Rory McIlroy was grouped with Cameron Young and amateur Mason Howell for the first two rounds of his title defense at the Masters.
The world No. 2 player completed a career Grand Slam with a dramatic playoff victory at Augusta National last year and is now aiming to become the fourth player in history to win back-to-back Masters titles.
McIlroy is on the early-late side of the draw and is scheduled to tee off at 10:31 a.m. local time (3:31 p.m. in Great Britain and Ireland) on Thursday, along with Young, who is aiming for a third successive title at The Players and The Masters in the same season.
Rory McIlroy aims to defend title at Masters
Howell, the youngest player on the field, completed the three-ball, and tournament officials continue the tradition of pairing the previous year’s winner with the reigning U.S. Amateur champion.
Ninety-one players are scheduled to take part in this year’s opening major, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler on the other side of the draw, along with Scotland’s Bob McIntyre and former US Open champion Gary Woodland.
Last year’s runner-up Justin Rose will also face a late start alongside 2015 champion Jordan Spieth and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, while Bryson DeChambeau will depart at 10:07 a.m. local time (3:07 p.m. UK and Ireland) along with Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick.
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Ahead of 2026 Masters Tournament, three-time runner-up Justin Rose insists he has no regrets over near miss at Augusta National
Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson will return for the honorary starters ceremony at 7.25am local time (12.25pm UK and Ireland) on Thursday morning, before John Kiefer and Haotong Li start the season opener at 7.40am.
Tommy Fleetwood will begin his bid for his first major title in the morning wave with Akshay Bhatia and 2018 champion Patrick Reed, while Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry will start alongside former world number one Dustin Johnson and Jason Day in the three-ball up front.
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Ahead of the 2026 Masters Tournament, Jamie Weir breaks down Augusta National by the numbers.
“I’m confident there are 10 to 12 players who have a legitimate chance to earn a green jacket this year,” Reed said. “It makes this event a little more special and it makes it even more fun to go out there and play against the best teams.”
Important R1 tee time on Thursday
United States unless otherwise noted. (x) indicates amateur
1443 Dustin Johnson, Shane Lawrie (Ireland), Jason Day (Australia)
1455 Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood (English), Akshay Bhatia
1507 Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick (UK), Xander Schaufel
1519 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Colin Morikawa, Russell Henry
1531 Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Cameron Young, Mason Howell (x)
1808 Jon Rahm (Spain), Chris Gotterp, Ludwig Oberg (Sweden)
1820 Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose (UK), Brooks Koepka
1844 Scotty Scheffler, Robert McIntyre (Scotland), Gary Woodland
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McIlroy and some of golf’s most recognizable faces look back at the moment he achieved his lifelong dream of winning the Masters and completing a career Grand Slam.
When will the Masters be broadcast live on Sky Sports?
Wall-to-wall coverage of the tournament will begin at 2pm on Thursday, with regular updates from around the course and featured group action on Sky Sports Golf until the global broadcast slot begins at 6pm.
The same timing will apply on Friday, with an early start heading into the weekend. Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m., with serious coverage beginning at 5 p.m. and continuing long after the final putt is holed.
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The most shocking moments in Masters history, including Jordan Spieth’s fall on the 12th hole and injury-plagued Tiger Woods being subdued by security.
The infamous Amen Corner stream will also be available to watch, focusing on the famous three-hole stretch from No. 11, and that featured group of programming will also be available on the Sky Sports+ channel.
Feeds for holes 4, 5 and 6 will be live every day as soon as the opening group arrives on that part of the course, with separate streams covering holes 15 and 16, and featured groups will also be available on Sky Sports+.
Who will win the Masters? Watch the opening match of this year’s Major live exclusively on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the first round will begin on Sky Sports Golf from 2pm on Thursday. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
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