AUGUSTA, Ga. – The speculation is nearly over, and the opening round is on the horizon. Here’s a look at some of the marquee groupings for the first two rounds of the 83rd Masters, where Tiger Woods will begin his pursuit of a fifth green jacket alongside a pair of international players (all times ET):
10:31 a.m. Thursday, 1:16 p.m. Friday: Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Viktor Hovland (a)
This traditional grouping brings together the defending champ and reigning U.S. Amateur champion, as Reed returns to Augusta National after edging out Rickie Fowler a year ago for his first major title. Simpson is making his eighth straight Masters start, having notched a career-best T-20 finish last year, while Hovland makes his Masters debut after lifting the Havemeyer Trophy last summer at Pebble Beach.
11:04 a.m. Thursday, 1:49 p.m. Friday: Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Haotong Li
Woods is making his 22nd career Masters appearance, having last won in 2005 and having tied for 32nd here a year ago. He’ll play the first two rounds alongside Rahm, who finished alone in fourth place last year for his best career finish in a major, and Li, who finished third at The Open in 2017 and made the cut last year in his Masters debut.
83rd Masters Tournament: Tee times | Full coverage
11:15 a.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Friday: Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Smith
This grouping includes two men who nearly slipped into the green jacket a year ago, as McIlroy faltered in the final pairing alongside Reed while Fowler’s late rally came up one shot short. They’ll both look to improve this time around while joined for the first two days by Smith, an Australian who tied for fifth last year after a final-round 66.
1:38 p.m. Thursday, 10:42 a.m. Friday: Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day
Johnson saw his run at world No. 1 end this week, as he was passed by Justin Rose in the rankings without either player hitting a shot. He’s in search of his first Masters title in his ninth career start, having finished inside the top 10 in each of his last three appearances. DeChambeau took low amateur honors as the reigning U.S. Amateur champ in 2016, while Day tied for second in 2011 and finished third two years later after holding the lead with three holes to play.
1:49 p.m. Thursday, 10:53 a.m. Friday: Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas
Mickelson has three green jackets in his closet, the most recent coming in 2010, and he tied for second behind Jordan Spieth four years ago. Having won earlier this year at Pebble Beach, he’ll look to rebound from a disappointing T-36 finish last year alongside a pair of fellow major champions. Rose was a runner-up with Mickelson back in 2015 and lost in a playoff to Sergio Garcia two years ago, while Thomas’ results have steadily improved in each of his three Masters appearances, highlighted by a T-17 finish last year.
2 p.m. Thursday, 11:04 a.m. Friday: Jordan Spieth, Paul Casey, Brooks Koepka
Spieth has been a fixture on Masters leaderboards since he stepped foot on the property, having won in 2015 and finished third or better three other times since 2014. That includes last year’s third-place showing, when he shot a final-round 64 despite a bogey on the final hole. Casey finished T-6 or better here three straight years from 2015-17 and successfully defended his title last month in Tampa, while Koepka missed last year’s Masters because of injury, meaning that he has won three majors since he last teed it up at Augusta National en route to a T-11 finish in 2017.
Source: Internet
