The three must-watch groupings at the Masters today
The most interesting grouping of the first day of the Masters for Midlands golf fans is Columbia’s Dustin Johnson going out with Bryson DeChambeau, who is dubbed golf’s “Mad Scientist,” and Jason Day at 1:38 p.m.
But here are three more groups that are worthy of a follow as the 83rd Masters gets under way at Augusta National Golf Club.
10:31 a.m. Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Viktor Hovland
Reed, one of the most polarizing figures in the game, is the defending champion, and his family lives six miles from the course. However, he is estranged from his parents and sister, who may show up anyway this week, he said. It will be interesting to see how CBS covers what is an awkward and sad situation if the Reeds do attend. Hovland is an amateur from Norway who plays at Oklahoma State, and Cowboys golf coach Alan Bratton is his caddie this week.
11:04 a.m. Tiger Woods, Haotong Li, Jon Rahm
It’s Tiger. He will be the story of the tournament until he’s out of contention. If he gets in contention, ticket prices and TV ratings will go through the roof. You might have seen Li’s mom when she waded into a pond at an event to get a club he chunked in frustration. It’d be interesting to see how that went over at Augusta.
1:49 p.m. Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas
There’s not a grouping the first two days that features more legitimate contenders. Rose is the third betting favorite at 14-to-1. Thomas is seventh at 20-to-1. And Mickelson always has a chance at Augusta.
Masters links
▪ Masters free online live stream
▪ Masters favorites, betting odds
Thursday’s Masters Tee Times
8:30 a.m. -- Andrew Landry, Adam Long, Corey Conners
8:41 a.m. -- Ian Woosnam, Keith Mitchell, Kevin Tway
8:52 a.m. -- Mike Weir, Shane Lowry, Kevin O’Connell*
9:03 a.m. -- Angel Cabrera, Aaron Wise, Justin Harding
9:14 a.m. -- Danny Willett, Brandt Snedeker, Takumi Kanaya*
9:25 a.m. -- Fred Couples, Si Woo Kim, J.B. Holmes
9:36 a.m. -- Branden Grace, Emiliano Grillo, Lucas Bjerregaard
9:47 a.m. -- Charl Schwartzel, Charles Howell III, Eddie Pepperell
9:58 a.m. -- Sergio Garcia, Tony Finau, Henrik Stenson
10:09 a.m. -- Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyamu, Kyle Stanley
10:31 a.m. -- Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Viktor Hovland*
10:42 a.m. -- Charley Hoffman, Louis Oosthuizen, Marc Leishman
10:53 a.m. -- Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele, Gary Woodland
11:04 a.m. -- Tiger Woods, Haoton Li, Jon Rahm
11:15 a.m. -- Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Smith
11:26 a.m. -- Sandy Lyle, Michael Kim, Patton Kizzire
11:37 a.m. -- Trevor Immelman, Martin Kaymer, Devon Bling*
11:48 a.m. -- Larry Mize, Jimmy Walker, Stewart Cink
11:59 a.m. -- Jose Maria Olazabal, Kevin Na, Thorbjorn Olesen
12:10 p.m. -- Bernhard Langer, Matt Wallace, Alvaro Ortiz*
12:32 p.m. -- Alex Noren, Keegan Bradley, Matthew Fitzpatrick
12:43 p.m. -- Vijay Singh, Billy Horschel, Jovan Rebula*
12:54 p.m. -- Kevin Kisner, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Shugo Imahira
1:05 p.m. -- Zach Johnson, Ian Poulter, Matt Kuchar
1:16 p.m. -- Francesco Molinari, Rafael Cabrera Bello, Tyrrell Hatton
1:27 p.m. -- Bubba Watson, Patrick Cantlay, Satoshis Kodaira
1:38 p.m. -- Dustin Johnson, Bryan DeChambeau, Jason Day
1:49 p.m. -- Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas
2:00 p.m. -- Jordan Spieth, Paul Casey, Brooks Koepka
*amateur
