April 9 (UPI) — Augusta National Golf Club remains one of the most aesthetically pleasing sights in sports, but fans may notice subtle changes to the course this week as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler attempts to match a Jack Nicklaus record.
The annual spring showdown will be held Thursday through Sunday on the iconic property in Augusta, Ga. Streaming coverage will remain available on those platforms throughout the tournament. Additional coverage will air on ESPN, CBS and Paramount+.
“I would say I feel very prepared for this golf tournament,” Scheffler told reporters Tuesday at his pre-tournament news conference.
“This is definitely the most prepared that I’ve felt all year. … I’m excited to get the tournament going.”
Scheffler, the defending champion who won two of the last three titles, is the favorite for the green jacket.
With another victory, he can match Nicklaus as the only golfer to win three green jackets in four years. Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods are the only ones to win consecutive green jackets.
“I really try not to look too much into the past, I try not to look too much in the future,” Scheffler said. “I just like to stay in the present and just go one week at a time.”
No. 2 Rory McIlroy, No. 4 Collin Morikawa, No. 80 Jon Rahm and No. 19 Bryson DeChambeau are among other Top 5 favorites.
No. 5 Ludvig Aberg, No. 3 Xander Schauffele, No. 8 Justin Thomas, No. 89 Joaquin Niemann and No. 249 Brooks Koepka are among the other expected contenders.
“My big goal when I come here is to feel prepared enough to not want to sit on property and practice all day, because like a kid in a candy store, it doesn’t get a whole lot better than this,” Schauffele said.
Scheffler, who dealt with sinus congestion Tuesday in Augusta, said he doesn’t expect to be negatively impacted during play.
“I’m feeling good,” Scheffler said. “I’m ready to roll. Sniffles aren’t going to stop me.”
A slight chance of rain is in the forecast, with the highest probability Thursday night and Friday morning. That precipitation could soften and slow the course. But a change in landscape will alter player approaches regardless of the wet weather.
The 7,555-yard course contains nearly 1,000 fewer trees as a result of Hurricane Helene’s wicked wrath from 2024. Golfers mentioned that some trees at which they aimed off the tee are gone and they need to use different targets when pursuing the green.
“Once the storm came through, I was looking at trees,” Schauffele said of his Sunday practice round. “It almost felt like I was playing the back nine for the first time. … It’s pretty crazy and it’s sad too to see how many trees have fallen.”
The 95-player field will still compete amid a scented sea of floral features, with brilliant shades of red, pink, green, yellow, blue, purple and white serving as a background for their strong strokes and pinpoint putts.
“It’s a golf course where you need to think a lot about where you are putting the ball on the tee and on the green,” Rahm said. “Based on the weather conditions, the wind and the setup of the golf course, you are thinking about where to put the ball to give yourself the best chance to make a par, hopefully a birdie.
“I’m definitely not caught up on the flowers or the beauty of the golf course. It’s just focus ahead and hopefully you can enjoy that walk up on 18.”
Aside from Scheffler’s quest to match Nicklaus, McIlroy still seeks to win his elusive first Masters title and complete a career Grand Slam. He said he has heeled from an elbow injury.
“I understand the narrative and the noise and there is a lot of anticipation and buildup coming into this tournament each and every year, but I just have to keep my head down and focus on my job,” McIlroy said.
The field includes 18 former champions, but no Tiger Woods, who is recovering from Achilles surgery. The golfers will compete for a record $20 million purse, up $2 million from last year. Scheffler won $3.6 million last year.
“On any given week, anybody that earns their way into the tournament has a good chance to win,” Scheffler said. “I think that the talent pool that we have in the game of golf is so deep right now, that when you step onto the first tee, it’s even par and I really feel like its anybody’s tournament.
“It’s one of our jobs to go out there and take it.”
The annual honorary starters ceremony, featuring Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson, will air at 7:30 a.m. EDT Thursday on Masters.com and the Masters App.
Davis Riley and Patton Kizzire will tee off in the first group at 7:40 a.m. Thursday. Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka and Sam Burns will tee off in the last group at 1:45 p.m.
Other notable groups include: McIlroy, Aberg and Ashkay Bhatia; Schauffele, Viktor Hovland and Adam Scott; Scheffler, Thomas and Jose Luis Ballester; Morikawa, Niemann and Min Woo Lee; Koepka, Russell Henley and Sungjae Im; and Rahm, Wyndham Clark and Tommy Fleetwood.
How to watch the Masters
All times EDT
Thursday
Honorary starters at 7:30 a.m. on Masters.com and the Masters App; First-round streaming coverage from 9:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Masters.com/Masters App; TV coverage from 3 to 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Friday
Second-round streaming coverage from 9:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Masters.com/Masters App; TV coverage from 3 to 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday
Third-round streaming coverage from 10:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Masters.com/Masters App; TV coverage from noon to 2 p.m. on Paramount+ and from 2 to 7 p.m. on CBS
Sunday
Final-round streaming coverage from 10:15 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. on Masters.com/Masters App; TV coverage from noon to 2 p.m. on Paramount+ and from 2 to 7 p.m. on CBS
