Rory McIlroy will launch his Masters title defence Thursday alongside world No. 3 Cameron Young and amateur Mason Howell.
McIlroy, bidding to become only the fourth player to repeat as Masters champion, will go out in the 15th group at 10:31 a.m. ET, two groups behind Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, looking to hold three major titles at the same time following wins at last year’s PGA Championship and British Open, will tee off in the day’s penultimate group with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland.
Former Masters champion Jon Rahm, one of 10 players from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit in the field at Augusta National this week, will set off at 1:08 p.m. in the company of Masters debutant Chris Gotterup and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg.
They will be followed around the course by a trio consisting of five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, who is playing his first major since leaving LIV, 2025 Masters runner-up Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth.
Nick Taylor will be the first of three Canadians to open play Thursday at 9:31 a.m. with Keegan Bradley and Ryan Gerard.
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Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters champion from Brights Grove, Ont., starts at 11:27 a.m. alongside Wyndham Clark and Mateo Pulcini.
At 12:44, Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., will tee it up with Harry Hall and Michael Brennan.
Masters debutant John Keefer will hit the first competitive shot of the week when he sets out at 7:40 a.m. ET alongside China’s Li Haotong after honorary starters Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson hit shots off the first tee.
The forecast for Thursday is for a low of 8 C and a high of 23 C with partly cloudy skies and breezy conditions.
McIlroy beat Rose in a playoff at last year’s Masters to become the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors.
