played since the Genesis Invitational in February, but Woods is expected to battle through his injuries.
The Sporting News is tracking all the key moments from Thursday’s Round 1 at the 2024 Masters Tournament:
MORE: Watch the Masters live on Fubo (free trial)
Masters leaderboard 2024
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Click here for the entire 2024 Masters leaderboard
Masters live updates, highlights from Thursday’s Round 1
1:25 p.m.: Harris English nearly delivers the first hole-in-one at the 2024 Masters. His tee shot on 6 comes inches away from rolling in, leading to a birdie on the hole.
On No. 6, Harris English’s tee shot finishes inches from the hole. #themasters pic.twitter.com/RRCokm7VoS
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
1 p.m.: The first wave of the featured groups is out on the course. Defending champion Jon Rahm is among the first featured trio, teeing off with Matt Fitzpatrick and Nick Dunlap.
12:30 p.m.: DeChambeau continues his strong front-nine showing with a bunker save on No. 4. He has grabbed ahold of the leaderboard early on Thursday.
After a bunker save on No. 4, Bryson DeChambeau maintains his lead at three under par. #themasters pic.twitter.com/Tn652KATw1
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
12:05 p.m.: Bryson DeChambeau is off to a hot start at Augusta. Three consecutive birdies puts the LIV Golfer at 3 under after three holes.
11 a.m.: Jon Rahm enters the 2024 competition as the defending champion. He is one of a number of players on the LIV Golf tour at Augusta fighting for the green jacket.
10:25 a.m.: The 2024 Masters officially kicks off with the ceremonial tee shots from Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
The 88th Masters Tournament begins with ceremonial tee shots from Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. #themasters pic.twitter.com/Ts7glAYOhW
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
10:15 a.m.: It’s still a bit gloomy at Augusta with dark clouds in the sky. However, the rain is supposed to be gone and the action should commence soon.
Thursday morning at Augusta National. #themasters pic.twitter.com/C5dSTTUJjC
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
9:30 a.m.: For all you visual learners out there, here is a look at all of the holes at Augusta National and the pin placements.
Hole locations for the first round of the Masters Tournament. #themasters pic.twitter.com/9DguaJDeLl
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2024
8:10 a.m.: The tee times have been pushed back until 10:30 a.m. The earliest the first group is set to start is 10:30 a.m., which is when Erik van Rooyen and Jake Knapp will officially begin the Masters Tournament. However, the weather could move the start back further.
6:30 a.m: Welcome to our coverage of the Masters, where there’s some breaking news to begin the day, as the start times for Round 1 of this year’s tournament have been delayed due to thunderstorms.
The opening tee shots were due to be struck at 8:00 a.m. local time but they have now been pushed back by at least an hour, due to heavy rain and strong winds.
A statement on the Masters website read: “Tee times have been delayed until further notice. The first round will not begin before 09:00.”
Stay tuned here with our coverage for more updates as they come.
(All times Eastern.)
What channel is the Masters on today?
- TV channel: ESPN
- TV broadcast times: 3-7:30 p.m. ET
- Live streams: Masters.com, ESPN+, Fubo
The Masters will air live on ESPN for the first two days before shifting to CBS for Rounds 3 and 4. Televised coverage will begin at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, with Scott Van Pelt, Sean McDonough, Andy North, and Curtis Strange handling commentary duties from Augusta.
Masters.com will provide free live streaming coverage of the tournament throughout the day beginning at 8:30 a.m. and running through the conclusion of play at around 7:30 p.m. ESPN+ will also carry a simulcast of the TV broadcast.
Here is the full breakdown of the Masters TV schedule (all times Eastern):
| Date | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Thursday, April 11 | 3-7:30 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| Friday, April 12 | 3-7:30 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
| Saturday, April 13 | 3-7 p.m. | CBS, Fubo |
| Sunday, April 14 | 2-7 p.m. | CBS, Fubo |
Masters tee times for Thursday
Note: Start times for Round 1 of the Masters have been delayed due to inclement weather at Augusta.
Tee times below have updated with the latest delay.
| Tee time (ET) | Group |
|---|---|
| 10:30 a.m. | Erik van Rooyen, Jake Knapp |
| 10:42 a.m. | Jose Maria Olazabal, Taylor Moore, Santiago de la Fuente |
| 10:54 a.m. | Danny Willett, Austin Eckroat, Stephan Jaeger |
| 11:06 a.m. | Charl Schwartzel, Luke List, Christo Lamprecht |
| 11:18 a.m. | Gary Woodland, Thorbjorn Olesen, Bryson DeChambeau |
| 11:30 a.m. | Zach Johnson, Corey Conners, Jasper Stubbs |
| 11:42 a.m. | Sergio Garcia, Chris Kirk, Ryan Fox |
| 11:56 a.m. | Lucas Glover, Byeong Hun An, Harris English |
| 12:06 p.m. | Phil Mickelson, Sepp Straka, Tony Finau |
| 12:18 p.m. | Nick Taylor, Joaquin Niemann, Russell Henley |
| 12:36 p.m. | Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler |
| 12:48 p.m. | Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas |
| 1 p.m. | Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap |
| 1:12 p.m. | Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele |
| 1:24 p.m. | Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith |
| 1:36 p.m. | Lee Hodges, Adrian Meronk, Grayson Murray |
| 1:48 p.m. | Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy, Cameron Davis |
| 2 p.m. | Mike Weir, Ryo Hisatsune, Neal Shipley |
| 2:12 p.m. | Vijay Singh, Si Woo Kim, Emiliano Grillo |
| 2:24 p.m. | Fred Couples, Adam Hadwin, Stewart Hagestad |
| 2:42 p.m. | Justin Rose, Eric Cole, Peter Malnati |
| 2:54 p.m. | Akshay Bhatia, J.T. Poston, Shane Lowry |
| 3:06 p.m. | Bubba Watson, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adam Schenk |
| 3:18 p.m. | Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama |
| 3:30 p.m. | Keegan Bradley, Matthieu Pavon, Tyrell Hatton |
| 3:42 p.m. | Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Cameron Young |
| 3:54 p.m. | Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa |
| 4:06 p.m. | Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim |
| 4:18 p.m. | Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala |
| 4:30 p.m. | Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood |