Scotty Scheffler is the heavy favorite in the first major of the season in Augusta. Photo: Reuters/Mike Blake
The first of golf's four major tournaments this year, the Masters, is an integral part of the spring sports calendar, timed to reach its climax when the azaleas bloom in Georgia.
When does the Masters tournament start?
This year the tournament will take place from Thursday, April 11 to Sunday, April 14.
Officially, three days of training and preparation for the opening are provided. round. This year, however, Tiger Woods emerged on Sunday to bid for an unlikely sixth Masters title.
The traditional par-3 competition will take place on Wednesday, April 10, with the families of some of the best players in the game in attendance. golf. Since its opening in 1960, 107 holes have been played on one hole.
How to watch the Masters tournament on TV?
In the UK, the Masters is shown exclusively on Sky Sports Golf.
The free stream is also being streamed on the Masters website, where viewers can watch each individual shot minutes after it happens, as well as follow coverage of select groups and holes.
The tournament will be broadcast in the UK on the Talksport channel.
In previous years, the Masters was broadcast on free-to-air television in the UK, either live or as highlights. However, last year the BBC pulled out of the tournament entirely.
Also, you can bookmark this page and come back to follow the tournament on our live blog with commentary and analysis from Augusta National.
Where do the Masters play?
The Masters is only one of the four major forms of golf played on the same course every year.
Augusta National Golf Club is located in northeast Georgia, near the South Carolina border. Augusta National is one of the most exclusive golf clubs in the world. It is believed to have only about 300 members, including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. The only way to play on this course is by invitation from a club member.
However, there is a more detrimental side to the club's exclusivity. Augusta didn't allow African Americans to compete until 1990, and there weren't any women until 2012, when Condoleezza Rice joined.
What is the Masters prize money?
This year's total purse is expected to be $18 million (£14.2 million), the same as last year. The winner will receive US$3,240,000 (£2.51 million), with a gradually decreasing prize fund for each of the top 50 finalists.
The winner also receives a copy of the official trophy (which never leaves the club). The golf champion also receives a gold medal and, most coveted, a green jacket.
There are also prizes for second place, amateur golfer of the year, lowest score of the day, hole-in-one, eagle, and double eagle.
How do players qualify for the Masters?< p>Technically speaking, players receive an invitation to play at the Masters. Unlike the US Open or Open Championship, there is no “open” qualifying process.
There are 20 different ways to make sure an envelope from Augusta makes it into your mailbox. The easiest way is to be in the top 50 of the world rankings on January 1.
All previous Masters champions can play if they choose to accept the invitation, as well as those players who finished in the top 12 of the previous year's tournament.< /p>
Any player who has won on a fully sanctioned PGA Tour. The previous season's event will also reserve a spot for Augusta. The same goes for any player who finished in the top four at any of the previous season's majors, while major winners secure a spot in the Masters for five years.
Any player ranked in the top 50 players in the world in the week leading up to the Masters will also be invited. The Masters also reserves the right to invite wild card players.
The rest consists of the winners of the most prominent amateur competitions. The Masters is a smaller field than the other three majors and typically attracts about 90 players.
There will only be five or six British golfers at this year's tournament (depending on whether Danny Willett has recovered enough). after shoulder surgery). James Corrigan explains why so few British players make it to Augusta these days.
Will LIV golfers compete in the Masters?
Yes, but in fewer numbers than last year. The main problem for LIV golfers is that breakaway circuit tournaments do not award world ranking points, which is the route by which most players qualify for the Masters (see above).
LIV golfers who will compete in the 2024 Masters are Bryson DeChambeau (as he won the 2020 US Open), Cam Smith (who won the 2023 Open), Brooks Koepka (who won the PGA Championship in 2019), Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson (all previous Masters champions), Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk (who were ranked in the top 50 in the world earlier this year) and Joaquin Niemann (who received a special award ). invitation).
Will Tiger Woods be playing?
Yes. The five-time champion arrived in Augusta to begin training on Sunday and held another training session over Easter weekend.
Woods continues to recover from a 2021 car crash that nearly cost him his right leg, but his withdrawal from the second round of the LA Open in February – his first official event in 10 months – has led to doubts he will appear at the first major of the season.< /p>How to get tickets to the Masters tournament?
If you need a ticket to this year's tournament, you are running out of time. Tickets go on sale last year and the application deadline is in June. Tickets are allocated by vote and applicants are told in July whether they have been successful.
A ticket for one of the three days of training costs $100 (£78). A single day ticket costs $140 (£110).
Full list of Masters winners 3fc818b2f899.html?direct=true&id=83a026a5-5f93-481e-944b-3fc818b2f899&truncated=true' class='tmg-particle Breakout-Box wrp-83a026a5-5f93-481e-944b-3fc818b2f899' title=' Masters winners since 1934, data -truncated='true' data-business-type='editorial' loading='eager' scroll='no'frameborder='0'allow='web-share' style='width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: relative; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;'>What is the starting time?
The names of the first and second rounds have been announced, the full list can be found here.
For the first round, the first group, which includes Erik van Rooyen and Jake Knapp will kick off at 8am local time (1pm UK time) with the final group of Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood kicking off at 2pm (7pm UK time) . This means the last finishers are likely to be out until 7pm (midnight UK time).
What are the latest odds?
- Scottie Scheffler 7/2
- Rory McIlroy 9/1
- Jon Rahm 10/1
- Brooks Koepka 12/1
- Jordan Spieth 18/1
- Xander Schauffele 16/1
- Ludwig Aberg 20/1
- Viktor Hovland 25/1
- Wyndham Clark 28/1
- Tiger Woods 125/1
- Ludwig Aberg 20/1
- Viktor Hovland 25/1
- Wyndham Clark 28/1
- Tiger Woods 125/1< /li>
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Odds correct as of April 9, 2024
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