Masters 2016: Tee Times, Date, TV Schedule and Prize Money
Golf's 2016 major season begins in earnest Thursday, as the world's best golfers descend on Augusta, Georgia, for the Masters.
There's no Tiger Woods in the field, but that's of little consequence. Woods has missed two of the last three Masters, a period in which he's been replaced by a three-headed monster of young stars.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth, world No. 1 Jason Day and Rory McIlroy are the only three golfers in the field with 10-1 odds or better, per Odds Shark.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Day has emerged as the 7-1 favorite, entering as the hottest golfer in the world. He's coming off wins in the Arnold Palmer Classic and World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play. The Aussie has racked up six wins in the last nine months overall and hasn't finished outside the top 10 of a major since last year's Masters.
“I feel good about my game,” Day said, per David Westin of the Augusta Chronicle. “But I know that I can’t take it for granted because obviously in this game, things can change pretty quickly. It’s such a competitive sport now and so many guys can win, and it’s so tough to win. But I do feel good with how I’m playing right now and where I’m at mentally and physically.”
Day has an up-and-down history at Augusta. His best performance was his first. In 2011, Day ascended to a tie for second despite being at a professional and personal low point.
“I had my agent, my wife and a sports psychologist, and we’re just sitting there, and I’m like, ‘I just do not like the game right now. I’m just having a very, very hard time picking up the golf club to even just enjoy myself out there.’
| Round 1 Tee Time (ET) | Round 2 Tee Time (ET) | Golfer 1 | Golfer 2 | Golfer 3 |
| 9:26 a.m. | 12:33 p.m. | Zach Johnson | Rickie Fowler | Cheng Jin |
| 9:37 a.m. | 12:44 p.m. | Louis Oosthuizen | Jason Dufner | Patrick Reed |
| 9:48 a.m. | 12:55 p.m. | Jordan Spieth | Paul Casey | Bryson DeChambeau |
| 9:59 a.m. | 1:06 p.m. | Justin Thomas | Emiliano Grillo | Dustin Johnson |
| 10:43 a.m. | 1:39 p.m. | Phil Mickelson | Marc Leishman | Henrik Stenson |
| 11:05 a.m. | 2:01 p.m. | Adam Scott | Kevin Kisner | Brooks Koepka |
| 12:22 p.m. | 9:15 a.m. | Charl Schwartzel | Davis Love III | Rafael Cabrera Bello |
| 12:44 p.m. | 9:37 a.m. | Bubba Watson | Branden Grace | Ian Poulter |
| 1:06 p.m. | 9:59 a.m. | Jason Day | Matt Kuchar | Ernie Els |
| 2:01 p.m. | 11:05 a.m. | Martin Kaymer | Bill Haas | Rory McIlroy |
| Place | Prize Money |
| 1 | $1.8 million |
| 2 | $1.08 million |
| 3 | $680,000 |
| 4 | $480,000 |
| 5 | $400,000 |
| 6 | $360,000 |
| 7 | $335,000 |
| 8 | $310,000 |
| 9 | $290,000 |
| 10 | $270,000 |
| Date | Round | Start Time (ET) | TV | Time (ET) | Live Stream |
| Wednesday, April 6 | Par-3 Contest | 12 p.m. | ESPN | 3-5 p.m. | CBSSports.com |
| Thursday, April 7 | 1st Round | 9:15 a.m. | ESPN | 3-7:30 p.m. | CBSSports.com |
| Friday, April 8 | 2nd Round | 9:15 a.m. | ESPN | 3-7:30 p.m. | CBSSports.com |
| Saturday, April 9 | 3rd Round | 10:15 a.m. | CBS | 3-7:30 p.m. | CBSSports.com |
| Sunday, April 10 | 4th Round | 10:15 a.m. | CBS | 2-7 p.m. | CBSSports.com |
“So we come to the conclusion of just going and saying, this might be my last Masters ever playing, I may as well enjoy it. So I went out there and finished second. And then I loved the game again.”
He's gone on to post three finishes of 20th or worse and a third-place outing in 2013. Last year, Day couldn't capitalize on a first-round 67 and wound up falling out of contention for a 28th-place outing.
Day was 17 strokes behind Spieth a year ago. It's almost impossible to have a better first two trips to Augusta than Spieth. He was unable to overcome Bubba Watson in the final round in 2014, instead settling for a tie for second. But last year, Spieth tied the Masters scoring record at the age of 21, blasting the field with an 18-under score on his way to a dominant first half of 2015.
Spieth subsequently took home the U.S. Open and closed the year with top fives in all four major tournaments. He'll be trying to become the first back-to-back Masters winner since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. Woods is also the last winner to finish inside the top 10 in his title defense (2006).
“I'm going to keep an eye on whoever's at the top,” Spieth said, per Ron Sirak of Golf Digest. “We all know who is capable of having firepower in a major, and certainly the firepower that's been produced over the last few months. There's a lot of guys who have a lot of success here that have really brought some strong finishes and motivation and some momentum into this week.”
If Spieth's looking for the top, McIlroy is hoping to be there. McIlroy has three of the four major championships on his mantle. The U.S. Open gave him his first triumph in 2011, he's twice brought home the PGA (2012, 2014) and The Open Championship was his playground in 2014.
Unfortunately, the green jacket has eluded him. McIlroy's 2011 collapse is the stuff of legend, and he never recovered at Augusta until a strong showing a year ago. His fourth-place finish is his best ever on the course and gave him a second straight top-10 finish. While he has still shown signs of cracks—hello, second-round 77 in 2014—McIlroy seems confident he can finally get over the hump.
"I feel like I'm a good enough player," McIlroy said, per Phil Casey of the Independent. "I feel like I've got everything I need to become a Masters champion. But I think each and every year that passes that I don't, it will become increasingly more difficult. So there's no time like the present to get it done."
With one of the deepest fields in Masters history, McIlroy might have a daunting task ahead of him. But if he keeps rebuilding his Masters confidence, he'll be a force to be reckoned with over the weekend.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
