The Masters preview

The greatest weekend on the sports calendar has finally arrived: The 2024 Masters.

As 89 players prepare to tee off from Augusta National on Thursday, fans from all over the world have been anxiously waiting to watch every minute of the tournament, from the Par 3 contest on Wednesday to the green jacket presentation on Sunday.

This will be the 88th year of the Masters tournament, and each of them has taken place at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. It is home to some of the best moments in the sport’s history and has become the biggest tournament in all of golf.

Ever since the LIV Golf League launched in 2021 and took many former PGA Tour players, there have not been any other tournaments besides the four majors where all the best players in the world can compete again.

Last year’s Masters champion, Jon Rahm, who joined the LIV Golf League earlier this year, shot a final round 69 last year to go to 12 under par and win his first victory at Augusta by four strokes.

In an article published by CBS Sports, current world number one player Scottie Scheffler is ranked number one out of the 89-player field and is predicted to win his second green jacket this year. Scheffler is currently on a hot streak, only losing to one golfer in his last three events. Rahm is right behind him, ranking second.

Other notable players in the top 10 include Xander Schauffele at three, Rory McIlory at five, Wyndham Clark at seven, and Jordan Spieth at nine.

Thirteen players in the field are from LIV, with seven of them being previous champions and two tying for second.

Besides Rahm, Brooks Kopeka is the only player out of the thirteen that is ranked inside the top 10, coming in at number four. Kopeka tied for second at Augusta last year and won the PGA Championship a month later.

Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods will also be competing in the tournament again this year after withdrawing last year due to injury. Woods is looking to finish only his second major since the start of 2021 in his second PGA Tour start of the season.

He will also have to face a tough younger crowd of golfers who have all been playing extremely well the past few years. But, if there’s anyone who could do it, it would be the arguably greatest player in golf’s history.

The PGA Tour announced the tee times for rounds one and two on Tuesday afternoon. Woods will tee off at 1:24 p.m. EST on Thursday with Max Homa and Jason Day. He can also set the record for the most consecutive Masters cuts made on Friday.

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlory, and Xander Schauffele will tee off at 10:42 a.m. on Thursday, while Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, and Tommy Fleetwood will finish off the day with a 2:00 p.m. tee time.

The Masters begin Thursday with the first group teeing off at 8:00 a.m. and will continue through Sunday. Thursday and Friday’s rounds will be aired on ESPN, and Saturday and Sunday’s rounds will be aired on CBS.

Ashley Mascaro is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email aem6398@psu.edu.