An armchair guide to the Masters at Augusta National

The Masters kicks off golf’s major calendar this week, with the world’s best players descending on Augusta National.

Here, we provide an armchair fan’s guide of what to look out for in Georgia.

The Masters is the first of golf’s four Majors each year and the only one which is always played at the same venue. Augusta National, designed by Yorkshireman Alister MacKenzie, has become one of sport’s most iconic venues thanks to its combination of stunning scenery and a course which ensures drama throughout.

First round featured groups:

10:30 a.m. Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap

10:54 a.m. Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith

1:24 p.m. Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa

2:00 p.m. Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood #themasters

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 9, 2024

The action starts on Thursday when, weather permitting, Erik van Rooyen will hit the opening tee shot at 0800 local time (1300BST). The final group of Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood will get under way six hours later. Rory McIlroy will have pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler for company when he begins his 10th bid to complete the career grand slam. McIlroy, who finished second behind Scheffler in the 2022 Masters, will play alongside the world number one and Xander Schauffele for the first two days, teeing off at 1042 local time (1542BST) on Thursday.

Yes. Golf has been divided since the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV competition began luring several of the sport’s biggest stars with lucrative offers two years ago. Last year 18 LIV players were in the field, although that number has reduced to 13 in 2024 – among them last year’s champion Jon Rahm. Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Charl