As the world’s best players descend on Augusta National for the Masters, the first men’s golf event of the year has arrived, even as storms threaten to delay the start of day one.
Twelve months after first donning the famous green jacket following the emotional victory dedicated to his hero Seve Ballesteros, Jon Rahm returns to defend his title with added intrigue from his departure to the blockbuster LIV Golf series.
Negotiations are ongoing between the PGA Tour and LIV’s Saudi Arabian promoters over a possible partnership, but for now all eyes will be on the course as Rahm and fellow rebels such as the ever-dangerous Brooks Koepka battle those remaining on the Tour. These include names such as 2022 winner and this year’s dominant player Scottie Scheffler, career grand slam chaser Rory McIlroy and Augusta-worthy Jordan Spieth.
Golf legend Tiger Woods is ready to play and says he’s aiming for “one more green jacket” to take him to 16 major championships, despite suffering the majority of shots at Augusta.
Follow live coverage of all the action below and Tips for the winner are here And The best custom bets to target here:
Masters 2024 – live updates
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The 2024 Masters starts this afternoon at Augusta National
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The game is expected to start at 1pm (BST) but storms in the area threaten delay
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1st round kick-off times
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PREVIEW: Golf’s civil war casts long shadow as Rory McIlroy aims to finally slay the Masters demon
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Jon Rahm defends the title he won last year and Tiger Woods plays through the pain
Why does The Masters TV broadcast start so late?
09:46 , Luke Baker
While organizers stick to traditional broadcast models, golf fans hoping to watch The Masters will again have to wait for full television coverage to begin.
Founded in 1934, the first men’s major of the year is being held at Augusta in Georgia, with nearly 90 of the world’s best golfers vying to wear the famous green jacket.
Sky Sports remains the event’s exclusive live broadcast partner in the UK, but viewers will be able to watch each round until 7.30pm, although the first golfers will tee off at 1pm (BST) in the first and second rounds. The band is live.
Why does The Masters TV broadcast start so late?
Everything you need to know about the masters
09:35 , Luke Baker
The world’s best golfers descend on Augusta for The Masters, the first men’s event of the year. Twelve months after donning the famous green jacket, Jon Rahm returns to defend his title with added intrigue from his entry into the blockbuster LIV Golf series.
Negotiations are ongoing between the PGA Tour and LIV’s Saudi Arabian backers over a possible partnership, but for now all eyes will be on the course as Rahm and his fellow rebels battle those remaining on the Tour. These include 2022 winner Scottie Scheffler, the dominant player in men’s golf this year and the favorite to win.
Here’s how to watch and everything you need to know:
Masters TV channel: How to watch the golf major at Augusta
Masters match times – first round
09:29 , Luke Baker
Champion Jon Rahm will start defending the green jacket alongside Matt Fitzpatrick, while Rory McIlroy will compete in the Masters alongside world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.
Selected Masters make one round
(All times are BST)
Group one – 1300: Erik van Rooyen, Jake Knapp
1348: Gary Woodland, Thorbjorn Olsen, Bryson DeChambeau
1436: Phil Mickelson, Sepp Straka, Tony Finau
1518: Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas
1530: Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap
1542: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
1554: Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith
1800: Keegan Bradley, Matthieu Pavon, Tyrrell Hatton
1824: Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa
1836: Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim
1848: Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Åberg, Sahith Theegala
Final group – 1900: Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood
For a full list of round one kickoffs, click here
Golf’s civil war casts long shadow as Rory McIlroy aims to finally slay the Masters demon
09:20 , Luke Baker
Sometimes in sports, it’s the narrow miss followed by the courage to get back up that leaves the most indelible emotional mark, but missing again leaves the most indelible emotional mark. Repeated hope and optimism are crushed each time, more and more brutally, until there is no chance left.
Maybe this could be the year Jimmy White finally wins the World Snooker Championship…? Or has the England men’s football team finally won another major tournament…? Or could Ireland finally make it past the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup…?
Or has Rory McIlroy finally won his career grand slam by winning the Masters…?
Read Luke Baker’s full preview ahead of day one of the Masters:
Golf’s civil war casts long shadow as Rory McIlroy aims to finally slay the Masters demon
Masters weather forecast as storms disrupt opening round at Augusta
09:09 , Luke Baker
Unfortunately, let’s give you the bad news first; The weather is not good in Georgia.
The start of the 2024 Masters tournament will be disrupted by storms and adverse weather ahead of Thursday’s opener at Augusta National.
Heavy rain overnight and into the early morning is expected to soak the course after three dry training days; conditions are forecast to worsen from 6am local time, or 11am in the UK.
On Wednesday, tournament organizers released a statement on The Masters website saying: “Due to the weather conditions forecast for Thursday, we have decided to postpone all gate openings in the morning. All Masters free car parks will be closed until further notice due to gate opening delays. “Further updates will be shared via Masters.com and social channels by 5 a.m. at the latest.”
Masters weather forecast as storms disrupt opening round at Augusta
Masters 2024
09:08 , Luke Baker
Welcome The Independent’s Live broadcast of The 2024 Masters from Augusta.
The first men’s golf tournament of the year kicks off today and we’re here to bring you all the action from what promises to be a fascinating tournament.
As always, there are plenty of stories vying for attention at the event, so stay with us and we’ll bring you everything that matters.