Masters TV Schedule 2015: Tee Times, Coverage and Live Stream Info for Thursday
The year's first and biggest PGA major kicks off Thursday when Augusta National hosts the Masters Tournament's first round.
Nowhere else would grown men compete for clothing, but every golfer wants the treasured green jacket in his wardrobe. Several prominent contenders will swing for Bubba Watson's crown, and plenty pose a legitimate threat to ascend the leaderboard.
Thursday marks the first of four rounds, with a full field playing 18 holes before certain participants begin to separate themselves from the pack. Here's a look at the essential viewing information and tee times, courtesy of PGATour.com.
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| Thursday, April 8 | 3 - 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Live Stream: Masters Live, WatchESPN
| 7:45 a.m. | Charley Hoffman, Brian Harman |
| 7:56 a.m. | Larry Mize, Danny Willett, Byron Meth |
| 8:07 a.m. | Tom Watson, Gary Woodland, Camilo Villegas |
| 8:18 a.m. | Mike Weir, Ben Crane, Corey Conners |
| 8:29 a.m. | Vijay Singh, Russell Henley, Darren Clarke |
| 8:40 a.m. | Jose Maria Olazabal, Brendon Todd, Kevin Na |
| 8:51 a.m. | Jonas Blixt, Kevin Streelman, Stephen Gallacher |
| 9:02 a.m. | Patrick Reed, Keegan Bradley, Ian Poulter |
| 9:13 a.m. | Miguel Angel Jimenez, Lee Westwood, Anirban Lahiri |
| 9:24 a.m. | Bubba Watson, Justin Rose, Gunn Yang |
| 9:35 a.m. | Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, Antonio Murdaca |
| 9:57 a.m. | Morgan Hoffmann, Steve Stricker, Matt Every |
| 10:08 a.m. | Ben Crenshaw, Bill Haas, Jason Dufner |
| 10:19 a.m. | Webb Simpson, Hideki Matsuyama, Paul Casey |
| 10:30 a.m. | Charl Schwartzel, Joost Luiten, Sangmoon Bae |
| 10:41 a.m. | Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Ryan Moore |
| 10:52 a.m. | J.B. Holmes, Martin Kaymer, Brandt Snedeker |
| 11:03 a.m. | Ian Woosnam, Erik Compton, Marc Leishman |
| 11:14 a.m | Trevor Immelman, Kevin Stadler, Scott Harvey |
| 11:25 a.m. | Ben Martin, Robert Streb, Cameron Tringale |
| 11:36 a.m. | Sandy Lyle, Seung-Yul Noh, Bradley Neil |
| 11:47 a.m. | Bernhard Langer, Bernd Wiesberger, Geoff Ogilvy |
| 12:09 p.m. | Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els |
| 12:20 p.m. | Angel Cabrera, Louis Oosthuizen, Matias Dominguez |
| 12:31 p.m. | Mark O'Meara, Chris Kirk, Shane Lowry |
| 12:42 p.m. | Padraig Harrington, Ryan Palmer, Thomas Bjorn |
| 12:53 p.m. | James Hahn, Mikko Ilonen, Hunter Mahan |
| 1:04 p.m. | Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka, Graeme McDowell |
| 1:15 p.m. | Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Billy Horschel |
| 1:26 p.m. | Fred Couples, Branden Grace, Thongchai Jaidee |
Preview
Instead of fixating on the past, let's pay attention to the present and future.
Yes, Tiger Woods used to be amazing at golf. And yes, he will compete at Augusta after sitting out last year. Last seen scoring an 82 during the Waste Management Phoenix Open's second round, the PGA's No. 111-ranked golfer is now more sideshow than contender.
SportsCenter's Twitter feed broke down Woods' recent difficulties:
He'll boost ratings as viewers cling to the slim fantasy of him returning to peak form, but simply making the final cut would mark an improvement. Nobody can hold the throne forever.
Watson, however, will try. Looking to secure his third green jacket in four years, the 36-year-old kicks into an extra gear at golf's grandest major. The Masters Tournament's official Twitter page provides a nifty graphic detailing his success:
According to PGATour.com, his 309-yard average driving distance rates second this year, but his 58.15 driving accuracy percentage falls to No. 141. Although aiming for back-to-back titles is a tall task, his driving strength makes him a contender worth watching.
Last year's runner-up, Jordan Spieth will take another swing at winning his first major. Second in the FedExCup standings behind Jimmy Walker, the 21-year-old has secured six top-10 finishes over his last 10 events.
The rising star expressed confidence heading into his second career Masters.
“I feel better going in than I did last year,” Spieth told The Dallas Morning News' Bill Nichols. “My swing feels better, putting stroke is getting there. So all in all, very confident about where I’m going.”
Per ESPN's Jason Sobel, Spieth also said he's more equipped to handle the grand spotlight during his second Augusta go-around:
Part of Thursday's final grouping, Jason Day has come close before last year's 20th-place finish. He earned a third-place finish in 2013 and placed second during 2011, making him Sobel's pick:
Coming off a victory at February's Farmers Insurance Open, Day is an intriguing sleeper to watch on Thursday afternoon.
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