Augusta, Ga. — The 90th Masters Tournament tees off Thursday, April 9, at Augusta National Golf Club, with defending champion Rory McIlroy returning in pursuit of back-to-back green jackets — a feat not accomplished since Tiger Woods in 2001-02. The field of 91 players will compete in threesomes for the first two rounds, with pairings and tee times officially announced on Tuesday.
McIlroy, who completed the career Grand Slam with his playoff victory over Justin Rose in 2025, will tee off at 10:31 a.m. ET on Thursday alongside 2025 Players Championship winner Cameron Young and U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell. The grouping honors Masters tradition of pairing the defending champion with the reigning U.S. Amateur winner, bridging generations at the iconic venue. The same trio will play Friday’s second round in reverse order, teeing off at 1:44 p.m. ET.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, a two-time Masters winner seeking a third green jacket in five years, headlines an afternoon group. He tees off at 1:44 p.m. ET Thursday with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. On Friday, this group shifts to an earlier 10:19 a.m. ET start.
Featured Groupings for Rounds 1 & 2
Here are the highlighted threesomes (all times ET):
- Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood, Akshay Bhatia
- Thu: 9:55 a.m., Fri: 1:08 p.m.
- Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele
- Thu: 9:55 a.m., Fri: 1:20 p.m.
- Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Mason Howell (a)
- Thu: 10:07 a.m., 1:44 p.m.
- Jon Rahm, Chris Gotterup, Ludvig Åberg
- Thu: 1:08 p.m., Fri: 9:43 a.m.
- Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka
- Thu: 1:20 p.m., Fri: 9:55 a.m.
- Scottie Scheffler, Robert MacIntyre, Gary Woodland
- Thu: 1:44 p.m., Fri: 10:19 a.m.
Other notable early groupings include past champions like José María Olazábal (8:02 a.m.), Angel Cabrera (8:14 a.m.), Charl Schwartzel (8:26 a.m.), and Vijay Singh (8:38 a.m.), often paired with rookies or internationals in line with Augusta National’s emphasis on generational mix.
The first group tees off at 7:40 a.m. ET with John Keefer and Haotong Li, followed by waves every 10-12 minutes. Play will continue into the afternoon, with the final groups wrapping up around dusk.
Masters.com and the official Masters App will provide 18-hole spotlight coverage of select featured groups via a dedicated channel.
A cut follows Friday’s round, with the top 50 players (including ties) and anyone within 10 strokes of the lead advancing to the weekend.
Context and Storylines
The 2026 field features multiple past champions, LIV Golf representatives (including superstars Rahm and DeChambeau), and rising stars.
Practice rounds began April 6, with the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, April 8. Honorary starters are expected early Thursday morning before competitive play begins.
Coverage plans include early action on Golf Channel and Masters.com, with prime-time ESPN windows in the afternoon. Fans can track featured groups, shot-by-shot data, and the leaderboard via the official Masters app and website.
All eyes will be on whether McIlroy can join Woods as a repeat winner in the modern era, or if Scheffler, Rahm, or another contender claims the green jacket on Sunday, April 12.
The azaleas are in bloom, and Augusta National is ready for another memorable week in golf’s first major.
Full tee times and pairings are available on masters.com.
